President Lamprect Weekly Emails year one part 1
10-2-22
Dear Elders and Sisters,
First off, Happy Conference Weekend. I hope that it was a great opportunity for
you to hear the words of our prophets, seers, and revelators, and other church
leaders, to feel the Spirit, and to receive personal revelation for your
questions and concerns. What a wonderful
conference it was. I’m always surprised
how quickly the weekend goes. More on conference
later.
This has been quite a week here at the mission home. On Tuesday we were blessed to bring together
13 missionaries who completed their mission and were going home. Of that 13, 5 were from the ABC Zone, 1 from
Suriname and 7 from Guyana. It is always
a privilege for Sister Lamprecht and me to be with them as they prepare for
their next step. It was interesting that
in my interviews with them, almost all shared with me their gratitude for the
opportunity to serve a mission, and how much it has blessed their lives. Our final testimony meeting on the night
before they left was powerful. It was
hard to see them leave. We’ll miss them.
An hour or so after we dropped the 13 off, we received 13
new missionaries to the mission. In this
mix we had 8 who were headed to Guyana, 2 to the ABC Islands, and 3 to
Suriname. We’re so excited to have these
new missionaries. They are going to be a
great addition to the mission. As of
tonight, 12 of the 13 are in their areas.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a flight for Elder Miller to get to Aruba
until tomorrow night. I know that
transfer week has included a lot of temporary assignments and waiting for
people to get to your areas, especially with a group this big. I hope you were able to make the best of
it. I’m grateful that this week we can
all be at full strength and moving forward in this transfer.
I thought for my letter this week I would share some
thoughts about General Conference.
First, I hope that you feel the wonder of the kingdom of God of which
we're a part. Did you catch what
President Nelson said (again): “In coming days we will see the greatest
manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.” (Probably not exact quote, but close.). I
felt the Spirit so strongly when he said that.
As the conference went on, I started thinking about some pretty wondrous
things that are happening right now:
· The church has
given $906 million in humanitarian aid and 6 million hours of labor. That’s almost a billion dollars in aid. There are not many countries in the world
that could match that magnitude of contributions
· The church has 53
temples in construction across the world, with 54 more in pre-construction (not
counting the ones announced today). I am
going to step out on a limb a bit and say that I don’t believe there are any
companies or governments anywhere in the world that are building that many
projects at that level of complexity, demanding the kind of resources required
to do that. I was in the real estate
development business. That is a
staggering requirement of resources and management.
· As I watched
conference, I got a feel again for the worldwide reach of the church. We are not a North American centric church
anymore. That’s especially clear when
you see the General Authority 70’s speaking who are from all over the world.
· I was touched by
the portion of the Book of Mormon video depicting the visit of Christ to the
people at Bountiful. There was a segment
that was playing between sessions with Elder Rasband talking about the release
of the Book of Mormon videos. He talked
about how the church is larger outside North America, and that these videos
will help reach people in their own language who perhaps can’t read but can
still feel the power of the Book of Mormon.
I thought about the incredible resources the church has at its disposal
to produce amazing content solely for the benefit of its members and to share
the gospel with the world.
· I think of all the
resources devoted solely to our mission, which is significant, and then I
multiply it by around 400 missions. What
an amazing effort to fulfill Christ’s commission to “Go ye therefore and teach
all nations….!” Nobody else can do that, nor do they have wonderful young men,
women, and senior couples who voluntarily give of their time to make it happen.
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Doesn’t that sound like the time that we’re living in? The Lord is moving His kingdom forward, and all the ends of the earth are seeing the salvation of God. Elders and Sisters, this is the time that we are living in. This is a time seen by prophets of old. What a privilege it is to live in the dispensation of the fullness of times! Joseph Smith said:
“The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; … it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory.”
I also think of the powerful words we repeat at every mission meeting The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progress-persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
As Parley P Pratt wrote in his great anthem of the restoration, “The Morning Breaks:”Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear, And Gentile nations turn and live His mighty arm is making bare, His covenant people to receive. Angels from heaven and truth from earth have met, and both have record borne Thus Zion’s light is bursting forth, to bring her ransomed children home.
I’ll talk more in the future about messages from this conference that I feel have specific application to us in the mission. Tonight, however, I wanted to share with you the awe I have for being part of the kingdom of God on earth. What a wonderful and incredible work we are involved in. It is definitely a “great work.”
I invite you to ponder the messages of this conference. Act on the promptings you have received. Let’s help the Savior fulfill His work in
this part of the vineyard. We can do all
things in Christ.
Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht
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10-9-2022
Greetings from Bonaire.
Sister Lamprecht and I are here this weekend to be a part of a great
event in Bonaire. The husband of a part
member family here in Bonaire was baptized yesterday and confirmed today. He is a great man who has been agnostic about
religion for many years. We were told
about him by at least three prior mission presidents. Due to some circumstances in his life and I
believe the faith of his daughters, miracles happened culminating in his
baptism and confirmation this weekend.
It was wonderful to witness. It
reminded me of the miracle of conversion and what a mighty change of heart
looks like. My prayer is that he will
play a big part in helping the branch move forward here in Bonaire.
Next week begins a busy two weeks of having all three zone
conferences and interviewing all the zones before we go to Mission Leader
Seminar on the last week of October. We
hope that all of our travel will work, and we can be with all of you for as
much time as we possibly can. We’re
grateful for all you’re doing and for your efforts to move the work
forward.
I was reading in the
Book of Mormon this week, specifically about the words of Samuel the Lamanite
to the Nephites. Speaking of the
Lamanite members of the church, Samuel says of them in Chapter 15:5-6:
And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them
are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and
they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments
according to the law of Moses. Yea, I
say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving
with unwearied diligience that they may brng the remainder of their brethren to
the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their
numbers daily.
As I read the Book of Mormon, especially, I look for keys to
success in bringing people to the Savior.
In this case the phrase “striving with unwearied diligence” jumped off
the page to me. Along with being in the
path of their duty and being obedient, striving with unwearied diligence was a
key to them adding many to their numbers daily.
I started pondering on what it means to be striving with unwearied
diligence. I thought I might share a few
thoughts about that with you in the letter this week.
Three key words are in that phrase – 1) striving, 2)
unwearied, and 3) diligence. When I have
phrases like this, it’s helpful for me to make sure I know what each of those
words really mean, so I go to the dictionary.
Here’s what I found:
Striving -- to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: to make
strenuous efforts toward any goal:
Unwearied – Indefatigable.
That was a word that I wasn’t familiar with, so I had to look it
up. It means “incapable of being tired
out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring.”
Diligence – Hear I like the Preach My Gospel definition the
best. It says diligence is "steady,
consistent, earnest, and energetic effort in doing the Lord’s work." It goes on to say “Do many good things of
your own free will.. Don’t wait for your leaders to tell you what to do.
Continue until you have done all you can, even when you are tired. Focus on the
most important things and avoid wasting time.
Avoid anything that distracts your thoughts or actions."
In other words, those Lamanite missionaries were successful
because they worked hard toward a goal, not yielding to fatigue, and were
steady, consistent, earnest and energetic.
I love the phrase about not yielding to fatigue. I think we all get tired – I know I do. The key is what we do when we’re tired, or
bored, or feeling down, or any other thing that may cause us to not be
diligent. We have the choice to act at
that point. Are we going to give up or
push forward? It’s not about taking a
break when we need to. That’s
important. Rather, there will be
defining moments when we will need to decide if we can push a little harder or
exercise a little more faith.
It reminded me of an amazing talk given by Elder Uchtdorf
entitled “Fourth Floor, Last Door,” given at the Women’s Session of the October
2016 General Conference. I'm sure many
of you already know the talk about the experience of two missionaries. Here is
the story:
One day they had the feeling to approach the residents of a
well-kept four-story apartment building. They started on the first floor and
knocked on each door, presenting their saving message of Jesus Christ and the
Restoration of His Church. No one on the first floor would listen to them. How easy it would have been to say, “We
tried. Let’s stop right here. Let’s go and try another building.”
But these two missionaries had faith and they were willing
to work, and so they knocked on every door on the second floor. Again, no one would listen. The third floor was the same. And so was the
fourth—that is, until they knocked on the last door of the fourth floor.
When that door opened, a young girl smiled at them and asked
them to wait while she spoke with her mother.
Her mother was only 36 years old, had recently lost her husband, and was
in no mood to talk with Mormon missionaries. So she told her daughter to send
them away. But the daughter pleaded with
her. These young men were so nice, she said. And it would take only a few
minutes. So, reluctantly, the mother
agreed. The missionaries delivered their message and handed a book to the
mother to read—the Book of Mormon.
After they left, the mother decided she would read at least
a few pages. She finished the entire
book within a few days. Not long after,
this wonderful single-parent family entered the waters of baptism.
The daughter in the house ended up being Elder Uchtdorf’s
wife. Elder Uchtdorf shared:
…we walk by whatever faith we have, seeking always to
increase our faith. Sometimes this is not an easy quest. Those who are
impatient, uncommitted, or careless may find faith to be elusive. Those who are
easily discouraged or distracted may hardly experience it. Faith comes to the
humble, the diligent, the enduring. It
comes to those who pay the price of faithfulness.
Elders and Sisters, I believe that striving with unwearying
diligence is all about 4th floor, last door.
It is not giving up when things are difficult. It is all about paying the price of
faithfulness, to witness the miracles that come when we decide to keep going
when the going gets tough.
We look forward to being with all of you in these next two
weeks.
We love you.
President Lamprecht
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10-16-2022 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana.
I hope you’re all doing well.
Sister Lamprecht and I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in
the Georgetown District Conference this weekend. We love meeting with the Saints in all the
areas of our mission. We feel the Spirit
as we seek to build Zion wherever we go.
I’m grateful for the messages that we received and pray that there will
be a renewed desire to move forward to establish the church and prepare a
foundation for a stake here and in the other districts of the mission. Thank you for each of your efforts to help
that happen.
As I was discussing some topics with President McKenzie this
evening, he pointed me back to President Nelson’s talk from the Sunday morning
session of General Conference as an answer to a number of the challenges we
deal with throughout the districts. I’m
grateful for his inspiration. As I read
the talk again, I realized what great application it has to us as a mission
also, so it will be the focus of my letter.
I will not soon forget one of the first statements President
Nelson made. He said:
my dear brothers and sisters, so many wonderful things are
ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s
power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns “with
power and great glory,” He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and
miracles upon the faithful
Elders and sisters – that is the prophet of the Lord saying
that. The “greatest manifestations of
the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.” I can’t imagine what that would be, but I
hope I’m one of the faithful – and that is the key to the rest of President
Nelson’s remarks – how do we remain faithful in the midst of this fallen and
ever increasingly evil world that we live in?
Satan is clearly raging in the hearts of men. How do we remain faithful and find “rest” as
President Nelson focused on? Also, how
do we help others find it?
The answer is simple, but not easy. President Nelson said:
We obtain the power to overcome this fallen world and
receive the special rest God offers to us by making and keeping our covenants,
beginning with our baptismal covenant, and extending through the covenants we
make in the temple. We renew all of
those covenants every Sabbath Day when we partake of the Sacrament worthily and
with a broken heart and contrite spirit.
That is why it is so important to regularly attend our sacrament
meetings and prepare spiritually for the ordinance of the sacrament. As we read in Doctrine & Covenants 59:9,
the sacrament enables us to keep ourself “unspotted from the world.”
