Elder EJones: He Lives

This week wasn't that different from last week. We started the new cambio so we are working towards our new goals. Sometimes, I feel like they're hard to reach, but I know it all depends on our faith in the Lord and our personal worthiness and diligence. We are agents unto ourselves and the Lord is relying on us as missionaries, but as all of us as members of His Church, to help others to see how important the gospel is and to live and show it.

The Lord literally gave everything He possibly could to atone for us and we must be willing to sacrifice to allow others to feel and share that love.

This week I marveled at how much most of the world looks at the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Lots focus mostly and only on the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. But as we remember and know, the Atonement of Jesus Christ started with His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, then his physical death on the cross, and ended with his resurrection.

I love the scripture found in Matthew 28:6-7

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

Christ lives. Yes, He died, but He did live again. He not only lived again, but He lives again. He lives so that we too can live again. He lives to love, to guide, to comfort, to console, to succor. I know that He is the only person who can understand us completely. I am grateful for His sacrifice, His willingness to submit to the will of the Father. His love for His Father in Heaven, and for us.

May we remember him not only for Easter and for Christmas. But...as we remember to but the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the center of our lives everyday. Always being willing to take his holy name upon us.

Love you all,
Elder Jones

Elder ZJones: The Plan of Salvation

Elder Jones and Elder Oakes

God has a plan. This plan is so that we can be happy. He has given us this plan because He loves us and wants us to be happy. With this plan we can experience joy and peace.

We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to earth. There, we learned about His Plan for us and how we can come to earth and receive a body. We would also be giving agency, our right to choose.

We wanted all of these things and decided to come to earth.

We are now here on earth experiencing everything we could think of. We came to earth because we wanted to be like our Heavenly Father. Here, we experience sorrow, joy, happiness, and anger. All of these things help us grow and learn, and in turn, learn more of how to become like our Father in Heaven. But none of us is perfect, except for our brother, Jesus Christ. Because of His atonement for us, we can repent and feel more joy and happiness. That is our goal. We want to one day return to our Heavenly Parents and live and become like them.

But we all experience death.

Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, our bodies are imperfect. We will one day leave this earth. Our physical body and spirit will be separated. From there, we live in the Spirit World. In the Spirit World we continue to learn and grow. We are able to learn more about God's Plan for us and how we can become closer to Him.

Elder Jones and Elder Oakes

During the resurrection, we will receive a perfect body. Everyone will receive this gift. Those who have died will be reunited again with their perfect, physical body. We will them be judged and placed into a Kingdom that fits with how we lived our lives. The greatest and highest Kingdom is the Celestial Kingdom. There, we can live with Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever. We can live with our families forever and one day become like our Father.

I  know this is true.

My testimony on this has grown today. I know that God does have a plan. This Plan isn't made to make us feel anything but joy and happiness. We are given this plan because of the great Love that Our Father has for us and all of us made a decision to follow His plan. As we work everyday to: increase our Faith in Jesus Christ, repent, keep our covenants with God, have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and endure faithfully, we can receive all that our Father has and have eternal life.

Please pray for me this week so that I can truly apply this on my mission.

Elder Jones

**This morning Zeram got a call from Presidente Resek informing him that his first mission companion, Elder Mason Oakes, who completed his mission 12 days ago, was killed in a car accident last night. Please pray for the Oakes Family, for all those those who served and were touched by the life of Elder Oakes in the Buenos Aires West Mission, and all those who have been affected by this tragic event.

Elder Jones and Elder Sena