El Arrepentimiento

Hello hello,

We had a good week this week. Last week and next week are zone conferences across the mission. On Tuesday we attended the Rancagua zone conference and I really enjoyed the messages from President Harris and the assistants. One of the themes was talking with everyone, which is something we need to do as missionaries to be able to share the Gospel. But sometimes we do other things (buy groceries, ride a taxi, etc) and seem to forget about being missionaries. So we did some practices of various situations like that and had some funny results. Sometimes we are so preoccupied with sharing the gospel with people that we forget they are actually people. As missionaries we need to love everyone as children of God and take a genuine interest in them. When we do that, the Gospel comes off as something natural (which it is) and not a sales pitch.

President Harris also spoke about repentance, which is central to the plan that God has for us. He posed an interesting question: Why does God require us to repent? Why cant we just pay off our sins or provide community service or something? We need to repent because that is how we change our nature. It isnt enough to simply change our behavior if we havent really changed who we are. Jesus Christ provided a path for each and every one of us to change ourselves and become more like our Heavenly Father. He wants us to return to live with Him forever, that is the plan, and repentance is part of the path. 

A favorite scripture of mine about the Atonement is Alma 7:11-17. Here is a part of that:

Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

 Have a great week!

Elder Richards