Merry Christmas in Spanish. Please only use google translate as a last resort. haha
Well this week was really cool! We went caroling on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day, and we got to help and serve a lot of people!
In Mexico, Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than Christmas Day. Every one gets drunk and parties a ton on Christmas Eve, but on the day, they're all just hungover and sleep in. At least, that's Christmas in Isla. Fortunately we were able to REMEMBER (hahaha i hope you get the joke) things in a better manner: we preached the gospel. What better to do on Christmas Day? Or in this time of the year.
I did have a really special experience this week. I finished the Book of Mormon again in Spanish. I've now read it several times in Spanish and every time I read it, it reinforces the truth of everything it says. One of the questions that many people ask here is, "Why do we need the Book of Mormon if we already have the Bible?" Another one is "Why doesn't the Bible mention the Book of Mormon?" Well, first of all, it does, several times. But I will explain all of this. The full title of the book is: The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
Who does the book talk about? You got that right, Jesus! Why's this important? What does the Bible say? One Lord, one Faith, one baptism. At various other moments it explains to us the narrowness of the way, the importance of correct doctrine, of authority, etc. Knowing this, how many different religions have the Bible? All of the ones that believe in Christ. So how do we know which is true? So we rely on the words of the various religious leaders and guides in a world of so much confusion? CAN we rely on them? Peter said that there would be many false teachers among us. How can we know which are false and which are true? Thankfully, Jesus gave us the answer. "By their fruits ye shall know them." The proclaimed fruit of the prophet Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon. It is the test to see if he's a truthsayer or a liar, because he's either one or the other.
The Book of Mormon was written by many ancient prophets from the AMERICAN continent. It was written in a language impossible for us to understand. Joseph Smith received it from an angel and translated it by the power ands gift of God. If the book is true then Joseph Smith was a prophet of Jesus Christ and this is His restored church. The Book of Mormon is thus the key to the beliefs of all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But this is not all. The Book of Mormon also proves that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. How? Well, in a law case, one witness is evidence, but not proof. But two witnesses? That's a lot stronger. The Book of Mormon is that second witness that Jesus is the Christ, because it was written on a completely different continent, by a completely different people. If the book is true, then that means that two different nations, halfway across the world from each other, and with no means of communication, believed in and worshipped the EXACT SAME being in the EXACT SAME way. This isn't just "evidence" anymore. It's proof.
Now the only thing left to do is ask God, as invited both in the Book of Mormon and the Bible (James 1:5, Mormon 10:3-5), and wait faithfully on the answer from God about the truthfulness of the book.
Thats why members of this church believe in the Book of Mormon, and that's why it's the cornerstone of our faith, both in Jesus Christ and in His restored church.
I know that the book is true.
Talk to you all next week! Stay safe this week and don't go do anything stupid!
Elder Thompson
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