Hey Everyone!
What a rewarding week this past week has been!
I've had the privilege of seeing two individuals who I
worked with in my last area (North Salt Lake), enter into the waters of
baptism and into a sacred covenant with our God. I am so happy for Joe (32) and Kevin (40).
They are truly going to be blessed by the Lord for their obedience to him. It was a wonderful experience!
I would like to take one moment and address a common topic
in this Gospel: Faith.
Alma 32:21 - "And now as I said concerning faith—faith
is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye
hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
Gaining faith is a gift from our God. Without faith, what would we have? We must depend on it. We must "nourish" our faith every
single day of our mortal lives…What happens if a plant or flower no longer has
water, soil or sunlight? What about a
grand oak? What happens when the
nourishing ceases to continue upon this marvelous and beautiful wonder? It dies. If the tree isn't nourished constantly, it
will wither away. The same is with our
faith and testimonies. Please, do all you
can to keep your faith strong! Nourish
it daily. Give it the proper necessities
that it needs. Through faith and showing
our faith, we will be blessed. I can
testify of that. And when things get hard, keep pushing. There is light ahead. There is hope. Our God and Savior are standing close by. They live, I know it. Jesus is the Christ is there every step up of
the way. We must stay close to him. Remember, CPR! (Church, Pray, Read!)
Every time I have the opportunity to teach and testify of
Joseph Smith and his experience in the sacred grove, my faith grows. It's
because I can so strongly feel the Spirit each and every time I do so. The
Spirit testifies of truth. I know and cannot deny that Joseph saw what he said
he saw. He saw our God and Jesus Christ.
He was called as a prophet to open up
this last dispensation. Christ's Gospel
is real and is once again on this earth. How lucky are we?!
This Gospel is so plain, simple and precious. Just as Nephi delights in the plainness of
this Gospel, I do too. It is so simple. Our God is not a God of confusion. He is a simple God. Please do not hesitate to share this plain and
simple Gospel with anyone! Show them the
blessings that accompany it. Show them
the joy it creates. The happiness it
brings.
"After all that has been said, the greatest and most
important duty is to preach the Gospel." - The Prophet Joseph Smith
I am so grateful for this short but amazing opportunity I
have to indulge myself full-time in sharing the joy of this Gospel that I know
and love. Through all the hard and
discouraging times, it is all worth it. Sharing this amazing message brings
more joy to me than anything.
Stay busy and stay safe. Stay close to our loving Redeemer.
Love,
~Elder Carroll
My favorite quote this week: "Bitterness poisons mostly
the one who harbors it in his heart." - President Spencer W. Kimball
My favorite scripture this week: Mosiah 9:21 - "Behold, I say unto you
that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the
Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto
all, even unto the ends of the earth."
Joe's Baptism!
Kevin's Baptism!
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