Sunday, May 20, 2018

MAY 14, 2018: MOTHERS DAY!

Yesterday was the best day of the year until August 30th!  Because I was able to talk to my family in a video call, and for my dear mother.  She has been my most loyal and best friend since I have left.

This week, we had a baptism in Nogal, and we have just been trying to get more people to come to church, because we've been finding people, but the people we find don't come back to church much, so we are working on improving in that aspect. 

THE FAMILY

A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I testify of this proclamation, that the family is inspired of God, and I love my mother!

Elder Connor Tracy


MAY 7, 2018

This week, we had interchanges with the Assistants, and I went to their area, which has the temple of Bogotá in it, and we worked the miracles!

Have a few pictures of this week, and there's a special one where we knocked a door right outside the temple. He told us to come back within two hours. And I thought he wouldn't be there. We went to do another appointment, wasn't there the dude, but we contacted a 23 year old guy and taught him right then right there. Then we went to knock some doors, and when two hours had passed, we went back, and the dude wasn't there. But his dad was! So the dad accepted a tour of the temple, and we gave him a lesson right there in the temple ground. They went back the next day to teach the family, and they all accepted a baptismal date. And we just kept on going the whole day with stuff like that.

I had interviews with my Mission President, and we also have been just working in our area. We went on Sunday night to visit a Venezuelan guy we met last week, and he wasn't home, but we met his brother, and we taught him and he accepted also to come to church and a baptismal date. So it is going pretty good. 

This week, I have especially seen the power of the Holy Ghost working in the lives of my investigators, and in mine. As we have been teaching, there have been some special appointments (like the ones in the temple) where I just felt the spirit burning within my chest, like the scriptures say, and I've received yet again an answer that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the the Lord´s Church in our days. Like Galatians 5:22-23 says 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law

I feel those feelings on a daily basis. Try to feel them for yourselves, and recognize them as fruits of the Holy Ghost.

Elder Tracy

APRIL 23, 2018: TRANSFERS

Well this week was transfers, but me and my companion are staying together. We are now in our second transfer together, and my third here in Nogal.  His name is Elder Lizarraga. 

We have found a ton of people to teach,  We just hit ten baptismal dates here in Nogal, which means ten people have accepted to be baptized on a certain day. So we are doing work.

One of the people we found this week that is of special mention is Felipe. He is Catholic raised, was baptized in the Pentecostal church, but still hasn’t received the gift of the Holy Ghost. So his doubts were, how can he get the gift, and what is his purpose on the earth? Is there really a true church of God? So we had a very pleasant chat in a local bakery (because he had people repairing stuff in his house), and he accepted that we go back this Wednesday. 

Laura was supposed to be baptized on Saturday but didn’t have the right amount of attendances and also, we haven’t been able to teach the commandments, so we are going to keep on going slow but steady with her. 

Another remarkable experience, but truly a miracle, was I fasted on Thursday, and I asked that somebody in the street would stop me and be interested in our message.

I fasted, and it happened! As we passed a corner, I saw this lady’s jaw just drop as she looked at us, and she said ¨The Elders!!!¨ So her son was baptized ten years ago, one other member of her family just got back from his mission to Peru, and that same morning, her son that was baptized ten years ago was telling her that they needed to get back to church. And we found them that same day. God hears our specific prayers. And beside that, another six people stopped me in the street and just gave me their phone numbers and addresses (sadly only one other lived in the area), so it was a great confirmation of my personal knowledge that the message is true, and that somebody up above wants me to share it.

Beside that, my Mission President asked me to visit a person living in my area who has been traveling, searching for spiritual guidance. So we found him, taught him, and just had a pretty intense lesson with somebody who was a missionary (in Saint Louis!) to a person who doesn’t even believe in God nowadays. We gave him a blessing through the authority of the priesthood that only we profess to have, in a legitimate manner, and he started to cry. I shared a scripture, Alma 32, and he mentioned that it’s the ONLY scripture in the Book of Mormon he didn’t think Joseph Smith wrote. Another cord struck. I know God also guided me during that visit.

So just imagine if I would write you guys everything that happens to me every week. Honestly my life is pretty good. It’s been hard, but it’s never been an option to just go home. There are people who need to learn more about the Restoration here in Colombia, and I’ve been called of God to preach it.

Also, we had the opportunity to be visited by Elder Zivic, who talked in the General Conference a few days back. he talked to us about a lot of things that we can focus more on to have more success as missionaries, and he was just super funny. A special witness of Jesus Christ, a seventy, like Moses had, or like Jesus called to go before him. A great experience. 

I have so much more to say but I just promise that these last seventeen weeks of my mission that I'm going to be a better writer and just try to get it all typed out so I can stun all of you! 

I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that because of it I know that God has a plan for me, called the Plan of Salvation, or the Plan of Redemption, or the Plan of 
happiness, or the Plan of our Eternal God. All of these phrases come from the Book of Mormon. We search the Bible, and this phrase ¨Plan of Salvation¨ or any phrase that could refer to the same plan, is not found! We can search the Bible to know how to be saved. Is it through works, or grace? And we can just look at how many different churches are with so many different beliefs to know that there's no good answer, no matter how convinced anybody could be on the topic. We can look at the importance of ordinances, is it important to be baptized? OR do I just have to confess Jesus in my heart to be baptized? Why was Jesus baptized? Is it baptism at birth, or as a person capable of making decisions, of sinning? Does God really know me? Why does he permit so many bad things in this world if He exists? 

Well, if you have ever had any of those questions. I would invite you to read The Book of Mormon, where you will find a sufficient answer to every question I just mentioned, not excluding many other question that are often asked. I have read the book about eight times and a half during my mission, and I know that with the book, there is power. I share that with all of you because in nineteen months, I personally, me, Elder Tracy (or Connor Ross Tracy) have baptized a Catholic priest, a Jehovah's Witness, Evangelic Pastoras (women pastors), a Jew, and a lot of people who didn't believe before. And I don't name the religions to just put another feather in my hat, but to say that The Book is the difference. It wasn't me. I've just had the privilege.

Elder Tracy