Dear Family and Friends!
As you can see in the title I'm SOOO pumped right now!! And that's because we had Elder Nelson come to talk to us! AWWWWWW!!! It was awesome! It was actually in the Santiago South Mission and so we went to the Santiago South Mission and we were able to listen to Elder and Sister Vinas, Elder and Sister Christensen, and Elder and Sister Nelson!!! Awww, it was amazing!
And the cool part was that even though we were two missions combined, Elder Nelson wanted to shake each and every missionaries hand! AWWW! IT was awesome! I got to shake Elder Nelson's hand and greet him! And, wow, it was just as you said, Mom, about the light of Christ. Having the chance to be inches from an apostle of the Lord, he just radiated with that spirit! He is so kind and so sweet! It was such an uplifting experience!
Really they all talked and they were all incredible but some of the things that caught my attention was when Sister Christensen talked. She related her talk to the scripture mastery 2 Nefi 2:25 about how Adam fell that man might be and that they might have joy. Really she gave a powerful testimony of the joy we can receive from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She explained that the only way to have joy in the mission is to have Him first in everything. She recounted how a lot of missionaries come out for a lot of different reasons, but the Savior is the reason for everything and should be the main source of all the happiness and joy we have in our missions.
Sister Nelson gave a talk about how we need to see ourselves as our true pre-mortal selves, of how we were before this life. If we understand who we were and look on who we are today we will know of the driving force we have to do everything to bring to pass the salvation and eternal life to all mankind. She talked about angels and how there are angels around every single person. Whether they are members or not members, they have family waiting on the other side stuck in spirit prison and are with them every step of the way, pleading and begging that their family members will receive us. Really, that changed my aspect a lot on how to look at the people we teach and contact--that no matter where they are, who they are or what they are doing, there are angels there, and I can be the one to save not just one but MANY souls unto Christ!
Really they were all great talks, but the thing that called my attention the most out of them all is the love that they showed for us. I really felt like the Savior was there telling us, "Well done thy good and faithful servant." I know these men and women have been called of God, they are special witnesses of our loving Savior Jesus Christ!
Now onto the talk by Elder Nelson! He talked about the Gathering of Israel. And, holy cow, did he go straight to the meat in the doctrine! Ha ha! He first started talking about the Abrahamic covenant in the Old Testament and focused on the Gathering of Israel. Really, being from the tribe of Ephraim has a HUGE responsibility! And that's us! Really, I received a grand testimony that these really are the last days. Elder Nelson said that over and over and over again. And just to think that the Lord with His infinite and endless plan, has been saving me, Elder Cowan, for ions and ions of time to come and gather His Children. I really don't know who I was or what I was like before in the premortal life, but it is a testimony to me that really I have waited thousands and billions of years for these 24 months, the last quarter as Elder Nelson explained, that there's nothing else, and no one else. It depends on us. There is a lot of pressure, but as Elder Nelson used in Doctrine and Covenants 86:8-11 we have been preserved on the lineage of our forefathers (the tribes of Israel), the Lord has held me for this last quarter and we literally are Saviors for the house of Israel in these last days.
Wow! He sure did put the pressure didn't he! But I know what he testified was true. He really is an apostle of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our Savior and Redeemer! Just imagine that! We are here! He has kept us for these moments! Don't you feel the urgency?!!! I feel like I need to talk to everyone to save these precious souls of my brothers and sisters--to save the very souls of the descendants of the Book of Mormon, the very same tool that brought us to have the Restoration and priesthood for our salvation. I can't even explain to you of how precious it means to me to be here in Chile. Just as Elder Nelson taught us, the Book of Mormon will and is the most powerful tool in the whole entire world to gather these last tribes. I know the Lord promised to Abraham that these tribes would be gathered again, and even though it was more than 4000 years ago that that covenant was made, I know the Lord is the same! WE all have this great responsibility! And it's not just in baptism, but through the holy temples of the Lord! Which Elder Nelson gave us some marriage advice at the end, ha ha, he said that, "Elders. . . before you even think about proposing to a girl, you better know that she loves the Lord first." And that's our focus after the mission he told us! Ha ha.
I am so grateful to have my patriarchal blessing to have received it from my wonderful and loving grandpa! Through that I know the responsibility I have in these latter days. I know I can be a savior for these people, and I have never felt such happiness and joy from our own Savior Jesus Christ. May we all have this desire to gather the Lord's children and may we all feel the true joy of His Atonement. I know He lives and I know He is with us, leading and guiding His vineyard and preparing it for the last time. I love my mission and I love my Savior. He is the reason I am here. I love you all and may you all feel this love! Hurrah for Israel!!!!!
Love Elder Cowan
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