Oakland Temple

Oakland Temple

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Week 20 - Modesto

Feliz Dia de San Valentine!!!
I hope you had a great valentine's day with those you love!
We did with the baptism of Socorro this past Saturday and a regional conference broadcasted from Salt Lake City this Sunday

I have been getting stumped with feeling like I work really hard in one attribute and neglect attention to others and then it's this repetitive cycle.  Have you ever felt that way?  I love the Christlike attributes like Love, Patience, Virtue, Knowledge, Charity, Faith, Hope, Humility, Diligence, and Obedience.  They are the characteristics of those that will one day dwell in the Kingdom of God.  Our salvation depends on these qualities.  There is a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland called "How Do I Love Thee?'  I related this to all the attributes of Christ.  I hope that we feel support from the other side as you as we strive to become more like Christ. 

'And it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him [and her].
Wherefore, . . . pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons [and daughters] of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; . . . that we may be purified even as he is pure. [Moroni 7:47–48]
True charity, the absolutely pure, perfect love of Christ, has really been known only once in this world—in the form of Christ Himself, the living Son of the living God. It is Christ’s love that Mormon goes to some length to describe for us and that Paul the Apostle did as well some years before, writing to the Corinthians in New Testament times. As in everything, Christ is the only one who got it all right, did it all perfectly, loved the way we are all to try to love. But even though we fall short, that divine standard is there for us. It is a goal toward which we are to keep reaching, keep striving—and, certainly, a goal to keep appreciating.
And as we speak of this, may I remind you, as Mormon explicitly taught, that this love, this ability, capacity, and reciprocation we all so want, is a gift. It is “bestowed”—that is Mormon’s word. It doesn’t come without effort and it doesn’t come without patience, but, like salvation itself, in the end it is a gift, given by God to the “true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” The solutions to life’s problems are always gospel solutions. Not only are answers found in Christ, but so is the power, the gift, the bestowal, the miracle of giving and receiving those answers. In this matter of love, no doctrine could be more encouraging to us than that.'
May we focus our efforts and time in self mastery.  Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "If we make no effort to believe, we are like the man who unplugs a spotlight and then blames the spotlight for not giving any light."  Make sure you know changes can happen and changes can happen in other people.  As we look forward with faith and an eye centered on Jesus Christ, nothing can stop us. 
I have not words great enough to explain this beautiful talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  I want to invite you to read it and email me back what you thought or felt stood out. (link below) Print it out why don't you? mark it up. 
I love you all,  I pray for you, and I appreciate the support,
Hermana Waters xoxo

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