Hey there y'all!
Well, this day has been a bit meh. I have a rather sore throat, a building headache, and we weren't able to do the activity that we wanted to do (go to a museum) because the museum was closed. How am I supposed to feed my cultural side when the museums are closed on Mondays? but hey, apart from that I'm doing fine. :)
What's the difference between a zone leader and any other missionary? Not a lot really. I just have more "office work" to do, such as write more reports and send in numbers and say why the missionaries didn't do something, etc. Other than that there really isn't a difference. I'm still a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and invite people to come unto Him. I think that one of the most valuable pieces of knowledge that I've learned by being a zone leader is that I'm not different than any other missionary. I don't have a different purpose or anything, I just have to write more emails, give special training sessions every once in a while, go to more meetings, and keep people in line. But I'm liking it.
Family vacation! Dang! I hope you guys have a tonne of fun in San Diego! And, Madre and Dad, I am rather incredibly jealous of you being able to go to the San Diego Temple. They're always announcing temple trips in the wards/branches, you guys get to go to one of the most beautiful temples (not that there's an ugly temple, I just really like the San Diego one), and I have to wait another 10-11 months to go to the temple. You lucky ducks. [We just discovered that the San Diego Temple is going to be closed for maintenance while we are there, so we are not so lucky ducks as he thought.]
So, before I get on to the more spiritual message, I just thought I'd let you all know that I'm still "me", and being me comes with a range of desires involving motorized vehicles, though now, en vez de wanting a super fast sports car or something, I'm really, really craving a motorcycle. A Triumph Daytona or a Harley '48, to be precise. If only I hailed from a climate where 4-wheel-drive wasn't semi-necessary. Oh well, thus is life.
Okay, so lately I've been studying a lot more about the Book of Mormon and trying to put more emphasis on its use in lessons. And why is that? Because the Book of Mormon is so so so important to all of us. That bolded all means every person in the world, member and non-member alike. And why is it so important? Because if the Book of Mormon is true, and I, along with millions of others, testify that it is, then Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith truly restored the only Church that Jesus Christ had ever formed, and that church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that Church is lead by a modern day prophet named Thomas S. Monson. If the Book of Mormon is true, that there is only one path that leads to the prescence of God and not multiple, as so many believe. The Book of Mormon either is true or it is not true. It can't be partly true or mostly true. It either came from God and is, as the prophet Joseph Smith testified, "the most correct of any book on earth". Those who come to know that the Book of Mormon is true will also know that "Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah" (Book of Mormon, Introduction). The most important part of knowing that the Book of Mormon is true is the knowledge that one will receive that the Lord Jesus truly is the Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. I have come to know who Jesus Christ is not through reading the Bible or attending church, but through reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. I know that Christ has provided me with the means to be cleansed of all of my sins, and I have the hope of being able to be part of an eternal family, because I have read the Book of Mormon and I know that it is true. I know, without one shadow of a doubt, that the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is true. And that knowledge has helped me to know that we are guided by a prophet, called of God to guide us to eternal life. I know this, and I know that all of you can come to know this, and that this knowledge will lead you to more happiness and joy in this life and the one to come than any other knowledge that one can accumulate here on earth. I would exhort all of you to not settle for simply "good" in life, but to strive to achieve the "best". I would exhort you all to do your part and put to test the challenge that the Book of Mormon puts forth: "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Book of Mormon, Introduction).
[To request your own free copy of the Book of Mormon, click here. Or ask me (madre), I'll get you one.]
Well, I think that's all that I have for this week. I am so grateful for all of you and what you have all done to support me. Please keep doing your best to grow closer to you Heavenly Father, for in doing such you will find more happiness than anything the world has to offer. I love you! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
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