Friends and Families, Brothers and Sisters,
children of all ages.... after 9 long weeks in the... well-loved walls
of the MTC, we finally are breaking out! Elder Pope and I found a tunnel
from our room on the 3rd floor to the outside of the MTC! Elder Vance
and I have forged some plane tickets, and we're going to fly out of the
Salt Lake City airport tomorrow at 6:50 am.
They can't stop us now! I'm excited to finally be out of here! I've
learned a lot in these hallowed walls, and I will always love this
place, but I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow we
will be on a plane for 14+ hours, and we're flying United, so any
prayers would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to be dragged off the
flight...
Cool Experience of the Week!
President Uchtdorf from the First Presidency came to the MTC yesterday
to tour the new buildings! He was like right outside our classroom, and
we didn't even know! We finally saw him as he walked outside the
buildings, but we're on the 6th floor, and people were already swarming
to him. So I didn't get to meet him, but I did take some pictures, they
are on the drive. That brings me up to a total of 4 apostles that have
come to the MTC while I have been here.
Well,
because this is my last email from the MTC, and I don't know how much
time I will have to write from the field, I want to share with everyone
what I believe and know to be true. I know my Father in Heaven lives. I
know He is a literal personage, that He is our Father, and He loves us. I
know He loved us more than we could ever possibly imagine, so He sent
His Only Begotten Son to Earth to Atone for us, and to save us from the
loneliness, the evil, the bitterness of this world. I know that Christ
is the Son of God, the Savior of our world. I bear a personal witness
that He loves you, personally. He was a carpenter, a brother, a teacher,
and ultimately an outcast. He served others all His life, He healed the
sick, He raised the dead, He fixed the lives of those He touched. He
brought joy to those He met, gave them hope, and gave them purpose. And
still he was despised. The people He loved scorned Him, beat Him, and
ultimately crucified Him. But I bear witness that this pain was minimal,
this heartache was minute, next to the pain, the agony, He suffered in
Gethsemane. He sweated as it were great drops of blood as He suffered,
not only for our sins, not only for our mistakes, but for our pains, for
our loneliness, for the trials and the tribulations we would face in
our own lives. He did it because He loves us, He did it because He
wanted to understand us, He wanted to know us individually, so He could
know how to help us. When Christ was resurrected, He asked the people to
come, to feel the nail prints in his hands and feet, to thrust their
hands into His side. Why would he ask the people to touch Him, to feel
His side? Something so personal? Because He wants us to know Him
intimately. Personally. The way He knows us. He wants you to come to
Him, to put your pains at His feet, and He will take them up, and make
your burdens light. I know that Christ's church was taken from the
Earth, that His power and authority was lost. But I also know that in
1820, Joseph Smith saw God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and
through him, they restored the keys of God's power back to the Earth. I
bear personal witness that every sentence, every word of the Book of
Mormon is true, that is the word of God to His people. If you don't
believe me, read it, and ask if it is the truth. If you have a real
desire to know, and you kneel down in earnest prayer, I promise you our
Father in Heaven will tell you it is true. That it is His word, to His
children. I know these things, because I have asked the Lord myself, and
He has, through the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, borne witness to me that
it is true. I love my Savior, I love my Father in Heaven, and I love
you all. And I want you all to have the everlasting happiness I have
found by coming to my Father, and doing the things that He asks. I want
Him to be proud of me, because He is my Father. He knows we can't be
perfect, I am far from perfect, He just asks we always do our best, and
His Precious Son will make up the rest. I bear this as my personal
testimony, in the name of my Brother, my Savior, my Redeemer, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder Shope
(PS, this is the last day I'll be able to respond to emails right
away, if anyone has anything left to say to me. I love you all so much)
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