This week was a very interesting week, to say the least. I went on exchange with Elder Deklerk and we had a pretty good time except we knocked into a Born Again Christian Jew (It was a long story) but basically he wanted to know more about our religion and how it started. So, we started teaching him about the Restoration and he then proceed to lecture us on every point of the Restoration for an hour and half and about how Joseph Smith misinterpreted the First Vision and a bunch of other shenanigans. Anyway, that was pretty exciting. This week we taught 18 lessons which is super awesome! Time goes much faster when you are teaching people! This week we had 9 investigators come to Sacrament Meeting and we will be having 6 baptisms next Sunday! Pouchon, Sierra, Malik and also Vivian and her 2 kids Josiah and Jovana, will be getting baptized after church next Sunday! there baptismal interviews are this week and that should be awesome! Adline and her family are still waiting for the divorce papers to come back from St. Martin, but they should be getting baptized on July 30th which is Bruline's (Adline's Daughter) 8th birthday! On Friday, this week we had to bike because of all the miles we have been using and we ended having to bike 25 miles in the humidity so by the end of the day we were pretty wet.
This week I got my leather scripture covers in the mail, they are awesome! Thanks, Mom and Grandma!
My last thought this week, with the passing of my Grandpa Shields, is on the resurrection, "And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." (Mosiah 16:7-9)
Because of the resurrection of Christ all men will be resurrected, regardless of their works and desires here on earth. As a result of the Atonement all men will be redeemed from the effects of the Fall, so all men will be raised in immortality and all men will return to the presence of God to be Judged. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) In this life we will have struggles and heartaches but through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can overcome all things because he has already overcome them!
Part of this life is death, which is a hard thing to deal with but Christ taught us, "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die... And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;" (D&C 42:45-46)
Because we love our families it is hard to see them pass on to the next life, but we should also rejoice in the resurrection of Christ! It is important to understand that death is a merciful gift from God! It is so merciful of God to release us from the corrupt bonds of an imperfect body in this life! How awful would it be to live forever in this world! How grateful we should be for the promise of Celestial blessings from a being that cannot lie. Because of the restored powers of Sealing we can be sealed as families for eternity, not to be separated by the grave. Therefore we should not despair over those that have 'died in Christ' for if we continue to the end, we shall see them again. Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said, "Furthermore, since this life is such a brief experience, there must be regular exit routes. Some easy. Some hard. Some sudden. Others lingering. Therefore, we cannot presume, even by faith, to block all these exits, all the time, and for all people. Nor, if possessed of full, eternal perspective, would we desire so to do." (Conference Report, 1984)
I know that my family and I are sealed together for all Eternity and that, as we keep our covenants, we will be exalted together in the Celestial Kingdom with our Father in Heaven. I know I'll see my Grandpa Shields and Grandma Hansen again!
-- Love
Elder Hansen
Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mission
Haitian-ing the Work
"I love you Grandpa!"
Yay, he got his scripture covers!
Working hard in his "office"
The Hialeah Heartbeat Zone
A picture Elder Hansen found for Elder Augustin :)
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