President Nelson talks about “overcoming the world,” which I
feel like is synonymous with keeping ourselves unspotted. He first answered the question of what it
means to overcome the world. Here is
what he said:
It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the
things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of
Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth,
denouncing deception, and becoming “humble followers of Christ.” It means
choosing to refrain from anything that drives the Spirit away. It means being
willing to “give away” even our favorite sins…Overcoming the world means
growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else.
Wow. That to me is a
powerful description of overcoming the world.
Think about how each one of those things applies to us in our missionary
service. It would be good for each of us
to ponder that paragraph and think about what we can do better. Answering the question of how we overcome the
world, President Nelson said:
Each time you seek for and follow the promptings of the
Spirit, each time you do anything good—things that “the natural man” would not
do—you are overcoming the world.
Overcoming the world…happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace
the doctrine of Christ. We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily
and keeping covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path
and are blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith,
and the ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the
most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives.
Here again we learn the importance of the basic principles
of the doctrine of Christ – faith, repentance, baptism/sacrament, the Gift of
the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
It’s Lesson 3 from Preach My Gospel – the doctrine we’re teaching our
friends. The prophet is helping us to
understand how important that doctrine is to overcome the world and finding
peace and rest. He gave this answer to
his third question of how overcoming the world blesses our lives:
Now, how does overcoming the world bless our lives? The
answer is clear: entering into a covenant relationship with God binds us to Him
in a way that makes everything about life easier. Please do not misunderstand
me: I did not say that making covenants makes life easy. In fact, expect
opposition, because the adversary does not want you to discover the power of
Jesus Christ. But yoking yourself with the Savior means you have access to His
strength and redeeming power.He then quoted President Benson, which is also one
of my favorite quotes: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will
discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will
deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, … lift their
spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their
souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.”
Elders and sisters, as President McKenzie pointed me back to
the prophet’s words, I felt the power of their application to us as a
mission. All of us struggle with
overcoming the world in different ways as we try to become the kind of
missionaries and followers of Christ that He would have us be. In addition, our purpose is to invite others
to come unto Christ so that they will have access to those same covenant
blessings to help them overcome the world and find rest. I love how Jacob describes what the Savior
offers us:
Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and
milk without money and without price.
Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your
labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember
the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast
upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul
delight in fatness.
Elders and sisters, let’s “re-accept” His invitation to
“feast upon that which perisheth not…and let our souls “delight in
fatness.” I believe that’s the rest that
President Nelson is talking about. Let’s
avoid laboring “for that which cannot satisfy.”
In other words, as President Nelson pointed out in his talk, the
happiness that the world offers is empty and temporary. That is true for us as missionaries, and it
is the power in the invitation we make to our friends to discover that same
truth.
We look forward to our upcoming zone conferences in Guyana
and Suriname this week, as we focus on the scripture of our transfer – 2 Nephi
25:26. I personally felt like we were
blessed with a powerful spirit as we met with the ABC Zone last week. I was touched by what was shared. I feel the Lord is helping us, through
heeding the prophet’s counsel, to prepare ourselves spiritually to see the
miracles we are seeking to experience a “white Caribbean Christmas.”
Thank you for all that you do. God bless you as you labor in the
vineyard. I testify that the Savior is
laboring with you. This is His work. I know that.
Have a great week. We
love you. President Lamprecht
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Dear Elders and Sisters,
Tonight, I felt inspired to share one quote with you that we
received at the Mission Leader Seminar that I felt was targeted for our
mission, especially as we focus on seeking the Lord's help to meet our
baptismal goal December, This quote is
from Elder Holland:
It is when an entire mission is united by the strength of
every missionary’s integrity, every missionary’s personal covenant keeping,
that we move mountains. When there is
such unity and power, an endowment from heaven, coming to every individual in
the mission, nothing can “stop the work from progressing.” It is in this way that the “truth of God will
go forth boldly, nobly, and independent.”
This was so powerful to me when I read it. Quoting the Standard of Truth makes me feel
like it was written just for us and our mission. Achieving our baptismal goal is our mountain
that needs to be moved. We need the
blessings of unity, power, and an endowment from heaven. How did Elder Holland say that we obtained
those blessings? He gave two
requirements: 1) every missionary’s
integrity, and 2) every missionary’s personal covenant keeping. I would like to dig a little deeper into
what both of those requirements mean.
First, we must be united by the strength of every
missionary’s integrity. What is Elder
Holland talking about there? How are we
united by each of our own integrity?
First, let’s think about what integrity means. The dictionary says integrity means
“adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character;
honesty.” As it relates to the gospel,
President Joseph F. Smith said the following:
The essence of true membership in the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is this—that you and I, independent of every other person
in the world, will live our religion and do our duty, no matter what other
people do. As Joshua expressed himself in olden times, “As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.”… The true measure of our standing in this Church is
that we will do right, no matter who else does right or does wrong.
As missionaries, we show our integrity by how we live the
“Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ,” “Safeguards for Using
Technology,”Preach My Gospel, and specific mission rules and areas of focus,
regardless of our circumstances. I think
when Elder Holland is saying that when we are united by the strength of every
missionary’s integrity, every missionary has decided both in public and in
private to live these standards not because he or she is required to live them,
but instead to not risk anything that would hurt their fellow missionaries’
ability to qualify for miracles and reach the goals the mission is striving
for. When we as a mission get to that
point when the most important thing to each one of us is to qualify for
miracles and bring God’s children to His kingdom, we are united in our personal
integrity.
Satan tempts us to think that if we break a standard in some
way, either it doesn’t hurt anybody or if it does, it hurts only us, and we’ll
deal with the individual consequences.
That’s a lie promoted by the Father of all Lies. Any time we do something that impairs our
ability to feel the spirit or to rebel against God in any way, we absolutely
hurt our companions, our districts, our zones, and our mission. It’s even more grievous when our companions
or leaders observe our disobedience and invite us to change, and we don’t do
it. That’s an act of rebellion, which
absolutely leads to loss of the spirit and certainly affects everybody in the
mission. I invite each one of us to look
at our thoughts and actions and identify if we’re doing anything that is not
consistent with our personal integrity and hurts our ability as a mission to be
united and receive God’s blessings.
Second, we must be united in each of our personal covenant
keeping. What covenants? I think he means:
The baptismal covenants we have all made,
The covenants we all made as part of our setting apart as
full-time missionaries by those with the proper authority. I think Section 4 of the Doctrine &
Covenants is a great source for knowing about those covenants.
For the Elders, covenants of the Melchizedek priesthood.
For almost all of us, temple covenants.
What is it about keeping our covenants that is so important
to achieving miracles in missionary work?
In the last General Conference, I think President Nelson answered that
question:
Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in
temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ.
Please ponder that stunning truth! The
reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens
us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power
eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to
His higher power.
Unity in each of our personal covenant keeping increases our
access as a mission to the power of Jesus Christ. Picture all of us plugging into a socket with
our power cords and drawing out power.
Picture then on the other end all our cords are spliced together, and
we’re able to combine that power. If
the combined power is enough, it could move something a lot bigger. However, even if it is just a little bit
short, the desired outcome won’t happen.
That’s why it’s so important for all of us to be doing our best to keep
our personal covenants. Again, if we’re
united in our desire to receive miracles and achieve what the Lord wants us to,
we’ll not want to be the cause for the power to fall short, and the miracles
not to happen. I invite you to review
the covenants you have made, including those of a missionary in Section 4 of
the Doctrine and Covenants. Think about
what you can do to increase your personal covenant keeping.
We’re grateful to serve with you. I feel that although we will surely face
opposition, good things are coming.
Elder Gavarret told me he also feels that way. I’m excited for the
future.
Have a great week. We
love you.
President Lamprecht
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10/23/2022 Dear
Elders and Sisters,
Good evening from Curacao.
Sister Lamprecht and I are on a quick stop here before we leave tomorrow
for our Mission Leader Seminar in the Dominican Republic. We’ll be there this whole week. We always look forward to being with our Area
Presidency to receive their guidance and what they have been told to share with
us from the First Presidency/Quorum of the Twelve. We also value being with the other mission
leaders in the area to hear best practices from their missions. We’ll still be reachable, but it may take a
little longer to get back to you because of our meeting schedule. We pray that God will watch over you while
we’re not in the mission boundaries.
This Mission Leader Seminar the Area Presidency has asked
each pair of Mission Leaders to make a presentation on a specific topic. Sister Lamprecht and I were given the topic
of “The Bible and the Book of Mormon.”
We’ve been thinking about what we should talk about. It’s been interesting that in our zone
conferences the last couple of weeks we have focused on the Savior and how we
gain a better understanding and witness of Him and His divinity through the
Book of Mormon. We haven’t spoken as
much about what we learn about the Savior from the Bible. I thought I might share some things with you
in my letter tonight that we have thought about as we have prepared our
presentation.
Let’s start with our basic belief, best stated in the 8th
Article of Faith: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
translated correctly; we also believe the book of Mormon to be the word of
God.” We know that the prophet Joseph
loved the Bible and spent a great amount of time studying it. It was the source of or stimulus for many of
his revelations, including, most importantly, the First Vision.
However, contrary to the Book of Mormon, which came from one
source and was translated by the gift and power of God, the Bible has come to
its current form(s) (there are still many versions) through a hazy and
complicated process. We know that in its
original form, (as seen by Nephi), it “contained the fulness of the gospel of
the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record;” (1 Nephi 13:24), and it
went from the Jews unto the Gentiles “in purity…according to the truth which is
in God.” (1 Nephi 13:25).
First, the Bible (which is the Greek word for “the books”)
is exactly that, a collection of writings from many different authors that have
been gathered throughout the ages. The
first real compilation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, was
translated from the Hebrew scriptures to Greek in the 3rd century BC. Because of what we know from the brass
plates in the Book of Mormon, there were writings of prophets (Zenock, Zenos,
etc.) that were not included somewhere along the way in the Hebrew writings.
Second, the New Testament is a compilation of writings from
the first century after Christ’s birth.
The early church is known to have had writings of the apostles that were
copied and distributed throughout the different churches. However, it was not until the Council of Rome
in 382 AD (300 years after the original apostles) that the first official
“canon” (compilation) of the modern Bible came into being. Many writings could have been lost or
withheld as part of the falling away from the true church. Even at the time of the council, the process
was open to men’s opinion and decisions as to what to include and exclude,
adding to the potential for losing the plain and precious parts.
It was not until the reformation (over 1,000 years later),
that the Bible was translated into the languages that could be read by the
common people. On this topic President
Ballard said:
It is not by chance or coincidence that we have the Bible
today. Righteous individuals were prompted by the Spirit to record both the
sacred things they saw and the inspired words they heard and spoke. Other
devoted people were prompted to protect and preserve these records. Men like
John Wycliffe, the courageous William Tyndale, and Johannes Gutenberg were
prompted against much opposition to translate the Bible into language people
could understand and to publish it in books people could read. I believe even
the scholars of King James had spiritual promptings in their translation work.
We owe these great men a lot. President Ballard points that out, saying: Honest,
diligent study of the Bible does make us better and better, and we must ever
remember the countless martyrs who knew of its power and who gave their lives
that we may be able to find within its words the path to the eternal happiness
and the peace of our Heavenly Father’s kingdom.
Tens of millions of individuals have come to a faith in God
and in Jesus Christ through seeking truth in the Holy Bible. Countless numbers
of them had nothing but the Bible to feed and guide their faith...It is a
miracle that the Bible literally contains within its pages the converting,
healing Spirit of Christ, which has turned men’s hearts for centuries, leading
them to pray, to choose right paths, and to search to find their Savior.
