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| San Cristobal Zone |
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| flying home!! |
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| Im home |
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| traveling companions E. Sayama and E. Roberts |
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
I'm Home
Monday, September 15, 2014
Week 103! ya thats a wrap
Well ya!
That’s a wrap!
That’s a wrap!
Hi how’s everyone doing? Hope well,
this is my last week my last Monday in the mission and I have one day left in
San Cristobal and Wednesday I’m going to the offices and then on a big jet
airliner to the grand USA to touch down in the country I love. Wow the thing is
it’s really been too fast but it’s been a dream come true. Ever since I was
knee high to my fathers tie I have dreamed to be a missionary and here I am at
the end of my mission and all I have to say is it’s a dream come true.
My two years are wrapping up too
fast as I said and Thursday will be a very interesting day. Lots of emotions
but really I only want to say: I know this church is true the only true church
upon the face of the earth. That it is being lead by the prophet Thomas S
Monson, I know he has been called of god and he leads and guides us today. I
know more know than ever that Jesus is the Christ the holy Son of God our Savior
and Redeemer and I know he loves us. In 2 Nephi 2:6,8 it says, "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and
through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, how
great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the
earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence
of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy
Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again
by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass Resurrection of the dead,
being the first that should rise."
I am so glad that God trusted me
enough to bring this message to his sons and daughters to the knowledge of God
so that "we must come forth and
stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and
dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are
just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the
children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on
his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance." (alma 12:15) My
work for the Lord is to bring souls to him souls worth of his glory as a
missionary, I have done what Alma teaches in chapter 32 "And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with
an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the
tree of life." (Alma 32:40) Seeing with the eye of faith and looking
towards the people to bring them to the tree of life which is the most
desirable fruit and well we only do that by first eating it ourselves, then
inviting. "And it came to pass that
I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most
sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit
thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. And
as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy;
wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for
I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. I cast my eyes round about,
that perhaps I might discover my family also, And it came to pass that I
beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they
should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all
other fruit. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the
fruit also." (1 Nephi 8:11-12, 13,15-16)
Its like us, we need to partake of the
fruit which is the love of God (1 Nephi 11:22), we parake and then we invite,
we know how desirous the fruit is to our souls so we the look for our
"family" our spiritual family and we invite them to partake of
something we know is desirous and sweet to the soul. I have seen this happen
many times in two years as people partake of this fruit they change and they
become more and more followers of Christ. Its a wonderful thing!
I also Know that the Book of Mormon
is the word of God. I finished it yesterday, my fifth time in my mission. I
know a man can come closer to God just by reading it. It’s true I testify. In Doctrine
and Covenants 3:19-120 it says "And
for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these
records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his
people; And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers,
and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe
the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through
faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved.
Amen." That the Lamanites may come to a knowledge of their fathers-
for two years I have been the hands of the Lord in seeing that the ancestors of
the Lamanites receive these truths and well I have seen it as the people grasp
this book and they start to read and they start to love it, because when the Lord
enters in their hearts they change forever. They never deny it again. They put
God on their side and then they say I know they start believing and start
knowing. They know its true. "Therefore,
dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power;
and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of
God, and for his arm to be revealed." (D&C 123:17) "For there are many yet on the earth
among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle
craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept
from the truth because they know not where to find it—" (D&C
123:12) but when they follow god cheerfully and carefully they then know its
true.
"Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not
backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts
rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. , Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye
valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your
Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness.
Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solidrocks
weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and
let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare
his name forever and ever!" (D&C 128:
22-23) let us all keep moving forward nobody will take the knowledge of the
truth away.
“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We
keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
― Walt Disney Company
I love this work I know its true I
know that a man can come closer to God just jumping in and working for the Lord.
The only man that can explain it better is Moroni "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves
of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and
love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient
for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of
God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are
perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by
the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the
covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy,
without spot."
Just come unto Christ and be
perfected in him and the windows of the heavens will be open unto you. A member
told me once that at the end of your mission the best person you converted was
yourself. A mission is a time of learning and well the best part is that you
learn with the Lord. I have served the Lord and will keep serving him forever! It
really has been the best two years!
Thanks to all that helped in any
form I really am glad I could be here. May god bless each and every one of
you. I know this work is true the work will go on to infinity and beyond!!
thanks buzz for the help!! haha love ya!!!
Hope all is well and hope you all
know I love you lots!! See ya soon!!
Elder Jaymes Monson
sorry no pictures because the
computer doesn’t want to read it but hey love ya lots ill put some up friday!!
A mothers thoughts:
I've sure been full of a lot of emotions, maybe because I can sense what Jaymes is going through, but to think that the end is near is really hard to understand. Jaymes talks about a "dream come true" and I feel the same way. This has been a dream come true for me as the Mom. What better experience of growth and learning can happen for a young man than to serve a mission where the Lord is guiding and directing, teaching, listening, strengthening and preparing? I know I could not have taught him this much or helped him more than by letting him fly. Time stood still for months when he left and yet it has zoomed by at lighting speed. I can hardly wait till Thursday evening when I get to wrap my mother arms around my son and welcome him home, I can't wait to hear his voice, listen to his stories, feel his presence in our home (even if its a short time) and hug him often. I ask myself, what have I learned? I have learned that God is in control and has things under control. He is all knowing and wise. He is a God of miracles because he has performed miracles through Jaymes and trusted in his abilities and known just what they were. "Can ye tell?" (Alma 26:2) My answer is YES! I can, I sent out a young man being obedient to the call of the Lord with desire and ambition and faith but Thursday I receive a wondrous gift... My son, now a man who took his faith and turned in to Belief. My mother heart is full of gratitude and love for both a Father in Heaven who is patient and at the same time requires our whole self to follow him and for a son who turned his life over to that God and allowed him to help him change and become a mighty man! Now a new phase is about to happen, I'm apprehensive and anxious and yet I have learned that God is in the details if we allow him to guide us as we move forward in life always remember who we are, whose we are and where we can return.
