The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

 

Hey everyone!! This week has been awesome!!! There are SO many great blessings that I have seen this week!! And every day that goes by there are more and more miracles! I KNOW THAT GOD AND JESUS CHRIST LIVE!!!! 

Yep, they chopped off Xavier's head again!

This week first off I have to say HHHHAAAAAPPPPPYYYYY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I won't get to celebrate it this year with her but next year we are gunna party HARD right Mom;) ha ha Yep she agrees!!! Well this week was amazing!! And I have to start off with Monday! We were watching a movie called Ephraim's Rescue. The main Character has a blessing from God due to his faith in God which was demonstrated through his obedience and diligence. So after the movie and the miracle that was shown, I really wanted to have that kind of

faith. I studied and prayed that God help me gain that kind of faith. Well again that means trials on your faith to make you stronger. We left the house and started knocking doors because the people we have been teaching haven't been progressing all that much. Alice and her family cut us this last week. I am really sad that we didn't get to teach them more. They are family that is so special and has so much potential!! So we had nothing and Jessica was

traveling. So the first couple of doors were just slammed on our faces and it wasn't all that good. At abou7 ish we knocked one door and a lady answered it. She is a member of the Jehovah's Witness church. As we talked it turn into a "Who is Right" Contest. We then asked her what she thought about Prophets. She said that the Calling of Prophets had stopped when Christ had died and that the Bible was the only religious book that she needs in her life. I then asked "Well, what about the people here in the Americas? Don't they deserve to hear Gods voice as well?" She said ABSOLUTELY!!! Then it got into "Well then, where are those scriptures?" She said that only God knows and that she would like to know one day.   ( I GOT REALLY EXCITED AT THAT POINT, Like a missionary who has been out one day!!!:) I told her that we have those records and that we have a message that explains about this. She then went back and said "No I only believe in the Bible!" Then she ran because she had to go and finish cooking her dinner and give it to her kids... OOOOOH, SO CLOSE! We are going  to try to go back and at least give her the Book of Mormon so that she can pray about it.

 



Visiting the city of Vitoria for a Doctors appointment!

After that, Elder Rosário and I walked around a corner and knocked another door. This time they had a doorbell with a camera and an intercom. I really didn't want to just ring the door bell so I clapped my hands and stayed way away from the camera hee hee ;) The lady started talking on the intercom asking who it was. I stood really close to the camera so that she could just see my belly button;) I told her that we were from The Church of Jesus Christ. She asked ..."of the Latter-day saints?" OPPA YEP! She then started to say how she was form the Baptist church and that we should go and find someone who doesn't know the word of God. I then said "Sister are here with a message that is super special for EVERYONE! It doesn't matter if you have a religion or not. It is not to take away your faith but to allow it to grow!" Somewhere during that she hung up the intercom. Yeah , I really don't like it when people are

disrespectful. If you don't want to talk to me TELL ME STRAIGHT UP that you don't want to talk to me! DONT HANG UP ON ME!! So I Bent down and Just looked into the Camera and waited for her to pick up the intercom again!:) And she did! While I was just looking, smiling at the camera, I think she might have gotten a little scared because she send her husband out to talk to us. She picked up the intercom right as her husband answered the door. Long story short, this man is a Pastor of a Baptist Church (Another church that doesn't believe in Prophets or Miracles). He started to BIBLE BASH with us and say just things that aren't in the Bible. I called his bluff one and opened up the bible on one which was WAY out of the air.. We kept talking to him JUST WANTING TO SHOW THE TRUTHES AND NOT BIBLE BASH! We both kept our heads as he kept trying to see if we really knew what we were teaching and we stopped him at every turn.

It truly was through the spirit that we talked to him. Then at the end we did the same this as we did with the Jehovah Witness and started talking about the Book of Mormon. But this man was a little more intelligent and FELT THE SPIRIT! I explained simply about The Book of Mormon and how this is LIVING PROOF that we have PROPHETS TODAY!! This pastor really wasn't ignorant and had ideas that were good. And when we showed the truth he kept COMPLETELY SILIENT!!! I once heard that "If the Book of Mormon had legs there would be NO NEED for missionaries". I know that this is true. A lot of the Leaders of this mission here a few transfers ago had a training on how we as missionaries are here "To convince people to be baptized"... When I heard that I did NOT agree. My purpose is to INVITE and the Spirit is to convince! The Book of Mormon is TRUE and there are so many great blessings that we can receive from it! This pastor promised to read it and pray about it and go to church next Sunday. I am only two legs of the Book of Mormon and I know that if we as missionaries or as MEMBERS talk more about this book to more people we will bless their lives as well! My dad send me and email this morning talking EXACLTY about this. He said " I came across a quote by Wilford Woodruff about the book of Mormon. " All the ingenuity of all the men under heaven could not compose and present to the world a book like the book of Mormon. It's principles are divine, they are from God. They could never emanate from the mind of an imposter, or from the mind of a person writing a novel. Why? Because the promises and prophesies it contains are being fulfilled in the site of all the earth."  That's why it's so important to teach from it, to read and study it and learn of it. It will bless your life and those that read it.   

 

 

I know just as my dad that the blessings of the Book of Mormon which invites all men to read the messages that it contains and then to ask God the Eternal Father if it is True. I have done this many times throughout my mission and I know that if any of you are struggling with anything in your life ESPECIALLY about the church to read The Book of Mormon and ask God to reveal it to you! THE CHURCH IS TRUE! THIS IS THE WORK OF THE LORD! What an amazing privilege it is to have the confidence of the Lord to be able to teach these things with other people who, Like the pastor, have a greater knowledge of the scriptures than I do. But 

I KNOW that what I am doing is true and I want everyone else to find this out for themselves! I am not here to convince anyone of anything. That is the purpose of EVERY OTHER church here on the earth. To get you to have confidence in a MAN rather than GOD.

 

2 Nephi 9:41 says:

O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

I am here to teach about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was not a Messiah but a Prophet of the Lord. And Now Thomas S. Monson is his LIVING prophet; a mouth piece to show us what we need to do. I know that everything that I am teaching people about is TRUE! I love the Lord and am trying to serve him the VERY BEST THAT I CAN!! I KNOW THAT CHRIST LIVES!!!
In His name, even Christ Jesus, amen.

Elder Stilson