Week 4 - October 15, 2014

David, Companion, and teacher

David and Companion

Alright guys! Time for another update on what’s happening down here in the MTC (aka Spirit Prison)!!!!  Haha jk about the spirit prison, but seriously.  I'm loving everything down here!  The language is getting better!  I'm able to get through most gospel topics easy enough, it's just everyday sort of stuff that I have trouble with!   I love the gospel so much guys!!!!  Everything I'm learning is amazing!!!

Ok, so gospel thought of the week(I'm not trying to prove anything, I just want to share what I've learned) - During my own personal study time I wanted to search up a scripture that some people have said discredited the Book of Mormon.  The scripture people refer to is in Revelation 22:18-19 which says:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Because of this scripture, people say that there cannot be anything else, because it says don't add unto these things.  But if that were true, then it would discredit the whole New Testament!  In the Old Testament- Deuteronomy 4:2-5 it says the exact thing!  

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
4 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as theLord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

So what did this really mean then?  I didn't know, so I continued to study it and pray about it....   Then I read a scripture in the Book of Mormon, that says the exact same thing, just in a way that is simpler to understand.... In 3 Nephi 11:40 it says...

40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.

What those scriptures are trying to say is don't change the Doctrine.  If you noticed, there are many books and prophets throughout the bible and the Book of Mormon.  Each prophet, and each section, builds upon the same foundation (which is that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer) and everything they teach is in accordance with each other.  There is not one thing that contradicts each other.  If you have read the Book of Mormon, you'll see that contained in every page, ever verse is gods will. 

I also found something really interesting....  The Bible also predicts of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, the Great  Apostasy, the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, all that great stuff!!!!     In Isaiah 29, the whole chapter talks of all this!!!!!   I don't have time to talk about it, but if you guys want I'll share what I got out of the verses next week? 

Everything with Emilce (our Investigator) is going great!!!!!  She's really progressing!  So on Friday we gave here the challenge to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it sincerely.  She said she didn't have time.....  So I was prompted to have her read Moroni 10:3-5 (which is the promise to have an answer from the Holy Ghost) and then I asked her to just read one chapter that night, and pray about it sincerely and with real intent.  She agreed to it.  Then on Monday, she comes to the lesson immediately asking about the spirit!!! (I was like YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Haha I knew the spirit would come through for us :)!!!!!!!)She said she felt something, but didn't understand what it was, and wanted to know if it could be of the devil.  We told her what the spirit was like (feelings of Peace, and happiness) and that its impossible for the devil to imitate these feelings.  We showed her 2 scriptures that explained these, and she's really coming a long way!  Sorry I don’t have much time!!!  I hope all is going well!!!!  What do you guys want to know about???  Have any questions for me?  How about stuff I can look for and study on my time when I'm not doing anything???  I love you all!!!!  Hope everything is going great with you guys!!!!!  Miss you all!!!!!