April 1, 2013

Happy Easter!

I hope things are going well back home and that you had a wonderful
Easter.  It was a pretty interesting weekend here.  I remembered that
they really don't do all that much to celebrate Easter here.  In
general everything was just very quiet in the streets.  I think a lot
of people left town for their last vacation or for a final opportunity
to go visit family members.  In church, I gave a talk about the
resurrection.  I used a talk from Elder Wirthlin that he gave in
conference in October 2006 entitled "Sunday will Come."  It is
important to recognize that like the dark and dreary Friday when the
Savior of the world hung upon the cross, sometimes we will pass
through our own Fridays, days in which it seems like everything is
going wrong, when it seems like the whole worlds is falling down
around us.  However, because of what happened that glorious Sunday
morning almost 2000 years ago when the Savior of he world rose from
the grave to His eternal glory, we too can have the hope that Sunday
will always come.  As Elder Wirthlin declared, "Each of us will have
our own Fridays, —those days when the universe itself seems shattered
and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all
will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put
together again. We will all have our Fridays.  But I testify to you in
the name of the One who conquered death, —Sunday will come. In the
darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.  No matter our desperation,
no matter our grief, Sunday will come."  Then as President Uchtdorf
said, "No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today,
because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be
assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our
grandest expectations. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.”"  At this glorious time of the year, I am so
eternally grateful for what happened that Easter morning in which the
Son of God rose from the grave, conquering forever the bands of death.
 I know He lives, and because he lives, one day we will be able to
return to our Heavenly Father and live eternally there with our
families.  Because He lives, even in our darkest moments we can have a
perfect hope in what will come.  Maybe one of the greatest
declarations in all eternity was proclaimed by the angel who declared,
"He is not here, for He is risen."

We are teaching some really great people here.  One of the
investigators that we are teaching is preparing to be baptized in the
coming weeks.  She is really great and is learning a lot.  It is
amazing to see the progression in people as they begin to feel the
power of the Holy Ghost in their lives.  We are also teaching a young
couple who is really receptive.  We have been able to teach them a few
times, and they are starting to recognize the Holy Ghost as they pray,
read the scriptures, and listen to us.  I am just very happy to know
that God will always provide the way so that we can learn and draw
nearer to Him as we seek to find Him.

Not all that much else is new here.  I just know that the greatest
blessings in our life will come as we seek to learn of the Savior and
follow His teachings.  In reality, He is our Savior and Redeemer, the
only way that we can return to our Heavenly home.  I testify that He
lives.