The principles of His gospel, the calling of the twelve and
the establishment of His church.
President Ballard said “…we learn not only of the life and teachings and
doctrines of Christ, we learn of His Church and of His priesthood and of the
organization which He established and named the Church of Jesus Christ in those
former days.”
The circumstances surrounding His atoning sacrifice,
including His rich teachings at the Last Supper, the events in the Garden of
Gethsemane, and His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
The wonder of His resurrection and the witnesses of it. The
signs and promise of His second coming. Let me close with President Ballard’s
feelings about the Bible, which I feel also express well my own:
I love the Bible, its teachings, its lessons, and its
spirit. I love the Old Testament’s compelling, profound stories and its great
prophets testifying of the coming of Christ. I love the New Testament’s
apostolic travels and miracles and the letters of Paul. Most of all, I love its
eyewitness accounts of the words and the example and the Atonement of our
Savior Jesus Christ. I love the perspective and peace that come from reading
the Bible.
I know that the Book of Mormon, as Elder Christofferson
says, “is the greatest, most powerful written witness of Jesus Christ as the
Only Begotten Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer, now in existence.” As the prophet Joseph said, we get “nearer to
God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” It’s also the tool of conversion. That’s why I ask you to focus on that in your
studies.
However, if you have a desire to spend time with the Savior,
I encourage you in your spare time to find yourself in the four gospels of the
New Testament. Get to know the Savior
--- who He was, what He taught, how He led, how He ministered, how He loved,
how He healed. When we combine the pure
doctrine and testimony of the Book of Mormon with a knowledge of Christ’s life
and teachings, we gain a deeper understanding of our purpose and greater power
in sharing it. I testify that is true.
I’m praying that as we focus on the Savior and our purpose,
we will do all we can to be worthy of being led to those who are prepared to
receive us and enter upon the covenant path.
I know that as we exercise our faith combined with obedience and
diligence, the Lord will bless us with miracles to achieve our goal of a “white
Christmas.” It will be even more
meaningful if every companionship has the privilege of participating in meeting
that goal. What a wonderful Christmas
that will be!
Have a wonderful week.
We love you. President Lamprecht
.************************************************************************
10-29-2020 Personal response to Elder Miller weekly email
Elder Miller,
First, language learning is a challenge. It’s as simple as that. It is doubly hard in the islands, as you feel
like you need to learn both. You can’t
let it get you discouraged. It will come
as you work on it, but it also takes time.
One of the biggest decisions you need to make is to humble yourself and
realize that. You need to be patient
with yourself and not get discouraged.
Remember that no one will be kept out of the kingdom due to your
inability to speak. It’s the spirit that
converts, not our words. It’s important
for your mental and spiritual health to accept that, knowing that it will
continue to get better. The only
comparison that matters is yesterday to today.
Don’t look sideways.
As far as your companionship is concerned, it is critical to
talk about how things are going honestly with one another. It’s the only way to become united and get on
the same page. It’s also important to
realize that both of you have the right to revelation on behalf of your
area. You need to talk about plans to
drop and find. Don’t feel like you can’t
contribute because you haven’t been here as long. That’s not a factor in revelation.
Keep at it. Follow the Mission Finding Plan. I’m still convinced that is how the Lord wants us to find people to teach. I hope your week is going well. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
.******
11-1 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. I’m glad that you are seeing a light at the
end of the tunnel. The Lord wouldn’t
have us assign a companionship to your area if there weren’t people He was
preparing for the gospel. We just need
to be creative, look for ways to meet new people in new circumstances, and
commit to being pure instruments in the Lord’s hands to be led to where He
wants us. If that is both of your
desire, it will happen.
Thanks for sharing the experience with the blessing. That is what the Lord is talking about when
He wants us to go about doing good – seeking opportunities to bless others’
lives through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I hope things went well for the family friend’s operation.
Have a great week. We love you. Richard Lamprecht, President TPOS Mission
******************************
President's Weekly Letter - 11-6-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
I’m sitting in the Mission Home, this Sunday night, thinking
that tomorrow a new transfer starts.
This one is a week shorter due to the fact that the Church doesn't have
missionaries travel to or from missions during the Christmas week. (Our
transfer would normally end the week of Christmas.) As a result, this transfer is short and the
following transfer is one week longer.
I know that almost every one of you has been impacted by
this transfer. That’s what happens when
we send three awesome missionaries home and receive ten new missionaries into
the mission: eight English-speaking, one Spanish-speaking and one
Dutch-speaking. Unfortunately, two of
the three Dutch-speaking sisters who were in the MTC did not receive their
visas and will be sent out on reassignment.
We hope to get their visas soon.
I’m grateful for your acceptance of new locations,
companions, and leadership responsibilities.
I have counseled with Sister Lamprecht and the Assistants, and then
sought a confirmation from the Lord on the details of this transfer. I have received a confirming witness that
this is what the Lord would have done. I
hope that you receive that same witness.
It may not come until you take a step forward in faith, as the Savior
taught us in John 7:17 – “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” The key word in that sentence is “do.” As we move forward in faith, the Lord will in
His time and way, confirm that this is His will. I know that to be a true principle.
For my email tonight, I thought I would share a story that I
found to be very powerful. This is from
a talk given by Elder Cook at a missionary devotional as part of the 2018
Mission Leader Seminar. The talk is
entitled “Act in a Consecrated Fashion—Love God and Love Others.” Elder Cook spoke about four loves we should
have as missionaries:
1. Love Your
Companions,
2. Love the
People,
3. Love the
Mission President and His Companion, and
4. Love the Lord
He went on to give four ways that we can show that we love
the Lord:
1. Deepen Gospel
Knowledge and Understand Principles,
2. Witness the
Hand of the Lord in Our Missions, Receive Spiritual Promptings, and Feel God
Working through Us,
3. See the
Savior’s Atonement Work in Others’ Lives, and
4. Act in a
Consecrated Fashion
Before going to the hill, I had felt our task was almost
impossible. It was overwhelming. When we had completed our supplication, I felt
that we would be assisted by heavenly power and that we would accomplish the
Lord’s purposes.
Within the first two weeks after that sacred, spiritual
experience on the hill, my companion and I met with the mayor of the city and
the editor of the local newspaper. We thought the interview with the newspaper
editor had gone very well and would assist us in our efforts. When the
newspaper arrived, we were devastated. The article had a large picture of the
two of us and said a few nice things about us, but the newspaper report on the
Church contained all the salacious material the editor could research from the
archives of over a hundred years of anti-Mormon articles in Great Britain.
To put this in today’s perspective, it felt to us like the
equivalent of the whole town seeing The Book of Mormon musical and assuming the
precious gospel we were trying to teach was ridiculous. We assumed that no one
would talk to us. We had not expected this kind of opposition and were afraid
it would create an adverse reaction to what we were trying to accomplish. We
were amazed as we talked to everyone that many people were aware of our picture
and who we were but seemed not to have read the scurrilous contents of the
article or decided it was too negative to be true or had spiritual feelings not
connected to what was written. I can remember to this day some saying, “Oh, I
saw your pictures in the paper. Please come in!”
We were also able in those first two weeks to find a
community “common room” we could rent on a week-by-week basis to hold Church
meetings.
Our contacts with numerous people provided us the
opportunity to teach. However, most of them rejected our message very quickly.
One evening, just two weeks after we had arrived, all our meetings fell
through. We began to ride our bikes back to our apartment (our “digs,” as the
Brits called them). Suddenly both of us had a strong spiritual impression that
we should stop. The Spirit whispered, “Tract right here.” It was late in the
evening, and we knocked on just five doors. Three of the families allowed us to
set up teaching visits for the next night. Although we knew we had had a strong
spiritual prompting, it was not evident to us that night that these would be
the leaders for whom we had prayed. But after we taught them the next evening,
they all attended church on Sunday
On the Sunday after that, I recorded in my journal that “we
had the best church service that I have ever attended. We had fifty people in
attendance. Twenty-five were district leaders from distant towns.” My journal
continues: “This is the most wonderful day I can ever remember. [After church]
we gave two separate restoration lessons—one to each of two families. … [Both
families] accepted the challenge to be baptized and were subsequently
baptized.” In my journal, I concluded: “Probably the most spiritual day of my
life. I feel like I am on the clouds.” The two families were subsequently
baptized, and this new little branch had nine members, and the Lord had
commenced to establish His work.”
Elders and Sisters, as we strive to have a “White Christmas”
and meet our baptismal goal, I hope that we all are motivated as Elder Cook was
to find a place with our companions and pour out our heart to the Lord,
pleading for His help to find the elect who can help establish the church in
this mission. We will have obstacles
along the way, but I know as we exercise our faith and, in those moments, as
Elder Cook described, we choose to contact those last few people, the Lord will
lead us to the elect. His sheep will
hear His voice. You’ll be worthy to
share it with them.
God bless you this week.
I know there are going to be some challenges as you travel to your new
areas and for many of you, await the new missionaries to arrive. Make the best of it. It may be during these times that if you
consecrate yourselves to doing your best, you will find the elect.
We love you. President Lamprecht
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11/9/22 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. I was glad you were able to find
someone. As you know and shared with me,
“Nothing happens until you find someone to teach.” To do that, however, you need to make finding
a priority. Three things I wanted to
share based on your letter:
You need to counsel together to plan how you’re going to
find and then execute it. You need to
start with the Mission Finding Plan and Chapter 9 of PMG. Talk about those together as companions and
decide what you’re going to do, then set goals and do them. Part of that is setting goals on how many
people you are going to talk to each day.
I know that if you both commit to just that one thing, you will find
people to teach.
I’m concerned about so many people in the mission spending
so much time doing service to the detriment of studies and finding time. Service can’t be something to do for people
that makes us feel good but has nothing to do with keeping our lines in the
water. I cringe when I hear “we were too
busy doing service, so we didn’t have time to find.” Remember that is one thing on the finding plan,
but not the first or the second and not one that should take all of our time
away from other things. We don’t do service
specifically to find, but we also don’t do service to avoid finding.
Make sure you are
spending time on finding through social media.
Here in the islands a lot of people have been baptized through social
media. Make sure you are moderating and
following up on referrals. That should
be a priority.
Also, the issue with Spanish that you brought up needs to be
discussed. Have you brought it up? If that is a concern of yours it needs to
aired out. Also, if you don’t think you
are effectively using your time, that also needs to be discussed. You’ve been in the mission for one transfer
now. You know what the mission is trying
to do and how important it is to focus on inviting people to come unto
Christ. You should be bold in bringing
those things up. That’s part of being a
good companion and a good missionary. I hope you’re having a good week. This should be a discussion in weekly
planning tomorrow. Make it an effective
one.
We love you. Richard Lamprecht
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11-13-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Suriname!
We’ve already left Curacao and are off on our Zone Conference and
interview trips. We’re excited to be out
with you again. It’s one of the things
we enjoy most about this opportunity to serve
As of Saturday night, at about 2:30 AM, we finally completed
this transfer. It has been quite an
adventure – not what we expected. First
we said goodbye to three wonderful missionaries leaving the mission, Sister
Jolley and Elder Clark and Elder Berry.
We’re proud of all they have accomplished and the disciples they have
become. We were a little concerned that
some of their flights home could be impacted by the hurricane that was
approaching Miami. Fortunately, none
were impacted. Little did we know it was
going to have a big impact on the 10 missionaries coming to the mission.
