Big House Good!
In 3 days,
on the 12th Day of October, I will have been on my mission for 6
months! That is 1/4 of my mission! What the heck?!?! I'm still not good
at this stuff at all! But I have loved being in Taiwan, and have had so
many experiences that have shaped me and helped me become more like my
Savior, and the man I want to be. I love my mission in Taiwan!
We
had the opportunity to watch General Conference this week (a little
late, because of translating), and I absolutely loved it! Having the
opportunity to watch Conference, and hear living prophets and apostles
testify of the Savior and the Restored Gospel rekindles the fire of my
testimony, and reminds me of the love my Father in Heaven has for me. I
especially loved the talk by W. Craig Zwick, about understanding others
and looking outside ourselves. I definitely recommend you all take a
look into General Conference, you can watch it on
lds.org, or read it in the LDS Church's Liahona magazine!
But
as I was watching and pondering the messages of our Latter-Day prophets
and apostles, one thing that was constantly repeated was the power of
the Book of Mormon. One speaker, Tad R. Callister, talked about how many
have made attempts to geographically, scientifically, or historically
disprove the Book of Mormon. They have made claims that Joseph Smith
made the Book up, that he somehow was able to create, in just 65 days, a
massive number of people, places, names, dates, and events, and keep
them all organized, without any notes, or ever going over what was
already written. They tried to disprove things like building with
cement, and other small historical details, that seemed impossible. They
have made claims that ancient records were written on papyrus, not
metal plates. But time and time again, architects, researchers, and
geographers have found evidence supporting the authenticity of the Book
of Mormon. It can reasonably be scientifically proven that the Book of
Mormon is a real record, similar to the Bible. But more important than
seeing the evidence that supports the Book of Mormon, the earthly
"proof", we have been promised by prophets of God that if we ASK God,
the source of all truth, if the Book of Mormon is truly His word to us,
we WILL receive an answer. More important than knowing if the Book of
Mormon is historically, geographically, or scientifically accurate, we
can each personally know if the doctrines and the promises in the Book
of Mormon really do come from our loving Father in Heaven. By reading
the book, and then asking God, through sincere prayer, if this is His
word. I know God lives, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He
WANTS us to grow closer to Him. He gave us the Book of Mormon as another
testament of His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us learn of Him, and help
us learn what we need to do to be with Him again. I know the Book of
Mormon is true, because I have read it, and asked God, with a real
desire to know if it was true. I invite you to read it, to ponder it,
and ask God if it's true. I can give you the same promise that so many
others have given, that if you read, and really want to know if it's
true, God will witness to you that it is. I know that true happiness,
peace, and direction are found only in Jesus Christ, and His teachings.
I love you all, and I know that your Father in Heaven loves you, too.
Love,
Elder Shope
施長老
PS Here is the link to Tad R. Callister's talk from General Conference, about the Book of Mormon:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-10-4030-elder-tad-r-callister?lang=eng
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