Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy

¿Que tal everyone?

Yay Spanglish! Anyway, it was really good to hear from you guys again this week. It's always great to hear from anyone, I must admit. I love hearing from all of you. It sounds like everyone is doing pretty darn well. It's exciting to hear about Jeffrey and Amber. I know that first date was a long time in coming, and I'm glad that they had fun. I also laughed to hear about Robby and his magic tricks. I can't wait to see them when I get back. I'm sure he'll be quite a magician by the time I get back.

Also, the Sacrament meeting that you guys had this Sunday sounded absolutely fantastic. I am so glad that Dad got to participate in it, too. That hymn is definitely a lovely hymn, and I'm pretty sure that I remember how it goes. I'll have to look it up at home real quick when I get back, but I am fairly certain that I really like that song. Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy  I'm even more excited that Dad got to bear his testimony, which I know has grown incredibly powerful since we came back to Church. Keep on staying strong Dad. You are definitely an inspiration for me.

And Grandma's reading the Book of Mormon!! I am so darn excited about that. The Book of Mormon is such a wonderful testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. I promise that if one reads it with the intent to discover the truth and if they are willing to act on his or her answer, they will find the truth, and they will know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know with absolutely all of my being that the Book of Mormon is true, and because the Book of Mormon is true, Christ's Church has been restored on the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the planet, as has been stated by the Lord Himself. The Book of Mormon does indeed contain the fulness of the Gospel, which means that all the necessary steps to salvation can be found within the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon testifies that Jesus is the Christ, that He atonned for our sins, and that in the last days He will come and personally reign upon the earth. Just as Joseph Smith declared, the Book of Mormon is the most correct book in the world, and that's because it was written through revelation and translated through the power of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that if anyone has the desire to know that it's true, they can find out for themselves through reading it and through sincere prayer to God our Eternal Father. The only way that one can know for sure that the Book of Mormon is true is through sincere and devoted prayer. God will not lie to you. God wants His children to be happy in this life and have the chance at living with Him for eternity; therefore, God will reveal to all of you that the Book of Mormon is true if you will but put forth a little effort to know that it is true and be willing to act on your answer. I would invite all of you who read this message, members and non-members alike, to read the Book of Mormon, and after every session of reading ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, if the Book of Mormon is true.

There's an example that I like to use to help explain to my investigators that it isn't necessary to read the entire Book of Mormon to know that it's true. Imagine that we have a cake. It's a delicious cake. Maybe it's even a Wacky Cake.  How many bites do you need to know that it's a good cake? Most all of the time you can tell that a cake is good from the very first bite. It's the same with the Book of Mormon. If you want to know it's true, you can know from the very first time that you read your first verse of the Book of Mormon. I challenge all of you to take that bite of that most delicious cake, and then read the Book of Mormon. It will change your life.

Today has been a pretty fun day. We actually got to go bowling today, which was pretty fun. Now, most of you know the procedure for bowling, and before you begin there's an important step; getting your bowling shoes. Well, it turns out that Ecuadorian bowling alleys don't cater to the unfortunately large footed. I had to fit my feet into a size 13 shoe, which as almost all of you will remember is two sizes smaller than my actual size. After every frame that I bowled I had to take off my shoes to let my feet rest. It was quite a deal indeed. Also, I may or may not have definitely won. It wasn't my best game, but a 124 isn't too terrible. My companion, though he tried his hardest, wasn't able to do very well, but it was only the second time he's ever been bowling. He said he liked it though, so that's good. All in all we had a good time.

Something that I've been thinking about lately is how amazing fathers are. Every already knows that mothers are incredible, that's well known, but it seems like dads kind of get put on the back burner a bit. I've noticed though that fathers really are incredible. They have so much responsibility, especially when they hold the priesthood. As it says in Ephesians 6:4, the duty of the father is to teach his children the Gospel. As you continue reading in Ephesians you find the armour of God (verses 11-18) and how important the armour of God is for us. If it's important for all of us, how much more important is it that fathers give this gift to their children? And if a father is strong in his faith, he will provide for his children. I have seen in many cases here where even the lowest man on the totem pole and of the humblest circumstances, if he has faith, can be a grand example and teacher to his children and help them find more faith in their Redeemer and in their Heavenly Father. Also, fathers have the responsibility to be the head of their homes and to make sure that their home is a home of peace, love, and learning. This is a big responsibility as well, and it takes a lot of time and hard work. To add to all of this, the father has to provide the necessary temporal things, such as food, shelter, etc. All in all, a father is incredible, especially if he does his best to magnify his duties. I'd like to thank all of the fathers out their who are doing their best to make sure their family is well founded in Christ and is well provided for. Thank you for being good examples to your children. And I want to especially thank my dad for all that he has done. Our family has certainly seen rough patches, but my father is doing his best to make sure that his family is the happiest that they can be. He truly is magnifying his calling as a father. Thank you Dad. I love you, and I'm very proud of all that you do.

I hope everyone is doing well and is staying strong. I am so thankful for all that you guys do for me, and I am so glad to know all of you. Keep trying to get closer to God and to Jesus Christ with all of your might, and you will be provided for. That is a promise. I love you all, and I'll talk to you guys in a week! Ciao!

Love,
Elder Schomburg