For the last two transfers we have arranged to have the new
missionaries from the MTC fly to Curacao for orientation and then go to their
areas of service the following day or two.
That was our plan again this transfer.
On Wednesday night, we received notice that the flight from Phoenix to
Miami was cancelled because of fear of the hurricane. They stopped all ten in Salt Lake (as they
were flying together) and sent them back to the MTC. Because of that we had to decide to send all
of the missionaries to the field directly or many would be held up in Curacao
until next week.
Ultimately, two of the missionaries going to Guyana flew on
Thursday night straight to Guyana, nobody traveled on Friday, and on Saturday
the remaining six flew to Guyana, one flew to Curacao and one, our lone sister,
flew all by herself from Salt Lake to Suriname.
Sister Lamprecht and I were glad we were in Suriname to meet Sister
Telford when she arrived. We got her
home to her companions at around 3 AM, and then we hit our hotel room at 4
AM. It was quite a night. We’re grateful to all of you around the
mission who have helped make this transfer happen and get missionaries where
they needed to be.
We’re so grateful to have these new missionaries joining
us. They bring new talents, enthusiasm,
and a desire to help the mission just in time to help us strive for our goal of
50 people entering into the waters of baptism in the month of December – our
white Caribbean Christmas. We’re
grateful for all that you’re doing to try to meet this mission goal. We love hearing about all the amazing
miracles that you’re seeing as you labor in the vineyard with the Lord. I know that as we exercise faith, we will see
His hand.
This Sunday we were able to attend meetings in Suriname. We
were able to visit the Latour and Wanica branch and feel the spirit with them
as we worshipped together. I did many
temple recommend interviews while I was there.
One of interviews will be one I will always remember. It was a powerful experience I would like to
share with you.
After I completed the interviews at the Wanica/Latour
building, the District President asked me if Sister Lamprecht and I could go
with a sister in the branch to visit her 99-year old father, Brother Tja, who
wanted his recommend renewed. We said we
would be glad to go. I wasn’t sure what
to expect, but I felt the obligation in my role as holder of the keys to bring
them to those who need them. I feel that
weighing on me every time I’m out.
When we met Brother Tsa, I thought to myself that here is a
man that the world really would think doesn’t have much to live for and has
very few sources of happiness. He
doesn’t have a lot of material goods, his health is not great, and I think
rarely gets out of his house. However,
as Sister Lamprecht and I got to know him, I was so impressed by his amazing
enthusiasm for life, and especially for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
With great passion he told us his story about coming into
the church. He left the Dutch Reformed
church in Suriname in the mid-80’s because he saw the white people with money
would sit in front and everyone else would sit in back for church
services. He didn’t feel like that’s
what Christ’s church would do, so he started looking. He met two missionaries in 1989 (he still
knows their name!) who were standing on the street with a street board. He still remembers their first conversation
about the Book of Mormon and what it meant to him and his subsequent
baptism. He had to be one of the first
members baptized in Suriname.
He then told us about experiences he had preparing to do the
work for his family in the temple. He
had dreams where members of his family who had passed away came to him,
requesting that their work be done. He
has an amazing testimony of the need and reality of redeeming the dead.
That led to completing our visit with me doing his temple
recommend interview. It was one of the
sweetest ones I’ve done, and I’ve done a lot of them. Everything I asked, I knew he understood, and
he would respond with passion and enthusiasm, yelling out “Yes!” It was clearly evident that the power and the
joy of the gospel was filling him up, regardless of his circumstances. He is a disciple of Jesus Christ.
It was an incredible example to me of President Nelson’s
statement that we find joy not in our circumstances, but in our focus. Brother Tsa is focused on the Savior Jesus
Christ and His gospel. It burns in him
like a fire, even at 99. I told him I’d
love to come back and visit him when he turns 100. I was also impressed with the two
missionaries who taught him. They are
still in contact with him, and last year they came to visit him. Pretty amazing.
Elders and Sisters, there are times for all of us when we
struggle with our motivation and desire to really engage with the work, to get
out of the house and talk to people, to sacrifice our worldly desires and
distractions and consecrate this time to the Lord. I invite you to consider that the more we
focus on ourselves and our needs, the less happy we become. It is a vicious cycle that leads to
disobedience, despair, and regret. The only true source of happiness is to lose
your life for Christ’s sake; that’s when you’ll find it. If you’re not finding joy in the work, if
you’re tired, if you don’t feel it, the best thing to do is “forget yourself
and go to work.” Change up your
routine. Get out of the house. Set a goal of how many people you’re going to
talk to and then go out as a companionship and do it. As you do that, you’ll feel the joy and
enthusiasm that comes with sharing the gospel, regardless of the results.
In your personal study, ask yourself the question that Alma
asked his people – “…if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have
felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”
(Alma 5:26). Brother Tsa taught me what
that looked like at 99 – powerful enthusiasm and joy for the gospel and a
positive outlook on life.
I challenge all of us to think about why we’re here. If the fire of the covenant is not burning
now in our hearts, lets rekindle it by study and also by faith (actions). Let’s acknowledge that for this time in our
lives, the only true source of joy is giving ourselves to the Savior and
enabling Him to be our guide, leading us to love His children and inviting them
to come unto Him. Let’s love the
members, love our friends, love our neighbors, love our companions, love our
other missionaries, and most importantly, love the Father and the Son, who make
it all possible and provide us this opportunity to experience joy unlike any
other.
Let’s start this transfer off well. Seek to find the elect through the
Spirit. Talk to everyone. Honor and keep your covenants. As you do so you’ll find the secret that
Brother Tsa has found – true joy comes in the gospel of Jesus Christ,
regardless of our circumstances.
We love you President Lamprecht
*********************
email response 11-18 Elder Miller,
Thanks for writing me this last week. Sorry it’s taken so long to respond. Honestly, I was excited when I read your email
this week. To me, you had a “missionary
breakthrough,” for lack of a better term.
I felt like you had more confidence and surety. I also was happy to read about the compliment
you received on your language. That’s a
good sign. You’re at a point where you
should be seeing results and your ability to talk to people and teach the
lessons should be significantly advanced over when you first arrived. I loved it!
Being bold is a hard thing, but a critical thing in this
work. We invite people to repent. That in and of itself requires boldness. The key is that the boldness comes from what
is burning in our own heart, and the absolute certainty in our mind that our
friends’ lives will be better if they accept the restored gospel and make
covenants with God. As we do that,
exercising our faith, miracles happen. I
know it.
I’m also glad you’re reaching Chapter 9 of PMG and looking
at alternatives. Don’t be afraid to try
things to see if they will work. 1 of 3
things will happen – 1) you’ll find they work, 2) you’ll find they don’t work,
or 3) you’ll find that this specific thing doesn’t work, but the Lord will
prompt you on some variation of it that will work. All three are good results for the work. I hope your expectation about having a good
week is coming to pass I look forward to our interview and zone conference next
week. We love you. Richard Lamprecht,
President
*********************
11-21/22
Greetings from Curacao!
This is one of the few nights between now and Christmas that we’ll be at
the Mission Home. We’re grateful for the
wonderful week of Zone Conference and interviews that we had in Suriname with
the members of that zone. We got back on
Friday and flew out again on Saturday morning to Bonaire to meet Elder and
Sister Ridd, the new senior couple who arrived on Saturday night to begin their
service on Bonaire. We’re so excited to
have them. They will be a great blessing
to the branch and people of Bonaire. We
know the Lord has sent them there for a purpose.
This week we get the opportunity to be with the members of
the ABC Zone for interviews and Zone Conference, and then by this time next
Sunday, we’ll be in Guyana. It’s kind of
crazy, but we’re grateful for the opportunity to be with each of you. We hope that your transfer is off to a good
start.
Over this last couple of days my study of the Book of Mormon
has been in the Book of Ether, specifically Chapters 1-3. These are some of my favorite chapters in the
Book of Mormon. I love the story of
Jared and his brother, their families, and their friends. I thought I might point out some things that
stuck out to me as I read these chapters.
Just to recap, the brother of Jared prays that their
families and friends are spared from the confounding of their language during
the time of the building of the Tower of Babel.
The Lord commands this group to go into the wilderness. They travel for a long time, then find a good
place on the seashore and take a breather (for four years!). Finally, the Lord invites the Brother of
Jared to have a conversation. In verse
14 we read “And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came
again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And
for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and
chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.”
I have to believe that the Brother of Jared was doing his
normal things to connect with God. One
lesson I take from this scripture is that we can go through the motions of
individual spirituality but perhaps lose our ability to clearly hear the Lord
and be reminded of what He wants us to do.
We can pray without "calling upon the name of the Lord." I don’t think the Brother of Jared was living
a sinful life. I think due to their
circumstances they stopped in this great please, they were tired, and things
were pretty good, so they had no desire to push. They didn't feel a need to really call upon
the Lord in mighty prayer.
After having a 3-hour chastisement session, the Lord tells
the Brother of Jared what to do in Verse 16:
“And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord.”
I highlighted three phrases in this scripture that were
critical. “Go to work” (2x); that means
acting. Acting on what? On what the Lord directed them to do. Elders and Sisters, that’s exactly the
pattern the Lord wants us to pursue. We
need to identify what the Lord would have us do, then “go to work,” putting all
our efforts into what the Lord is telling us to do. Just as the Brother of Jared and his family
were able to fulfill the Lord’s purpose for them to cross the ocean, when we
decide to discern the will of the Lord and then act on it, I know the Lord will
bless us as a mission to fulfill His purposes for us.
So all the guys are working on building these barges, and
they realize they have two problems. The
ships are so “tight like a dish” that they won’t let water in, which is good,
but they also won’t let: 1) air and 2)
light in, which is not good. The
Brother of Jared asked the question in prayer, and the Lord answered him right
away with exactly what to do as far as the air part. (Cut a hole in the top and the bottom.). Sometimes the Lord will answer our prayers
immediately with what He wants us to do. It is clear and direct. All we have to do is act on that inspiration
and the problem is solved.
Then the Brother of Jared asked the Lord for the same quick
answer on not having light in the boats.
It is so interesting to me how the Lord takes this opportunity to enable
the Brother of Jared to have a profound spiritual experience. In my language, the conversation about light
went something like this: “Lord, we need
light in the boat. Just like with the
air problem, tell me what to do.” The
Lord says (again paraphrasing) , “Wow, that’s a problem. You can’t have windows, because they’ll
break, and you can’t have fire because that will smoke you out. What do you want me to do?
The Brother of Jared, probably a bit frustrated and
disappointed that the Lord didn’t immediately give him a solution, is now sent
off to figure it out. Elders and
Sisters, sometimes (maybe oftentimes), the Lord will do the same with each one
of us. We come with a problem, and He
sends us back to think through it and return with a solution. If you feel the Spirit guide, make a choice. If not, ponder it out in your minds, talk it
over with your companion, district leader, zone leaders, etc. come up with a solution and then present it
to the Lord. That’s what the Brother of
Jared did.
I think he must have remembered when he was hiking one day
and saw these cool stones that were crystals.
As he was pondering what to do, the remembrance of these must have come
to mind. He had to have thought to
himself “If the Lord touched these, I wonder if they would give off
light.” I kind of envision the Brother
of Jared telling his wife about this idea and getting that look like, “Are you
really sure about this?”
He took the stones to the top of the hill, fought off evil
influence, then poured his heart to God.
