Email September 27, 2017

Email September 27, 2017 –Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Three weeks down!

Hey everyone!

         It's been another great week at the MTC! The daisenpai, the missionaries 6 weeks ahead of us, just left to Japan. It was kinda sad to see them go, but I'm excited for them to go do great things in Japan. Them leaving also made me feel like I don't have much time left in the MTC, even though I still have 6 weeks. It made me even more motivated to make the most of the time I have left.

       We had a devotional yesterday by Elder Bragg of the quorum of the seventy. He gave such a great talk! A couple of the main things I got out of it were that we need to be full of love, and we need to have faith. Sometimes being full of love can be really hard. There are lots of people that are hard to get along with, but if you try and remember that everyone you meet is a child of God, it gives you a new perspective. Try and see people the way God sees them, and it becomes a lot easier to love them. Faith is also super important and powerful. I came across this scripture the other day in my Book of Mormon reading, and it's a really powerful promise about faith. Mormon 9:21 "Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." I love this scripture. Faith is real. I've really trying to develop my own faith lately, because it's so important in missionary work. We had a discussion in class about faith that I thought was really cool. Everyone has heard of faith described as a little seed that grows into a plant from Alma 32. What does a plant need to grow? Water, nutrients, and sunlight. Our faith is the same. The water is taking the sacrament and renewing our covenants every week. We nourish our faith through the word of God, or the scriptures. The light is our own personal revelation, which we receive through prayer. As we constantly do these things, our faith will grow into a large tree that can withstand the whirlwinds of the adversary. But the thing I think is most important is this. Once you've grown your little seed into a tree, are you done? Is it accomplished? No! This is where enduring to the End comes in. It doesn't matter how big a tree gets, if it stops receiving light, water, and nutrients, it will die. The same is true with our faith. If we stop taking the sacrament, reading the scriptures, and praying, our faith will wither and die no matter how strong it once was. And all three are required, not just one or two. Our faith must always be growing, like a tree. We can't stop, or we will fall. I promise that if you keep going to church and taking the sacrament, reading and studying the scriptures,  and praying with real intent,  your faith will grow, and you will begin to see miracles in your life. I know this gospel is true. I hope all of you have a desire to come to know that for yourself. I love you all! じゃまたね！

-あいしています！

Love,

バートン長老

Elder Burton