Can I just start by saying that I am so grateful that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is led by God Himself? I testify of the divinity of the mantle of the Prophet. Thomas S. Monson is called of God. I know it, deep in my heart. The Spirit of truth told me so! Conference this weekend was so amazing, but i mean come on, its dictated by God through the Spirit, so its always amazing!
So here is what I got out of Conference.
1. You are enough. God doesn't want you to Run faster than you have strength (D&C 10:4-5) Build on the testimony that you have, no matter how small, and I promise, as a representative of our Savior, God will magnify it. Just remember that you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith!
2.Be the clay on the potters wheel. CENTER YOUR LIFE IN CHRIST!!!!! I simply cannot stress this enough. If im being 100% honest with you ( and myself) I have doubts every five minutes. Im tempted every five seconds. Im under attack every moment of my day. This should all sound very familiar because this is all of us. The only way I have not given up, rolled over, come home, or died these past few weeks is simply because I make the conscious choice to center my life in my personal Savior. Its not just A choice its THE choice. You have already been bought. Christ paid the price. Do yourself an immense favor and doubt your doubts and choose to follow Him. You'll never regret it.
3. Simplify your life! This one makes me laugh, a kind of deep, rolling, self deprecating chuckle, because its so obvious, that I ways seem to miss this! During conference I found myself thinking
" Mason, you dingus, this is for you!!" But i testify that this is for all of us. The Gospel is simple. but it cannot be understood through mortal eyes. That's the entire reason that we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost when we are baptized! Rely on prayer brothers and sisters, rely on prayer.
4. Obedience! I think honestly, this was the overall theme of conference. We can't always see whats on the other side of the barrier (commandments) but God KNOWS whats on the other side. and 100% time its a terrifying sea serpent-shark-octopus that wants to rip us in halves of halves. No joke.
5. Women are divine, and motherhood is the single greatest calling on this earth. I am so grateful for a mother who took the time to show me right from wrong, what to do, and Who to trust in. She taught me the Gospel. She helped me build my foundation in life. She literally gave me the tools and the opportunities need to reach exhalation. I cannot thank God and her enough. So if you haven't told your mom that you love her today, you're slacking, get on it. As for me, mom I love you.
Now that I've given you a basic summery of conference, I guess i'll share some of how my week went! Let it be known that colds are literally Satan. I've been stuffy and sore throaty and generally miserable haha But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!! We got one of our investigators to commit to baptism so me and the comp are PUMPED! another one of our investigators told us he only wants to meet with us once a week, and at first we were bummed! but he then told us that he wanted to watch conference by himself, so he wouldnt be influenced by us!! That means that God is answering my companion and I's prayers that he would develop real intent. He also said he loved conference, so im excited to see how God will influence his life more! This really is His work, Im just here to enjoy the show! or at least thats how i feel sometimes! Im going to be sending letters to some of you lucky ducks pretty soon, and some people should be getting mail in the next few days so be on the look out! also if you want a handwritten letter, let me know, and then write ME! I promise i'll write you back!
K, now for the funny story. So every Friday we have district meeting, at which we discuss how to help our investigators, practice role play, and in one instance they made me do 150 push ups so everyone could choose to have a doughnut! ( it was an object lesson about the Atonement, not cruel and unusual punishment.) So after these spiritually uplifting meetings the whole district gorges themselves on a ridiculous amount of food! Its Celestial. But not this last time. After retiring for the evening on Friday, i was awoken by an incredible experience! I had gotten food poisoning from the chili I had eaten earlier! How Exciting! so for the remainder of the evening, my stomach would wake me to deal out more pain. If you ask what the best part its, here is what I would tell ya. The best part is my comp and i had been rotating the entire night! and we didn't even know it, I swear! not only had we contracted so minor form of e. bola but the entire district did as well! When we compared notes the next day, it turns out it hit us all at the exact same time. So i hope you found my pain lightened your mood! But more importantly i hope that my testimony will lift yours just a little bit more.
I know that my Savior lives. That He suffered in the Garden, Died on the Cross, and Is Risen. He is the reason. My conversion is not to this church but to Him, and because of the Comforter I know that this IS Christ's only church on the earth today. If you suppose that you can find the fullness of truth elsewhere, ask God, He will set you straight. I know that my prayers are heard by the most powerful being in the Universe. He is Real. He answers my prayers, and if He answers mine, I know that He answers yours. Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet of God. Don't let the doubts of the world cloud the revelation that you've received of the Prophet. And if they have, ask God if Joseph Smith Jr was indeed a prophet of God. I know exactly the answer that you will receive. I have been to Carthage jail. I have been to the Sacred Grove. I have seen with my own too eyes what the Lord did through Joseph Smith. But I knew He was a prophet the moment I knew that the Book of Mormon was the Word of God, the most true book on the earth today. That is honestly all you need to find your testimony of the reality that God talks to man still. I know that our trials here are temporary and for our benefit. That's right, the hard things we go through HELP us. I know that if you center yourself in Christ, that your trials will become lessons, and that you will grow to become that valiant person that God already sees you as. If you've found yourself lost, come back, God needs you on His side. He is literally waiting to pour out the blessing of heaven upon us. Its completely up to us to decide if we want to or not. I would like to conclude with my testimony of the Sabbath day. In the MTC, they teach you that stress + rest= growth. The Sabbath is that rest. If you make an effort to make it a day of Spiritual learning and rejuvenation, the Lord will help you grow. I promise you.
I love you all very much. Your'e in this young missionary's prayers.
With much affection,
Elder Mason Rogers
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