I believe that he was praying with faith, explaining the solution, and
asking the Lord to do His part. We know
that what happens from there is a great miracle. Because of the faith of the brother of Jared,
the Lord couldn’t hide himself, ultimately revealing Himself to the Brother of
Jared and rewarding him with the privilege of seeing and conversing with the
Savior.
Why did the Lord not answer the second question like He did
the first? My thought is look what was
the result of doing it that way. The
Brother of Jared was placed in a position to have an incredible spiritual
experience because he had to focus on how to solve his problem and seek a
miracle for his way to happen. In the
process of exercising his faith on behalf of that miracle, the Lord not only
gives Him that answer, but also, so much more.
Apply that to your missionary work. Do you have a problem at the moment that you
have sought the Lord’s help on and perhaps have not received a clear answer
yet? If so, are you pondering and
seeking to find a solution that you can present to Him in prayer, with an eye
of faith? At that point, as the Brother
of Jared did, expect miracles. I love
this verse:“And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever
thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with
thy finger and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they
shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may
have light while we shall cross the sea.
Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show
forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.”
In response to this prayer of faith, the Savior not only did
what was asked, but so much more. This
was a life changing experience to the Brother of Jared, due almost solely to
the fact that he needed to figure out a solution for a problem and present it
to the Lord. In our extremity, God
reveals Himself.
I invite you to think about how you can apply this to your
personal life, companion life, and area.
I testify that as you seek answers, the Lord will bless you not only
with those specific answers, but so much more.
Some of these miracles are going to be needed to help us
reach our baptismal goal. Follow the
process of the brother of Jared if you need help and then expect miracles,
especially on behalf of the people you are teaching who are on date. Elder Andersen has said: “Faith is a power, and it can cause things to
happen that need to happen. It can cause
a soul who is good but dormant to awaken to God.” Miracles can and will happen. We’re in the miracle business. Every person who is willing to make covenants
and has a mighty change of heart is involved in a miracle. This is God’s work. I testify of that.
Have a great week. We
love you.President Lamprecht
*****************************
11-27-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana!
We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week wherever you
are in the mission. We were able to
spend most of the week with the missionaries in the ABC Island zone, holding
Zone Conference on Thanksgiving Day. As
we completed “What Have You Learned, What Will You Do,” I shared with them that
I was reminded again what day it was and how grateful I was for my many
blessings. I told them that one of my
greatest blessings is the opportunity and privilege Sister Lamprecht and I have
of spending this time of our life with each of you. We are continually amazed with your examples
of sacrifice and consecration. We love
your enthusiasm and the joy that you share with us and those around you. Thank you for being you.
We just completed an amazing weekend here in Guyana with
Elder and Sister Brown. Elder Brown is
our Area Authority Seventy and Sister Brown is the Area Organization Advisor,
responsible to train all the sister leaders.
They joined us here to provide training for the District and Branch
Leaders in the Georgetown District. They
also were the main speakers in a youth fireside we had on Sunday evening. It was probably the best attended youth
meeting I’ve seen in the mission. Elder
Brown asked me this evening how I thought it went. I told him I thought they were four of the
most important meetings I’ve participated in with the Georgetown District since
we’ve been here. The attendance was
excellent from almost all the branches and topics and spirit were strong. I have great expectations for good things to
happen in the district.
For tonight’s email, I thought I would share a little bit of
what Elder Brown taught the priesthood leadership on Saturday evening in their
training. He began with talking about
two parables, one from the Book of Mormon and one from the Bible. He began with the Allegory of the Olive Tree
from Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon. In
the beginning of Chapter 5 we learn about the olive tree that the Master of the
Vineyard was trying to preserve, which is really the center of the
allegory. In verse 10 we read:“And the
Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and
nourished, saying unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this
tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they
perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing.”
The whole purpose of everything done in the allegory is to
preserve the roots of the tree. Why do
you think that’s the case? Elder Brown
shared an experience he had in his yard when he tried to get rid of two
trees. He cut the trees down to a stump
but left them that way. Each time the
tree would send up new growth. Why? Because the roots were still good. We learn from Jacob 5 that if you can
maintain the roots, you can save the tree and partake of the fruit.
He then shifted to the parable of the sower in Matthew
13:3-8:“…Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came
and devoured them up: Some fell upon
stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up,
because they had no deepness of earth:
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no
root, they withered away. And some fell
among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought
forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”
What was the difference between the seeds that fell on good
ground and brought forth fruit and those that didn’t? As you think about that question, apply what
we learned from Jacob 5. The good ground
allowed the seeds to send forth roots deep in the soil to obtain water and
nourishment. Without that, the plants
don’t survive.
Elder Brown then pointed out that we need to realize that in
the Lord’s eyes, each one of us is a tree.
In addition, our companionship, district, zone, and mission are also
trees. What is the most important for
each of them? To have healthy roots that
have sunk themselves deep into the soil, gaining the water and nourishment
needed to promote growth and produce fruit.
If so, regardless of what happens above the surface, we can continue to
strive and grow, pushing up new growth.
So you’re probably now asking yourself, what do the roots
represent. If you’ve been listening to
the prophet over the last few years, I think you’ll have a good idea. Elder Brown said the roots are the covenants
we make with God. I’ve been sharing this
quote a lot, and have probably included it in prior emails, but I’m giving it
to you again, because it continues to be pressing on my mind. In the most recent conference President
Nelson said:“Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in
temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ.
Please ponder that stunning truth! The
reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens
us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power
eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to
His higher power.
I think of that power as what nourishes the roots and
enables them to encourage growth and produce fruit. The Savior said He provides a “well of water
springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14), and that “he that cometh to
me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John
6:35). Following the plant and root
analogy a bit more, if our covenant roots are deep into the soil, they connect
with Jesus Christ, who provides the water and nourishment we need. It reminds me of one last scripture in John
15:5:
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.” Through covenants made and
kept, we connect with the Savior, who provides the life-giving power to help us
grow and bear fruit. Without Him, we can
do nothing; our roots dry up and die.
However, Elder Brown pointed out that oftentimes, even roots that have
gone dormant can be revived if they are reconnected to the source of water and
nourishment. He applied that to people
who are less active. All that is
required to start having growth occur again is a renewed connection of their
roots (covenants) to His life-giving power.
Elders and sisters, the most important thing we can do as
representatives of the Savior Jesus Christ is to make sure that our roots are
going deep into the soil, connecting our tree through its roots to the
life-giving power of the Savior Jesus Christ.
We do that by living the doctrine of Christ every day, through
exercising faith, daily repentance, partaking of the sacrament worthily and
thoughtfully, and being cleansed and renewed by the Holy Ghost, then starting
all over again on Monday. In doing so, our
covenants will be sources of life and power, regardless of what is happening
above ground to the tree. Even though in
the following scripture it refers to a foundation in rock, think also of a tree
that has deep roots. The principle is
the same:
“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the
rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your
foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his
shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat
upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of
misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a
sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
I testify that the covenants we make with God and Jesus
Christ are real and eternal. They never
go away. I once heard a speaker say that
when we say “yes’ to covenants, the heavens shake. As we try to live those covenants to the best
of our ability, the Lord will give us power.
As President Nelson says, power to overcome the world and all its
challenges, but also, I believe, power to help others to do the same through
inviting them to come unto Christ and make their own covenants. If you have the fire of your covenants
burning within you, you can testify with power and the Holy Ghost will bear
witness. The greatest gift we can give
someone else is the opportunity to make covenants with the Father and the Son. We should never forget that. I’m excited to begin this week of interviews
and zone conference in Guyana, and as of Wednesday to witness a wonderful
“white Christmas” in the mission. Let’s
all unite our faith and access the power of our covenants to do all we can to
present the Savior with this gift. Let’s
pray for all those in the mission who are preparing for baptism, regardless of
the zone or country they are in. Let’s
unite our faith together as one and in our union of feeling, we will witness
the power of God.
Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht
******************************
12-3-22 Elder Miller,
Thanks for writing me this week. I’m glad you enjoyed zone conference. I was also excited to read about helping a
less active person return to church. In
my mind that is a big success, as they return to their covenants. It’s critical. Keep working on trying to be unified as a
companionship. The most important thing
is to keep communicating and to not give up.
That’s what the Lord expects for you to do. Remember the lessons from zone conference
about charity and being unified. Keep teaching doctrine to your friends and
help them understand the importance of it.
Also study Chapter 11 of PMG.
There are a lot of good things in there that can help you to help your
people make and keep commitments. Hope your week is good. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
*******
Dear Elders and Sisters,
Happy December from Guyana!
I hope you had a wonderful Sabbath and your Christmas season is off to a
joyous start. We’re grateful to have
been able to spend the week in Guyana having Zone Conference, interviews, and
Christmas events. “Tis the season,” I’ve been playing Christmas music and
thinking about the message of this special time of the year.. I’m also happy for the wonderful people who
were baptized this last weekend and look forward to others in the coming weeks
as we strive to reach our goal and have a white Christmas.
I’ve started to turn a portion of my studies towards Christmas. This week I went back and read some of the talks from last year’s First Presidency Christmas devotional. Elder Renlund of the Quorom of the Twelve was one of the speakers. As I read his talk it made me think of some questions that I was asked by a number of you in our most recent interviews. I thought I might write about that tonight.Elder Renlund shared in his talk that when he was young his father would read from Luke 2 at Christmas time. However, he didn’t stop where we all normally stop. He went on and read the story of Simeon and Jesus in Luke 2:25-31:
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of
Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see
death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought
in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed
God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy
salvation, Which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people;”Elder Renlund then shared the following:“At that
point, my father always paused. Then he bore his testimony. Always in the same
brief way, he declared in heavily accented English, “I may not be able to hold
that little baby Jesus in my arms, but I know, just as well as Simeon knew,
that that baby was the Son of God, my Savior and Redeemer. He is real, and He
lives.” After this declaration, he looked at each of us with his piercing blue
eyes and said with an emphatic nod, “And you can know it too.”
The Savior told His apostles at the Last Supper (John 17:3):“And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Two times in the New Testament, in Matthew 7:21-23 (“Not
every one that saith to me Lord, Lord…”) and in the Parable of the Ten Virgins
in Matthew 25:10-12, Joseph Smith changed the wording from “I never knew you,”
and “I know you not,” to “Ye never knew me” and “Ye know me not” That is completely consistent to John
17:3. We have a commandment to know the
Lord.
The real question, then, is how do we do that? That was the one that a few of you asked me
in our interviews. I gave you an answer
off the top of my head, but I’ve done some looking since then. I found a talk given by Elder Bednar in the
October 2016 General Conference entitled “If Ye Had Known Me.” If this is a topic that interests you, I
recommend the talk. For tonight I’m
going to share just a few parts of it.Elder Bednar gave four ways that we can
get to know the Savior:
1) Exercising Faith in Him, 2)
Following Him, 3) Serving Him, and 4)
Believing Him
I’m going to share a quote from his talk from each of the
four.
Exercising Faith-“The exercise of faith in Jesus Christ is
relying upon His merits, mercy, and grace. We begin to come to know the Savior
as we arouse our spiritual faculties and experiment upon His teachings, even
until we can give place in our souls for a portion of His words. As our faith
in the Lord increases, we trust in Him and have confidence in His power to
redeem, heal, and strengthen us.”
