Hey Everyone! Hope your all doing great! Things are going great here as always! 5 weeks ago I was transferred back to Vista where I started my mission. It has been great serving in the same wards, the YSA and the 1st ward where a bunch of thr members remember me! Last time I was here we were in quarantine but now we have in person church and a ton of activities - a few hilights are institute where we have a return mission president that is one of the greatest teachers ever! - up to Brother White's teaching level! We also had a Luau with 3 ysa wards and as we were talking with a few of the visitors Addie Clevenger randomly showed up! It was crazy to see someone from back home and definitely unexpected. We are teaching quite a few amazing people and our friend Malcolm was baptized last Saturday. Malcolm is now up in Tucson Arizona trying out for a minor league baseball team called the Tucson Cigarros (I think I spelled that right). He was originally going to be baptized next week but we moved up his date because preseason for the team started sooner than expected. Overall it was an amazing spiritual experience and we are so excited to keep helping Malcolm progress. Our friend Miguel is also going to be baptized this next Sunday so if you all could pray for him it would be much appreciated he is a 17 year old kid who has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. I also gave a talk in the ysa ward this last Sunday on baptismal covenants and the Holy Ghost. For my spiritual thought I wanted to share a slightly edited version of the prompt I wrote in preparation for this talk, enjoy! Love yall and never stop being "anxiously engaged in the Lord's work!"

The Talk - Keeping Baptismal Covenants and the Holy Ghost

(A disclaimer- some of this is just phrases to remind me what I wanted to say so it might not make a whole lot of sense but the rest should be good)

As many of you know I served here in this ward at the beginning of my mission almost a year ago so when I got the notice for transfers I was coming back I felt like I was coming home.

For those of you who Dont know me (INTRO)

Malcolm was baptized just yesterday. What an experience to say at the least! In lou of that experience I have been thinking quite heavily on the importance of keeping covenants (especially the ones made at baptism) and the gift of the Holy Ghost

With this in mind, I wanted to share a quote from Preach My Gospel. There is an entire chapter in PMG dedicated to helping people make and keep commitments. Think about that for a minute,

Why, in missionary work and life in general would keeping commitments be so important??

This quote gives the perfect reason

From Elder Jeffrey R Holland, "when you teach people to keep their commitments, you are teaching them to become covenant keepers."

On the same page as that quote are two other profound sentences

1. Making and keeping covenants is an essential part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's plan for his children

AND

2. People become converted as they live the principles they learn

What is it that commitments do for us in preparation to receive covenants?

AND

Why do we need to receive covenants?

Commitments are a chance for us and those we teach to change their life based on what they have come to understand.

But as we all know God's plan is a plan of Agency or Choices so all that is expected of us is to take those chances to grow and to offer those chances to grow to others.

This growth is offered through the atonement of JC - Alma 7:11-13

And don't forget, as you go forth to make the most out of opportunities to grow, that God cares more about your growth than your comfort - so there WILL be growing pains

We receive covenants to bring our life into a path more aligned with our Father's plan for us by committing to take those opportunities to grow.

Elder D Todd Christofferson gave a wonderful talk on this very topic so for further and I am sure clarifying information you can turn there but I wanted to share 1 quote from his talk. At this point in his address he is noting the difference I just described between those who make covenants and those who don't - he says-

"the difference is uniquely and eternally significant. It includes the nature of our obedience, the character of God’s commitment to us, the divine help we receive, the blessings tied to gathering as a covenant people, and most importantly, our eternal inheritance."

That is a lot to take in so I will read it 1 more time

Specifically focus on

"the divine help we receive"

That help is found through the HOLY GHOST. The 3rd member of the Godhead

Jesus Christ taught us the role of the HG -

Scripture (s)

John 15:26

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Testify

Personal Experiences w the spirit

Overall peace + specific spiritual promptings

Confirming righteous acts

Forest w friends

Show the Lord he can trust us and miracles follow.

As missionaries we focus on teaching, but we find when we don't teach

All of the success I have had on my mission was not directly because of my finding efforts, but indirectly by showing our father in heaven he can trust us - THEN THE MORACLES FOLLOW

1 example - Arnold BoM request (on one of the hardest weeks of my mission me and my companion kept faithfully pushing forward and we got a self referral requesting a Book of Mormon. He was baptized just a few weeks later)

Close

As long as you are

DandC 58:27-28

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

Brothers and sisters when we are baptized we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. I hope that each of us take that seriously and strive to use His name in a way that would make Him proud, in a way that would make us proud to stand and give an accounting for it. Our Heavenly Father and Brother Jesus Christ love us so very much. Of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.