Tonga my home forever. As we were waiting to go to a lesson, I took a walk around our first counselor's yard. It reminded me of the walks that grandma (Emmy) and I would always take around our back yard and would just take in all the beauty and the hard work that my Father would put into it. As I took it all in, it hit me how fast this time has gone and how much has occurred in these two years. My heart filled with gratitude and joy for this beautiful opportunity on top of an overwhelming gratitude for my Heavenly Father. He is the reason for every blessing I have received in my life! It is because of His son's sacrifice that I can go on from day to day and be renewed.
This week we were blessed to hear from our Area Seventy and Mission President. Elder Pierson came and brought a message to me that I will never forget. It was beautiful His message was about becoming a Disciple of Christ. He focused on how missionaries make a lot of changes, but a lot go home and fall right back into how they were before the mission but that is what will earn us eternal life. It is when we change permanently on our missions and not falling back. He made an awesome point as he said that we don't receive Eternal Life. It is something that we have to CHOOSE! WE have to act and use our agency to receive the blessings that God has for us! We re able to make the right choices as we obey the first law in heaven! Obedience! Being obedient builds our faith and through faith, we will have desire to be like Christ and repent. Then we will make covenants with our Father in Heaven! But it does not end there. This is just the beginning. Once we have covenanted with our Heavenly Father, we cannot go back. We cannot say, "Oh...this is too hard, I give up." We cannot afford to take a rest. Once you have covenanted with our Father who art in heaven, you have used your agency to follow him!!! In our hard times, we don't throw in the towel. Instead, we kneel, we pray, and we lean on the one person who made it possible for us all to have hope. This is enduring to the end.
Family, I am so grateful for my mission and all it has done for me. I am so grateful for the leaders in this church who are inspired to teach us and to help us become more like our Savior!
My goal is that I can be someone who brings others unto Christ through my example, because that is what we are here on earth to do....to align our lives with our Savior's life. We are here to be perfected in Him!
Family, I want to leave you with Elder Pierson's words. I am truly impressed that they are words from our Father in Heaven when he said, "It is not good enough that we try. We must DO!"
Family, I love you with my whole heart and soul. You are my life and my everything. Let us remember always that it is because of the love of God that we have each other. We shall put Him first in all we do! I love this gospel and I will give my whole self to it.
Elder Blake Daniel Harmon
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| We are eternal! |
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