Following Him-“The Savior…instructs you and me, “If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me.” To take up one’s cross is to deny oneself of all ungodliness and every
worldly lust and to keep the commandments of the Lord. The Savior has admonished us to become as He
is. Thus, following the Lord includes emulating Him. We continue to come to
know the Lord as we seek through the power of His Atonement to become like
Him.”
Serving Him-“We come to know the Savior as we do our best to
go where He wants us to go, as we strive to say what He wants us to say, and as
we become what He wants us to become. As we submissively acknowledge our total
dependence upon Him, He enlarges our capacity to serve ever more effectively.
Gradually, our desires align more completely with His desires, and His purposes
become our purposes, such that we would “not ask that which is contrary to
[His] will.” Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.
Consequently, selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and
selfish tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve. And
because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and
sisters more deeply. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of
charity, even the pure love of Christ.”
Believing Him- “Believing Him is trusting that His bounteous
blessings are available and applicable in our individual lives and families.
Believing Him with our whole soul comes as we press forward along the covenant
pathway, surrender our will to His, and submit to His priorities and timing for
us. Believing Him—accepting as true His power and promises—invites perspective,
peace, and joy into our lives.” I found the four suggestions for knowing Him to
be instructive and helpful to me. I hope
that you will find it that way for you also.
One of the great blessings of this time of the year is it gives us an
opportunity and motivation to focus on the Savior and the gift that He and Our
Father in Heaven have given us. We’re now in the middle of December. Let’s combine our prayers and our faith on
behalf of all the people in the mission who are on date. We need to move forward in confidence and
with an eye of faith, expecting the Lord to bless us with the miracles we need
to reach the baptismal goal the Lord has invited us to reach.Have a great week
and a wonderful Christmas season. Enjoy
it. Embrace it wherever you are. You’ll always remember your Christmas’s on a
mission. Make them wonderful. We love
you-President Lamrpecht
**************************
12/8/2022 Elder Miller
Thanks for your thoughtful letter this week. Let me hit a few things in it:
First, I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother’s stroke
coupled with Covid. I’m sure that rests
heavily upon you. The best thing to do
is what you are doing – keep her in your prayers. One of the hardest things to do is trust in
the Lord and not let it distract you from the work. The best thing you can do for your family is
serve the Lord with all your heart, might, mind and strength. They qualify for blessings purely by your
service. We learn that from D&C
31:5.
Especially at this time of year people seem to get busy and
it gets harder to meet with them. The
best thing we can do is embrace the holiday season and “go about doing
good.” Last year we had a big push about
bringing the light of the Savior into the lives of others. In down times, work with your companion on
what you can do to accomplish that. It’s
good to have a short Christmas message that you can share if you visit members
(active or less active) or friends to help them feel the joy of the season. Look for opportunities to serve. In short, use the time to reflect the light
of Christ to those around you. I believe
the Lord will lead you to those who need strengthening and the message of the
season. We never know what that can lead
to.
It was great to read about the experience with your friend
sharing his testimony. As testimonies
are borne, they become stronger. He
sounds like a great future member.
Keep working with your companion. I have to believe that things are better than
they were earlier in your companionship.
Just keep communicating and try to do your best, as I know you have.
I add my testimony to the importance of using time at
decision points wisely. It’s the 4th
floor 4th Door principle that Elder Uchtdorf has shared. For some reason, the Lord blesses us when we
show that extra commitment to finishing our days strong or using our down time
well. It’s a key to a successful
mission. nHave a great rest of your week.
We love you.
*********************************
12-11-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Goede Avond van Suriname.
(Good evening from Suriname)
Sister Lamprecht and I just completed our Christmas event with the
Suriname zone. There was a wonderful
spirit there as we shared our thoughts about the Savior and sang the beautiful
songs of Christmas. We hope you’re all
having a memorable Christmas season, as you serve the Lord as His servants in
this part of the vineyard. We’re
grateful for all of you and your desires to bring His children home. As I
thought about what I would write about this week, I thought of an experience
Sister Lamprecht and I had. Many years
ago we had the opportunity of being in Israel.
As we sat at Shepherds field, looking at Bethlehem in the distance, a
shepherd with his sheep passed below us.
At the time my thoughts went back to the events of that first Christmas
night: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be
a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in
a manger. And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14)
I felt today to share with the Koewerasan Branch and then
with you (sorry Elders who heard this already) some thoughts about this great
angelic declaration, specifically the promise of “peace on earth.” Can we say that there has been peace on earth
from the time of Christ’s birth?
Obviously not. We live in a day
of war, hatred, evil, and injustice.
Those who distance themselves from religion use this as a reason not to
believe. I’m sure you’ve all heard it
sometime in discussions with people you contact. It reminds me of a verse from a well-known
Christmas carol:
“I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said,For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Is that the peace the
angels were talking about? During the
millennium, yes. But is that the only
peace they were referring to? I don’t think
so. The Savior Himself shed light on
another type of peace when He taught His disciples at the last supper:Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27) He
told them it was “not as the world giveth.”
I think He was trying to tell them and us that despite the circumstances
around us, He brings peace – another kind of peace. Here are two kinds of peace the Savior offers
us. First, peace of conscience. Elder Boyd K. Packer said: All of us
sometime, and some of us much of the time, suffer remorse of conscience from
things we did wrong or things left undone. That feeling of guilt is to the
spirit what pain is to the physical body.
But guilt can be harder to bear than physical pain. Physical pain is
nature's warning system that signals something needs to be changed or cleansed
or treated, perhaps even removed by surgery. Guilt, the pain of our conscience,
cannot be healed the same way. He went on to ask: Suppose there was no cure, no way to ease
spiritual pain or to erase the agony of guilt. Suppose each mistake, each sin,
was added to the others with the racking, the harrowing up, the torment going
on forever.
I testify that there is a cure. We learn of it in the scriptures. It is through repentance and the power of
Christ’s atonement. Alma the Younger
described it this way: “Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried
within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall
of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And
now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was
harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what
marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as
was my pain!” The great blessing of the atonement of Christ is that our future
is not dependent on our past. Through
the gift of repentance and forgiveness, we can look forward with faith, hope,
and peace of conscience, trusting that past sins and mistakes are forgiven and
forgotten. What an amazing blessing that
is.
The second type of peace I think the Savior offers us is peace in our circumstances. I think of the story in the book of Mark: And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side…And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
There are times in all our lives when we feel in the midst
of a great storm, with waves beating upon us.
Elder Ballard, spoke of these times in relation to the Savior, saying: In
turbulent and sometimes frightening times, the Savior’s promise of infinite and
eternal peace resonates with special power to us, just as His ability to calm
the crashing waves must have profoundly affected those who were with Him on the
Sea of Galilee that stormy night so long ago. We learn from the prophet Alma in
the Book of Mormon that one of the results of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice
was His ability to calm the seas of our trials.
We read in Alma 7:…And he will take upon him death, that he may loose
the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their
infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh,
that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to
their infirmities. The Savior knows the best way to succor, comfort, and
provide peace to us as we undergo the challenges of life. There is one requirement to obtain that
peace. As we read in Matthew:Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.
We obtain peace in trials by coming unto the Savior, taking
His yoke upon us, and learning of Him.
His peace and power come through making and keeping sacred
covenants. Even in our trials and
adversity, if we turn to the Savior and not away, staying on the covenant path,
He gives us rest, or peace. That is His
promise. I know it’s true.
One of the great messages of this time of the year is the true peace the Savior brings. Let’s all do our best to take every opportunity we can to testify of Him and invite others to make those sacred covenants. That’s what He would have us do. That’s our gift to Him. I’m excited about the wonderful baptisms I’ve seen and heard about these last two weeks. Let’s keep praying, working, and looking forward with our eyes of faith, for those on date, so that we can offer up this wonderful gift to the Prince of Peace. It’s what He would want us to do to show our appreciation for His matchless gift to us. Have a great week. May the Spirit of Christmas be in your heart. We love you.
**************
12-18-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Curacao!
Sister Lamprecht and I are back in the mission home for one night before
we go back out to spread some more Christmas cheer. It has been wonderful to meet with all of you
and share the spirit of the season. We
hope that each of you are making your missionary Christmas a memorable
one. The best way to do that is to focus
on the needs of others. As you do that,
the Lord will bless you with the joy of the season. As I was thinking about
what to write about this evening, my thoughts were led to something other than
Christmas. On Friday of this week, we
celebrate another important birthday. It
is the birth of the prophet Joseph Smith.
I thought I would share a few things with you tonight, drawing heavily
from our prophets, seers and revelators, to help you perhaps get a little
better appreciation for the man who was the tool the Lord used to restore His
everlasting gospel in its fulness.
President Nelson said this about the importance of the Prophet Joseph: I
cannot stress enough the pivotal role of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who ushered
in this, “the dispensation of the fulness of times.” We marvel how Joseph was
able to accomplish all that he did in his abbreviated lifetime. His amazing
accomplishments were enabled by the miraculous and matchless power of Almighty
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and many other heavenly beings.Tonight I wanted to
focus on three major events or series of events in the life of Joseph
Smith. They are:The First Vision, The
Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon, and Restoration of all keys and authority
for the fullness of times.
The first major event of the restoration was the First
Vision. Of the First Vision Elder Bednar
said:“In the Sacred Grove, Joseph Smith saw and talked with the Eternal Father
and Jesus Christ. Among other things, Joseph learned about the true nature of
the Godhead and of continuing revelation. This majestic vision ushered in “the
dispensation of the fulness of times” and is one of the signal events in the
history of the world.I think sometimes we forget that this was just the
beginning of experiences that Joseph had with the Father and the Son. President
Nelson taught us in our Mission Leader Seminar that: In addition to the First
Vision, we know of at least nine other occasions that Joseph saw the Father or
the Son. Four of these visions included both the Father and the Son, while the
Savior appeared another five times by Himself.I had never really focused on
that before until President Nelson shared it.
It strengthens my testimony to know that Joseph was familiar with Our
Heavenly Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ.
He knew them.
The second big event in the restoration was the coming forth
of the Book of Mormon, beginning with the visitation of the angel Moroni to
Joseph in 1823. The Book of Mormon was
translated by the gift and power of God.
One of the things I find interesting about how this was done was the
preparation the prophet received prior to and during the translation of the
Book of Mormon. Here is one of my
favorite quotes, taken from the history of Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph’s mother:…Joseph
continued to receive instructions from the Lord, and we continued to get the
children together every evening for the purpose of listening while he gave us a
relation of the same… During our evening conversations, Joseph would
occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be
imagined. He would describe the ancient
inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals
upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular;
their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease,
seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.”We also know that
during the 1820’s there are at least 20 documented visits of the Angel Moroni
to the prophet Joseph, helping the work of the translation move forward. The Lord was preparing Joseph to do this
work. The coming forth of the Book of
Mormon is a miracle. President Nelson
said: Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from an unknown language into
the English language “by the gift and power of God” in approximately 65 to 75
working days. This means that he
translated at the astonishing rate of seven to eight pages per day. He did this
without the advantage of any modern technology, in a single draft, with
remarkably few instances of strikeouts or edits! We know this to be true from
both the accounts of those who were his scribes and from the pages of the
original manuscript that are in the church’s possession.
Have a wonderful week.
As we honor the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, lets also perhaps take
a few minutes to remember the one through whom we know of the true nature of
Jesus Christ – the prophet Joseph. I’m
grateful for his faithfulness and commitment to establishing the church in
these latter days. We love you. President Lamprecht
***************************
12-27-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Merry Christmas! I
hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas day meeting with your
congregations and talking with your families.
