The Role of Prophets in Proclaiming the Doctrine of the Eternal Family
Prophets help us see things from God’s eternal perspective. He blesses them as seers with a divine endowment of spiritual sight. They are able to “know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come." The Lord has set them in place to protect us from spiritual and physical danger. The Proclamation on the family was given to the world in October 1995 and outlines the truths about the doctrine of the Eternal Family, the roles we play, and the importance of this institution in our day.
Concerning the role of prophets on the earth today, President Russell M. Nelson, said:
"Each of the Lord’s apostles is in a position to observe and feel the love that Heavenly Father has for His children, particularly for those who are struggling. …Sometimes we as leaders of the Church are criticized for holding firm to the laws of God, defending the Savior’s doctrine, and resisting the social pressures of our day. But our commission as ordained apostles is “to go into all the world to preach [His] gospel unto every creature” [Doctrine & Covenants 18:28]. That means we are commanded to teach truth. In doing so, sometimes we are accused of being uncaring as we teach the Father’s requirements for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. But wouldn’t it be far more uncaring for us not to tell the truth—not to teach what God has revealed? It is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth. We may not always tell people what they want to hear. Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth! [Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 17, 2019], 3, speeches.byu.edu)"
What Did the Lord's Prophet, Russel M. Nelson, Tell Us Last Week ?
(He turned 99 just a few weeks ago)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/51nelson?lang=eng
We witness that Russel M. Nelson is the Lord's mouthpiece on the earth today! Follow his counsel and you will always be right! He said:
"An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever... The very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be. Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of 'thinking celestial'. Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded."
"Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import... Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected and those with whom you will live forever.”
Evans Moses is Baptized
Evans was born and raised in a Christian home in Nigeria until the age of 11. When he was 11 he was sent to live with his sister in Italy, where he was free to do whatever he wanted. When his parents discovered the lack of discipline he was living under they had him come back to Nigeria and taught him how to work. He eventually moved back to Italy and then to England. He always felt there was something more to life, that someone was watching over him and his family. He recently began searching for a church and came across a Facebook Ad from our mission. He responded to the Ad and requested more information. After the first lesson he knew this was the right church and wanted to come closer to God! He was so happy to hear that God was our Heavenly Father who loved him! This principle changed his life and he was baptized last week (no Moses did not part the waters, he went under). His family has been very supportive of him. There are about 100,000 members of the church in Nigeria; one operating temple and a new temple announced at general conference last week. Evans was taught by Sister Frampton and Sister Victor (Heather's 3rd Cousin). (Evans also attends our institute class).
Pony Up
As we have been getting ready for Mont's driving tests we have noticed how respectful drivers need to be of cyclists, powered wheel chairs and of course horses! We see them all on the roads here.
Play Ball (in the Chapel?)
Because the church buildings are small here compared to the buildings at home in the states. Most of the chapels have mobile benches so the chapel can be converted into a multi-purpose room. At first it felt really odd to us to be playing sports in the chapel, but we are used to it now. It is often the only room we can set up for our 9-square game.
Stake Conference
This last weekend we had a wonderful stake conference (9 congregations in the Sunderland Stake). We sang in the stake choir and had a delightful experience. Our visiting Area Seventy was Kyrylo Pokhylko from Ukraine. He had previously served in the Kiev Temple for 7 years as Temple Recorder and then was called as the Mission Leader to the Baltic States. He has not been able to return to his home in Ukraine and remains outside his home country at this point. He is the missionary department representative for all the missionaries in northern Europe and works with many mission leaders in this role. He was very focused on the rising generation, missionary preparation and encouraging the youth and primary aged children to participate in Sacrament Meeting. He was very earnest and bold in his teachings-- we enjoyed his messages.
Man on the Run
On Monday mornings we have zone prayer and do planning. Zone prayer is at 8:45 am and is over a Zoom video chat with the whole zone-- we often have not been able to exercise by 8:45 and get ready. So..., we dress from the waist up for the zone prayer and then waist down for exercising. (The zone prayer video only shows from the waist up).
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