Everything is Spiritual!

Hermana Bond and Bott at Lima Temple

This week was amazing!!! So just a little bit about it: we had a training with president and a few of the zones in Lima. We talked about conversion and the importance the spirit has in conversion and in commitments. Also about finding people to teach. President used an example, he had Hermana Arroyo try juggling but she couldn’t do it. So, he began juggling and he said you have to have a focal point or a focus before you can begin doing everything you need to do. For us as missionaries the focal point is finding. When we find we are able to do everything else in missionary work to find, teach and baptize converts. Also, in life when we have a focal point we are able to do all the things we have to do. What is your focal point/focus? I’ve thought about that question a little bit this week. 

 

Stay focused

Then, on Friday we went to the temple!!! But not only for baptisms for the dead but we had half our p-day on Friday to be able to do a session. I feel very blessed to have been able to be in the temple on Friday. I’m also really blessed to be able to work so much at the temple as a missionary, many missionaries don’t have that opportunity a lot on their missions. After p-day ended on Friday the converts from Lima came to do baptisms for the dead. I love hearing about their experiences afterward. I love in Malachi 4 and 3 Nephi 25. It is so interesting to me that the last verses in the Old Testament talk about the turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers. It must mean it’s pretty important. I love family history and temple work that along with the Book of Mormon change our hearts as we strive to apply the doctrine of Christ. 

 

Hermana's Bott and Bond with some elders from their zone I am guessing

We had a really cool experience this week. We had a lesson on Saturday with Ariela and Gabriel, they are investigators we have. We had invited them to be baptized last week but Ariela said no because she siad she needed to feel ready and if she gets baptized she doesn’t want to go inactive. So we left it at that then we had the training with Pte. We learned when the doctrine is truly understood we change. We have found that the Book of Mormon combined with the Spirit is the most powerful thing for conversion. True lasting conversion and not just a baptism. Anyway, we were in a lesson with them and we were reading in 3 Nephi 11 and then Gabriel looked at us and said What is doctrine??? Wow a very inspired question. So we used

 

Hermana's and Elder's at the Lima Temple, Em, 3rd from left

3 Nephi 11:32-39And this is my doctrine , and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and... 

33And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized , the same shall be saved ; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

34And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized , shall be damned. 

35Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost . 

36And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one . 

37And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. 

38And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child , or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. 

39Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine , and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. 

 

Sister's in Zion, the 3 Sisters on the left have all been her companions at one time. Hna Villena, Hna Arroyo, Hna Bond

They put their own baptismal date. It was amazing. When the investigators understand the doctrine and keep their commitments the spirit is able to testify to them. Anyway, they will be baptized at the end of June and they are doing really good!! I love the spirit. One part I love in PMG (Preach My Gospel) is in chapter 4 in the part about the spirit in conversion. One thing I loved this morning is the doctrine of conversion and the experience of conversion. When a person understands the doctrine- Faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, the spirit testifies to them and they have spiritual experiences that help in their conversion. I kept thinking about the doctrine and experience. For example the doctrine of the Sabbath day and then the experience of the Sabbath day. Then the doctrine of being a parent and then the experience of being a parent. The doctrine of a class and then the experience of a class. EVERYTHING IS SPIRITUAL! That hit me in the morning while I was studying.  When true doctrine is understood we truly do change and we are able to apply the Atonement. I love this gospel and the chance to be a missionary. It’s the best thing I could be doing right now. I love the gospel and I know it is true. I know the doctrine of Christ, the Atonement and the Book of Mormon help us repent and to change. 

 

Sisters serving

Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Bott

Here are some scriptures I liked this week

3 Nephi 11:10-11, 32-41, 29 10Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. 

11And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. 

29For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil , who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. 

32And this is my doctrine , and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and... 

33And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized , the same shall be saved ; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

34And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized , shall be damned. 

35Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost . 

36And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one . 

37And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. 

38And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child , or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. 

39Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine , and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. 

40And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. 

41Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. 

DC 50:13-24

Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained ? 

14To preach my gospel by the Spirit , even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. 

15And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified? 

16Behold ye shall answer this question yourselves; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made strong . 

17Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? 

18And if it be by some other way it is not of God. 

19And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? 

20If it be some other way it is not of God. 

21Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth? 

22Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. 

23And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness . 

24That which is of God is light ; and he that receiveth light , and continueth in God, receiveth more light ; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.