We listened to a talk by Elder Holland, and he said that as missionaries, our work is the same as the Father and the Son, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man," by "inviting others to come unto Christ through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost,and enduring to the end."

In the devotional last night with Rex D. Pinegar, a main theme was the question "Why am I here?" It was a great talk that we had a good experience talking about afterwards. Jesus said that his "work is to do the will of Him who sent me." It is the same for us. We are here to serve God and do everything he would have us do. If you want results, do the work. Commitment brings success. He wants us committed to it all, even every rule, because when Jesus Christ was doing his work, He was completely committed to every rule to fulfill the will of His Father.

There are some Elders here who don't know why they're here or are here for the wrong reasons. I want you to know that I do.

There are many things I don't understand. I don't know how the world was created, or where Kolob is, or everything that will happen in the second coming. As a mortal I don't fully comprehend eternity. I don't know why every commandment or rule has been made. I don't know all the mysteries of God.

These are nice things to think about, but in the end, it really shoudn't be very important to us now. I believe we should focus on one main goal: living the gospel of Jesus Christ by faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Rather than getting caught up in how long the seven seals are, we should strive to become like Christ, even to become perfect even as He is perfect. As we live the gospel, we should be becoming more like Him, or we're not doing it right. I think the biggest chunk of knowledge we are meant to gain on earth is how to be like our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. If we prepare now, we will be ready when He comes again.

While I know we can't be perfect as mortals, I know if we strive to develop Christ-like attributes every day of our lives, one day as resurrected beings we can become perfect through Christ's Atonement.

While I don't know everything, these things I do know:

1. Jesus Christ is my Savior and through his atonement the gap has been bridged between mortals and God. Our sins have been paid for and if we will do the neccessary work, Christ's grace will get us there. Through his Resurrection, our bodies will be reunited with our spirits after death.  

2. The Book of Mormon is true. It is the word of God, and the most true book on Earth. It was translated by the power of God.

3. Joseph Smith saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

4. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, as is Thomas S. Monson. God Speaks through the prophets and Apostles to guide us.

5. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (Not Joseph Smith) restored the fulness of the gospel and its ordinances on the Earth for the last dispensation (through Joseph Smith.) They did this so we could have full access and availabilty to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

6. We are children of our Heavenly Father and He will communicate with us as we pray with real intent. Real intent means we really intend to act on the response. He has a plan for us so that we can have joy.

Thanks so much for the letters (keep them coming). I'm sorry I had to miss the birth of my first niece, but I know this is where I'm supposed to be. I hope Jake and Hannah get some sleep and are doing well.