October 7, 2013

Hey everyone,

How are things going?  Things are going well here in Talca.  It is very different being here in the city again.  It had been a while since the last time that I was in a city.  I'm pretty sure Talca is a bigger city than Rancagua, and the church is pretty strong here.  It has one stake with around 10 strong wards and 2 branches.  Hopefully things will be able to continue to grow so that one day it can be like Milwaukee and split to have two stakes here.  I honestly don't think that day is all that far away, but it will definitely take a lot of work to help the church continue to grow here and stay strong.

There are really a lot of great people here.  We are starting to teach quite a few new families.  We were able to find a lot of new people, and we had three people come to watch conference.  It was a really great experience, and hopefully these people will be able to continue progressing in the gospel.  It was very inspiring to have many spiritual experiences during this past week, especially as we shared the first vision with the people here.  On several occasions, the people that we are teaching have just been left without words as they have felt the power of the Spirit testifying of the truth of the gospel.  I am so grateful for all these opportunities to share the gospel with the people here.

I have been studying recently a lot about the temple, and the importance that it has in all that we do, especially right now in missionary work.  I read a talk which I really like from Elder Bednar, entitled, "Honorably Hold a Name and Standing."  In it he says,

“Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted” (Alma 26:5).

The sheaves in this analogy represent newly baptized members of the Church. The garners are the holy temples. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should be gathered is the holy temple” (in John L. Hart, “Make Calling Focus of Your Mission,” Church News, Sept. 17, 1994, 4). This instruction clarifies and emphasizes the importance of sacred temple ordinances and covenants—that the sheaves may not be wasted.

“Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them” (Alma 26:6).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained that in renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, “we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the [ultimate and] most important sense” (“Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1985, 81). The baptismal covenant clearly contemplates a future event or events and looks forward to the temple."

When recounting a suggestion that a released Stake President who later worked in the temple said to him when he was called as Stake President, he said, "Serving in the temple has expanded my vision. If I were called today to serve as a stake president, my primary focus would be on worthiness to receive and honor temple covenants. I would strive to make temple preparation the center of all that we did. I would do a better job of shepherding the Saints to the house of the Lord."

I really feel like the temple just has such a central purpose in all that we do as members of the church.  We are strengthened and uplifted as we worship the Lord in his holy house.  I am just so excited to be able to go more frequently to the temple once I return home.

Well I hope that you all enjoyed General Conference as much as I did, and good luck with everything during this coming week

I hope you all are doing awesome, and I'll talk to you later.

Elder Stollenwerk

PS I have been with my second cousin Elder Quezada here in Talca for the last week, but now he will be leaving us tomorrow.  Just thought I'd let you know.