Thank you to the people of the Tuxtla Gutierrez mission area. To those who took care of him, who fed him, did his laundry, drove him, moved him, prayed with him and for him, allowed him in their homes, who were kind and Christlike and even to those who didn't understand what he was there for or why, thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I feel so blessed. My the Lord bless each of you!
Thank you also to family and friends who have been so supportive and loving. For letters, and help and packages. For those who pray for him and the work he does. Thank you!
And so... now I'll continue to pray for Tyler who is doing so very well in Guatemala.
Love you Jaymes! The Lord is proud of you and so am I!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Week 102: "Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit"
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| birthday gift-cake it reads Helaman 10:5 |
This week was a bit of a lot, not a
lot of things happened but a lot of people saying things to us. now let me
explain, there was a lot of rejections from people, a lot of, “I really don't
want to hear you crazy people”, but even better a lot of “HAPPY BIRTHDAYS” on
Wednesday and well a lot of “WOW you’re leaving soon” holy cow how do so many
people know that? well the truth is yes I am going home soon but the thing is I
don't want to go! yes I should be
counting but 10 days left- sorry its how many pages I have left in my journal,
“a page a day” my stake president said and well I am trying to do it so yes I
have 10 pages left. but the thing is I feel like I will be a missionary
forever! All good things have to come to an end and well there are more missions
to complete, and where ever the lord sends me ill be there responding the call
because I am forever in his debt.
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| cakes and candle |
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| Yay! Real pizza for my birthday |
Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye
ordained?
To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was
sent forth to teach the truth.
And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and
received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified?
Behold ye shall answer this question yourselves; nevertheless, I
will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made
strong.
Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth
to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he
preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive
it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
If it be some other way it is not of God.
Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he
that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached
by the Spirit of truth?
Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand
one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." (D&C 50 13-22)
So I was reading this and I learned
that the reason I was set apart to do this was to preach the gospel and to
learn by the spirit. Its interesting how the preaching of the gospel brings the
people to a better state of mind like in this story,
And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things
unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which
thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I May be born of God, having this
wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be
filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I
will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may
receive this great joy.
But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou
wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will
bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall
receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the
king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate
himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying: O God, Aaron hath told me
that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make
thyself known unto me,and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I
may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the
king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (alma 22:15-18)
When the spirit is your number one
companion and the number one teacher the people change their ways and they come
unto Christ. The reality of the things the lord teaches us is that if we just
pay attention the promptings of the spirit it really turns the hearts of the
people to the maker and we are blessed together. It’s the circle of conversion.
We ask someone by the power of the Holy Ghost to do something and well if they
do it they are coming closer to God. Like I was reading yesterday in Ether 3
that the brother of Jared tested the lord and then he saw his finger and well his
faith turned into belief and then it turned into knowing. Its just like us asking a
person to do something they do it from faith then they believe and then they
know for themselves that it is true.
And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto
you that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to
day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of
your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to
their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. And
see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite
that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient
that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all
things must be done in order. (Mosiah 4:26-27)
If we follow the lord we do it with
the wisdom and the love god would have done if he where IN the room.
And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us
labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under
condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay,
that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the
kingdom of God. (Moroni 9:6)
It doesn't matter how many people
tell me I'm wasting my time or how many horrible words are spoken out against
us we know that if we labor with all our might and with all our strength the
lord will bless us without question. As long as we work in this Tabernacle of
clay or the Gospel we will be blessed the lord will bring down the blessings of
heaven and we will know that he is.
And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and
a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that
inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble
yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be
rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither
natural mind, but with the spiritual. (D&C
67:10)
As long as we all humble ourselves
before the maker and we really pray to him with all energy of heart we will be
made know the wonders of the lord and we will know him as he is and we will be
converted forever. We aren't just here for a short time conversion we are here
for the long run to keep moving foreword and to keep doing the things the lord
wants us to do. Behold, my soul
delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon
the things which I have seen and heard. (2 Nephi 4:16)
I, like Nephi, delight in the things
of the lord and well its a wonderful thing to delight in isn’t it? The lord has
a wonderful work in store for us its now up to us to do it. we first have the
faith then we believe that its possible and then we know for certain the lord
will bless us all!!! i love this work and we will keep working, one week left
then off to the offices and well then to the USA and how weird to think that
its so close, a day that I would never have thought would come so fast really
came and well wow! One more! I hope we
can make it the best!
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| Good game of soccer |
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| Pizza with Elders |
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| Elder Leon |
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| Out to eat |
Love you all hope all is well and
let us have Faith and Believe then we´ll see and know. love ya!!
I love this work!!!!
Elder Jaymes Monson
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