In some ways I like having Christmas Day on Sunday. It forces us to set that time aside to gather
together and worship the Savior on one of the days we should be thinking about
him the most, especially having the privilege of partaking of the Sacrament. I hope your meetings were good and that your
friends came and felt the Spirit.
I was thinking about what I might share with you
tonight. I decided to include as the
main part of my message a poem I shared with some of you during our Christmas
meetings this year. It is a special poem
of mine. I know some of you asked for
it, so here it is.
It happened one day
near December’s end, Two neighbors called on an old-time friend, And they found
his shop so meager and lean made gay
with a thousand boughs of green. And Conrad was sitting with face a’shined When
he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine and he said: “Old friends at dawn
today, when the cock was crowing the night away, The Lord appeared in a dream
to me and said ‘I am coming your Guest to be.’ So I’ve been busy with feet
astir and strewing my shop with branches of fir. “The table is spread and the
kettle is shined, and over the rafters the holly is twined. And now I’ll wait
for my Lord to appear, and listen closely so I will hear as He nears my humble
place, and I open the door and look on His face.”So his friends went home and
left Conrad alone, for this was the happiest day he had known. For long since,
his family had passed away, and Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas Day. But
he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest this Christmas would be the
dearest and best. He listened with only joy in his heart, and with every sound he would rise with a
start, and look for the Lord to be at his door like the vision he had a few
hours before. So he ran to the window after hearing a sound, but all he could
see on the snow-covered ground was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn, and
all of his clothes were ragged and worn. But Conrad was touched, and he went to
the door, and he said, “Your feet must be frozen and sore I have some shoes in
my shop for you, and a coat that will keep you warmer too.”So with grateful
heart, the man went away, But Conrad noticed the time of day. He wondered what
made the Lord so late, and how much longer he’d have to wait When he heard a knock he ran to the door, but
it was only a stranger once more, a bent old lady with a shawl of black, with a
bundle of kindling piled on her back. She asked for only a place to rest, but
that was reserved for Conrad’s great Guest. But her voice seemed to plead
“Don’t send me away; let me rest for awhile on Christmas Day.” So Conrad brewed her a steaming cup, and he
told her to sit at the table and sup. But after she left he was filled with
dismay, for he saw that the hours were slipping away. And the Lord hadn’t come
as He said He would, and Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood, when out of the
stillness he heard a cry, “Please help me, and tell me where am I!”So again he
opened his friendly door, and stood disappointed as twice before. It was only a
child who had wandered away, and was lost from her family on Christmas Day. Again
Conrad’s heart was heavy and sad, but he knew he should make the little girl
glad. So he called her in and wiped her tears, and quieted all her childish
fears. Then he lead her back to her home
once more, But as he entered his own darkened door he knew that the Lord was
not coming today, for the hours of Christmas had passed away. So he went to his
room and knelt down to pray, and he said: “Dear Lord, why did You delay? What
kept You from coming to call on me? For I wanted so much Your face to see.” When
soft in the silence, a voice he heard: “Lift up your head, for I kept My
word. Three times My shadow crossed your
floor. Three times I came to your lowly
door. For I was the beggar with bruised,
cold feet. I was the woman you gave
something to eat. And I was the child on
the homeless street.” “Three times I knocked; three times I came in, and each
time I found the warmth of a friend. Of all the gifts, love is the best; I was
honored to be your Christmas Guest.”
Remember what King Benjamin said about serving our fellow
man: (Mosiah 2:17) “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn
wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings
ye are only in the service of your God.” Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus
Christ, showed their infinite love for all mankind by providing a plan for us
to have a life like they have someday, including the atonement of Jesus Christ,
which makes that all possible. We show
our love and appreciation for that gift by sharing it with others and serving
their children, our fellowmen. I hope
you’ve been able to share their message and show that love during this
Christmas season. I know that as we do
that, we will be blessed with joy.
Have a wonderful week.
I know there will be challenges to do normal missionary things. Be creative and do what you can to help and
serve others. We’re especially praying
for all those who are on date for this Saturday. We are excited to hear about those baptisms,
seeing those children of our Heavenly Father make sacred covenants with Him. We
love you. President Lamprecht
***************************************
1/2/2023 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Happy 2023! I hope
that your holiday week has been productive and that your first day of 2023 has
been good. It’s a big year for us all;
for some of you it’s the year that you complete your service, and for some of
you it’s the only full year of your mission.
For Sister Lamprecht and me, it marks the beginning of the second half
of our assignment. In any case, it’s a
time for reflecting on what has been accomplished and focusing on what is
ahead.
Thank you for all your efforts and your faith in seeking to
meet our baptism goal. I’m not sure of
the final number yet, so I’m not going to say much about that until I know for
sure where we ended up. Regardless of
the outcome, I think this has been a great growth and learning experience for
the mission. I’d love you to share with
me in your future emails what you have learned over the past two to three months as we have focused
on trying to meet our goal of 50 baptisms.
I’d also like you to share those thoughts with your young missionary
leaders. I think it's an important time
for us to evaluate, adjust, and move forward.
Recently one of you asked me an interesting question. The question was something to the effect of
what I thought an effective missionary would look like or be like. Tonight, I’d like to share several aspects of
what I think an effective missionary does and is. Perhaps there might be something here that
you could incorporate into your goals for 2023.
Sisters, just for simplicity’s sake I’m going to use “he” but know that
it applies to both Elders and Sisters.
First, an effective missionary strives to have a “perfect
morning,” whenever possible. What does
that look like? Here’s what I think:
Awake and going at 6:30 AM.
30 minutes of exercise
60 minutes of effective personal study, focused on the Book
of Mormon and PMG
30 minutes of daily planning
Many of you have probably heard of the phrase “sharpening your saw.” It was used in a story about two teams who competed in cutting down trees. The team that won would consistently take a break to sharpen their saw before continuing to cut trees. We need to do the same each morning. As we strive to exercise our bodies and our minds, we will be blessed. Also, getting up and starting your morning on time is your first act of obedience and exercise of your faith each day. It can make or break your whole day – it’s that important.
Second, an effective missionary strives to be exactly
obedient. I love the description of the
Sons of Helaman: Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of
command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto
them; It’s interesting to me how Mormon, in writing
about them, connects their exact obedience with their faith. It is in the times when we struggle with
exact obedience that our faith is tested.
If we exercise our faith in exact obedience, I know that we will qualify
for the Lord’s blessings in ways that we sometimes can’t even comprehend.
Third, an effective missionary sets inspired goals, plans on
how to achieve them, works his plan, and holds himself accountable. He evaluates his daily activities against his
goals and his purpose, using his time in the most productive ways
possible. Preach My Gospel says: “Goals
reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can
accomplish. Through goals and plans, our
hopes are transformed into action. Goal
setting and planning are acts of faith…. Goals are a means of helping you bring
about much good among Heavenly Father’s children.”
Fourth, as I shared with many of you last zone conference,
an effective missionary strives to love the people and the area in which he
serves. It’s the great example of Ammon:
“Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea,
and perhaps until the day I die.”I don’t think Ammon was just saying that for
effect. I think it was sincere, as
indicated by the fact that he and his companions ended up staying in service
for fourteen years. The more we embrace
the people, culture, language, etc. of where we serve, the more the people will
respect and listen to what we have to say.
Fifth, an effective missionary understands the principle
that “nothing happens until you find someone to teach.” He is always finding, regardless of what he
is doing. He has multiple lines in the
water, adapted to different days and times of the day. He is following the mission finding plan but
adds his own ideas whenever possible. He
understands the importance of finding through the members, including following
the direction of those who hold keys in his area. He also counsels with his companion and fellow
missionaries to understand best practices and most productive ways of
finding.
Sixth, an effective missionary is bold but not
overbearing. He trusts in the Lord and
His promises, and in doing so, invites others to do the same. He fights for the people he is teaching, as
they struggle with the adversary to progress towards the covenant path. He understands that the friends have agency,
but believes in what Elder Andersen said about faith“…There is a spiritual
force that can stir a mortal soul toward the spiritual, motivating deeper study
into the Book of Mormon and more prayer with real intent. Faith is a power, and
it can cause things o happen that need to happen. It can cause a soul who is
good but dormant to awaken to God.”
Seventh, an effective missionary seeks for direction from
the Spirit, recognizes promptings, and is willing to act on them
immediately. He follows the example of
Nephi who said “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things
which I should do. Nevertheless, I went
forth…
We often read of Nephi being led by the Spirit, but we don’t
often quote the “Nevertheless, I went forth,” part of the following verse. We can be led by the Spirit, but if we don’t
go forth, it won’t matter. As we
continually hone our ability to receive, recognize and act, the Lord will lead
us to the elect, and we will see miracles happen. It’s the only way this work is done.For
tonight’s letter, I’ll finish with this one.
An effective missionary is meek.
Elder Bednar has taught that: “Meekness is a defining attribute of the
Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing
submissiveness, and strong self-restraint…The Christlike quality of meekness
often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not
passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not
self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash.
A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and
readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others.”
A meek missionary is a powerful missionary. Elder Bednar has said that we gain meekness
“through desire, the righteous exercise of moral agency, and striving always to
retain a remission of our sins.” It is
developed as we continue to live the doctrine of Christ and cycle up as we
exercise faith, repent, partake of the sacrament, feel the cleansing power of
the Holy Ghost, and start all over again.
There are probably other things I have missed. The above eight are the ones that I have felt like tonight I would like to share. I invite you to take one of the aspects of an effective missionary that I have listed in this letter and try to do a little bit better in one of those areas this week. Again, we wish you a wonderful and productive 2023. I pray that God will bless and watch over each of you as you labor in the vineyard. He is laboring with us. I know that is true.. We love you.Pres Lamprecht
.**********************************
1-7-22 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letters over the last two weeks. Sorry it’s taken longer to get back to you.
I was excited to see you had put someone on date and that
they were still on date in the following letter. I hope things are still going well. I was also pleased to see that you had 6 new
friends between Christmas and New Year’s.
That’s a real accomplishment.
Well done.
I’m glad that you and Elder Hall are working together
well. You’re both good
missionaries. I believe you will
continue to have success. Have a
wonderful Sabbath, a good P-day, and great next week. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
*******************
1-8-22 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana!
We’re grateful to be back out and seeing each one of you. It’s a privilege we look forward to every
transfer. We consider it an honor to
serve with you and we love you. You’re
an amazing group of missionaries.
Sister Lamprecht and I had the blessing this last week of
being able to meet Elder Barrios and Robertson in Panama and help them make
sacred covenants with the Lord in His holy temple. We were able to not only see Elder Barrios
and Robertson receive their own endowments, but also Elder Robertson was able
to do all the ordinances except sealing for his grandfather and miraculously
obtain the permission to have his aunt baptized and confirmed. Elder Barrios was also able to help some of
his family receive their ordinances.
Sister Lamprecht was able to get several sealing ordinances performed
for her family names. Overall, it was an
amazing opportunity for me to renew and remember the covenants and blessings
available to all those who qualify to enter His holy temple.
As I was thinking about the blessings of the temple, it
reminded me of an experience that Sister Lamprecht and I had. When the Nauvoo temple was being built and
prepared for dedication, we applied for and received tickets for a dedication
session. We felt a real desire to be
there for that great event of the restoration.
It was an experience to be remembered.
