Kia Ora friends and family!
It's been a really... honestly it's been a scary week. I think it's a really scary time for everyone around the world in every circumstance. The world has seemed to have turned upside down. I can promise you all, those feelings of stress or fear or worry about the unknown, are okay to be having. It's my job not only as a missionary, but as a member of the Lord's church on the earth, and as a disciple of Jesus Christ, to bring hope to those around the world.
So let me tell you about the greatest gift any being has ever been given. Imagine all of mankind past, present and future, living with God in heaven before coming down to Earth. God has a body, perfect and glorified, He has an eternal companion, He has many wonderful children, and most of all, He has a fullness of indescribably great joy. We, His children, saw His example- we beheld of that happiness and we marveled at it. After all, "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."(The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
God then told us that He would do anything within His power to help us have those same great blessings we beheld. We were so excited! He gently told us however, that those great things we wanted, would not be easy to obtain, this is the nature of the universe. We understand "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so...righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad" (2 Nephi 2:11).
So, God asked His Son, our big brother Jesus Christ, to come down to this earth and atone for all those things we cannot overcome on our own, and "[His] Beloved Son, which was [His] Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto [Him]—Father, Thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever" (Moses 4:2). Jesus Christ loves us so much, He agreed even back then to do this very difficult thing for the salvation of all of our souls. We all accepted to come to Earth with faith in Jesus Christ being able to help us here. So, here we are. Jesus Christ has already come to the Earth. He was humbly born and raised up learning line upon line, just as we must do. He matured and taught His gospel. He helped people understand their divine nature and what they must do to continue towards the goal we originally came to the Earth for- that great happiness and joy of being like our Father in Heaven. He "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). He was also tempted, he was rejected, he was beaten and he was crucified, being "lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world" (1 Nephi 11:33).
For us to have the FULLNESS of joy which a perfected being has, we will simply need to go through a little of misery to understand the joy in its fullness. Before we came down, I would imagine God told us of some trials we would need to go through, mistakes we might make, and most of all, how worth it He knew it would all be.
These trials are necessary to give us access to that great joy God has, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). He told us we could not become like Him without these hardships, and we knew it would be mortal-y impossible to overcome them on our own.
Most importantly, he already took upon himself all of our pains and sorrows. Jesus Christ felt of all the injustices in this world, and He lived:
"16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."
Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19
Jesus Christ is the greatest gift. God through His Son Jesus Christ, provided all of us a way to find hope in a day when we can be perfected and happy with our loved ones.
Friends and family, it is a scary time! We are in a time of great unsurety, There is a lot of change that has happened within the last couple weeks. Let me assure you, fear is not new. Furthermore, this gives us an opportunity to learn and continue preparing for the last days. This is the time to have faith in Jesus Christ, to believe in Him and what He has done for us. He knows your worries, he knows your pains, and most of all, He wants to help you overcome them and trust in the plan God has for you.
As President Nelson said, the Lord is bound as we follow His commandments. The things we want to achieve in our lives are still available to us in the future, and I know that is true. What a wonderful time to be alive, to see the wonderful unfolding work of the Lord. We are coming close to General Conference and Easter. President Nelson has said it will be unforgettable, but it might not be in solution to the circumstances swirling around us. We need to continue to prepare for the message the Lord would have us hear at this time. As the world seems to be getting darker and darker, we all need to prepare to let in that light God will shine for us as we celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the first step to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Will you continue to prepare to hear from our prophets and apostles? Will you pray to our Father in Heaven to give you peace? Will you allow Jesus Christ to lift you up? Will you?
I promise you, as you trust God and give Him your will, the atonement of Jesus Christ will work more fully in your lives. The Spirit will be able to comfort you and your families, and every day you will have more joy. You will be able to see the Lord's hand in your life specifically, and you will be more prepared to face whatever there is to come.
All being said, the circumstance of us missionaries is continually being monitored. This mission is expecting changes, as with many missions across the world. Today New Zealand moved into Alert Level 3, and will be at Level 4 in two days. In preparation for Wednesday's self-isolation, my companion and I will due some extra supply shopping in the morning. I think going back to America might be in my near future (although there has been no official notice about this). For now, I've been moved back into Auckland City-- to work with the Chinese people in the North Shore and in Central Auckland, which is new to me.
We are working with those we already know and are progressing, but we are not trying to find new people to teach. Whatever God has in store for His children, I am striving to give Him my will and trust Him.