One of the most powerful memories for me occurred not at the
temple dedication. We had some time, so
we decided to drive across the Mississippi River to the Iowa side. There is a spot on that side that is
designated as the place where the Saints pulled out of the river and began the
journey westward. As I stood there,
looking at the temple on a hill across the river in all its glory, I thought of
those Saints. They had lost the prophet
Joseph and his brother Hyrum. They were
getting kicked out of a beautiful place that they had built out of their blood,
sweat, and tears. They were going to a
place they knew nothing about, or what was ahead of them to get there. As I stood there looking at the temple, I
tried to put myself in their place. How
could they do that? What gave them the
courage to “not shrink,” as Elder Bednar says, but to go forward in faith? Many years ago, Elder Scott shared in a talk
a powerful quote that I believe gives us some idea what the answer to that
question is: I would like to relate the experience of an ancestor of my wife,
Jeanene. Her name is Sarah DeArmon Pea Rich. Her commentary shows the impact
that the temple can have in our lives. When she was 31 years old, she received
a calling from Brigham Young to work in the Nauvoo Temple, where all the
ordinances possible were performed before the Saints had to abandon that
temple. This is what she wrote: “Many were the blessings we had received in the
house of the Lord, which has caused us joy and comfort in the midst of all our
sorrows and enabled us to have faith in God, knowing He would guide us and
sustain us in the unknown journey that lay before us. For if it had not been
for the faith and knowledge that was bestowed upon us in that temple by the
influence and help of the Spirit of the Lord, our journey would have been like
one taking a leap in the dark. To start out on such a journey in the winter as
it were and in our state of poverty, it would seem like walking into the jaws
of death. But we had faith in our Heavenly Father, and we put our trust in Him
feeling that we were His chosen people and had embraced His gospel, and instead
of sorrow, we felt to rejoice that the day of our deliverance had come.”
In short, it was the “fire of the covenant” that they had
made with the Lord in His house that enabled them to go forward. We know that the temple was basically running
24/7 so that as many Saints as possible were able to make those sacred
covenants before they left, as they had no idea when they would have that
opportunity again. It was the same desire to make those covenants that drove
the new converts from all around the world to sacrifice all to come to Zion. They knew at that time there was no other way
to receive the temple covenants. In
President Nelson’s talk on Sunday morning of the last conference, he shared
this powerful statement. If I’ve shared
it before in a letter forgive me. It may
not be the last time you hear it! I feel
prompted to share it in almost every meeting in which I am asked to share a
thought. He said: Each person who makes
covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access
to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth! The reward for
keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to
withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our
way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher
power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes
to them through their covenantal relationship with God. That is what enabled
the Saints to face the monumental task of going westward. It’s what fueled the migration from all over
the world to Zion. It’s what drives us
to consecrate these years of our lives to the building of the kingdom of God in
this part of the world. It’s the power
that comes from the covenants we have made beginning with baptism, through the
endowment in the temple. It’s also the
greatest gift we can offer the people in this part of the world. It’s the only way to overcome the world, including
all its injustices, trials, adversity, and challenges. President Nelson said in that same talk:
Overcoming the world is not an event that happens in a day
or two. It happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of
Christ. We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily and keeping
covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path and are
blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith, and the
ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most
powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives.
What is one of the key elements of the doctrine of
Christ? Answer – ordinances and
covenants. Elder Bednar has taught that
when we partake of the sacrament, we not only renew our baptismal covenant, but
also renew all our covenants, including our temple covenants. That should make us look at the sacrament
table a little differently – perhaps a reminder of the altar of the temple? In that moment, the chapel should remind us
of the House of the Lord. When I focus
on that, it helps me to look at the sacrament differently.
Elders and Sisters, we have all made baptismal covenants,
and almost all of us have been to the house of the Lord and made temple
covenants. I hope the fire of those
covenant burns in you. You have a
reminder of it with you all the time.
Remember the covenants made and the promises given, including spiritual
protection and power. What an incredible
blessing the Lord offers to us, His covenant people. It should motivate us to face our own
journeys west, no matter how daunting they are.
I know that many of you have faced adversity already in your
missions. As I talk to you, knowing what
you have dealt with or are dealing with, I see that fire of the covenant in
your eyes. It gives me courage to face
my own challenges. I testify that the
power of our covenants is real.
I hope your January is off to a good start. I know we had 80 people on date at the
beginning of the month. Let’s do all
that we can to build on our December total.
Use those teaching skills we’re learning this transfer from Chapter 10of
PMG to help your friends move along the path of making and keeping commitments
and eventually make sacred covenants with God.
Let’s also keep our focus on finding, so that we can have an active
teaching pool. It was awesome that we
had a finding week over 100 in that last week of 2022. I hope we continue that into 2023. That’s how we’ll reach our level of baptisms
now and going forward. Have a great
week. We look forward to being with you
in zone conferences in the next two weeks.
We love you. President Lamprecht
**********
1/16/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Tonight, the weekly email is coming from Suriname. It’s been a busy last 10 days. Since we arrived in Guyana last Friday
morning, I have interviewed over 60 missionaries, held two zone conferences,
and have had several other district meetings.
We’re grateful for the blessings the Lord has given us to be able to be
where He wants us to be and accomplish what He would have us do.
We have greatly enjoyed the Zone Conferences this last
week. We have felt the Spirit testify of
truths related to our mission and what the Lord would have us do, especially
focused on how we can improve our ability to teach the truths of the restored
gospel. We look forward to feeling that
same Spirit and being further instructed as we meet with the ABC Zone this
coming week.
As we arrived in Suriname, I felt a concern for our members
and the people here. They continue to
struggle with poor economic conditions that affect the ability for families to
put food on the table. Many are
concerned for their future. I wondered
what I could do to help.
As I was reading the Book of Mormon this morning, I “happened” to be in 2 Nephi 9, the great sermon about the atonement given by Jacob, the brother of Nephi. The words I read felt like an answer to my desire to help the people. O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. The Savior gives that same invitation to His followers during His mortal ministry:Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.The Savior invites us, regardless of our circumstances to come unto Him, and He will make things better. There is no problem that He cannot solve, no challenge He cannot overcome, no sorrow or pain He can’t heal. He is the Deliverer (Savior) and the Redeemer of all mankind. It’s very important that all of us as missionaries have a testimony of that. If we don’t we won’t be able to effectively testify to people of that truth and boldly invite them to sacrifice to meet the requirements of coming unto Him. And what are those requirements? I really like what Jacob says: But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God….
First, we must “believe in the Holy One of Israel.” But perhaps, even more importantly, we must
believe Him. Many years ago, a book was
written called “Believing Christ,” by Stephen Robinson. The main subject of the
book was to encourage its readers to not only believe in Christ, but, perhaps
more importantly, believe Him. Believe
Him when He promises us deliverance, healing, comfort, help, support, etc. Many of us believe that’s true for others,
but not for us – not for our specific circumstances. We come unto Him when we are motivated to
believe what He says He can do, and we act in faith and trust on that belief.
Second, we must “endure the crosses of the world and despise the shame of it.” What does that mean? I think it means we need to sacrifice the things of the world, our favorite sins, our bad habits, our selfishness, our preoccupation with what we have or don’t have, trusting that the life He offers us will be better. So often we get so obsessed with the thing that is right in our face, the problem we’re having, the thing we’re missing, etc., that it blocks our ability to look up. He asks us to do His will, keep His commandments, follow His ways, and if we do, He can solve, provide, deliver, heal, or whatever we need in His way and His time. He’s asking us to trust that the life He promises here and hereafter is worth taking up those crosses, and He’s willing to give us a preview of that, if we believe Him and act in accordance with those beliefs. I also was reminded of one of my favorite hymns on this topic. It is Hymn #117, Come Unto Jesus:Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden-Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed.
He’ll safely guide you unto that haven-Where all who trust
him may rest.-Come unto Jesus; He’ll ever heed you-Though in the darkness
you’ve gone astray.-His love will find you and gently lead you-From darkest
night into day-Come unto Jesus; He’ll surely hear you,-If you in meekness plead
for his love.-Oh, know you not that angels are near you-From brightest mansions
above?-Come unto Jesus from ev’ry nation-From ev’ry land and isle of the sea.-Unto
the high and lowly in station-Ever he calls, “Come to me.”
I testify that the answers to our own problems, those of our
friends and family, and those of the entire world are solved through coming
unto Him. He has accomplished an
infinite atonement, giving Him not only all power, but an infinite
understanding of how to succor or help us.
All He requires is to believe Him and make changes in our life in
accordance with what He asks us to do.
If we do so, He promises us peace in this life (rest to our soul), and a
fulness of joy in the life to come. All
things are possible through Him.
I invite you to ponder this message and think about how you
can offer it to those who you meet with who are struggling. Somehow we need to help them understand that
if they continue to focus on trying to solve their problems themselves, their
lives will never get better. We must be
able to promise them with boldness that their lives will only get better if
they are willing to change (repent), sacrifice, enter in through the gate and
onto the straight and narrow path. As
they make the covenants to do that, they will qualify for spiritual power that
will enable them to be lifted out of their trials.
Thank you for your efforts.
Let’s keep working towards meeting our goal in January. We still have many people on date. Pray for each other to see those people enter
the waters of baptism. Let’s also care
for those who have already made those covenants, as we have been invited to do.
Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht
**************************************
1/23/23 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. Sorry that you got a cold. I hope that it passes quickly. I know that’s a hassle. I appreciated your
sharing with me your battle for greater faith on behalf of your friends. I think you’re looking at it the right
way. We need to have an eye of faith,
seeing them in white, and not doubting.
In doing so, be open to promptings on their behalf, especially those
that might not make sense. That’s how
miracles happen. Also, I appreciated
your sharing with me what you are finding in studying the missions of the Sons
of Mosiah. You’re right – it was all
about love for all the people you mentioned.
The same is true for us. It
begins with love for God, then expands to love for our fellow men. That becomes the true “why.”Have a great
week. Finish strong. I know the Lord will bless you. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
******
Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from the Mission Home. Sister Lamprecht and I just returned from a
weekend trip to Bonaire, where we met with the missionaries there, looked at
new building opportunities for the branch, helped with lessons, met with the
members, and did temple recommend interviews.
The Bonaire branch had 70 people attending today. People were sitting on crates, tables, in the
kitchen, everywhere. It was quite a
sight. There is a wonderful spirit in
the branch, and I believe the Lord is blessing it with amazing new and
returning members. I feel that happening
in many of the branches in the mission.
It’s exciting to see. I’m also
excited with what is happening in the mission.
This is an important transfer, as we now have enough total missionaries
and enough missionaries with approved visas for Trinidad to reconstitute the
Trinidad zone. It’s been a long time
coming, but it’s now time. I’m excited
for those 10 Elders to work together to help ignite the stake and help the work
move forward. President Danzell, the
Stake President, was very excited when he heard the news. We hope to continue to add missionaries to
Trinidad as we add more missionaries and get more visas. My goal was to have a zone in Trinidad in
December. I was a month off, but I’m
pleased that we’re there.I’m also grateful for each one of you. I know that transfers are always
stressful. We take the responsibility
very seriously as we consider what the Lord would have done. I was receiving promptings about what to do
up to mid-day Saturday. (Sorry
Assistants!). However, I have a
confirmation that this is what the Lord would have done. I hope that you have received that
confirmation, or if not, that you seek it as you go forward in faith. We pray that all the changes will go smoothly
and safely, and everyone will be able to start this transfer with renewed
energy. We have three wonderful missionaries leaving us next week, Elder
Strasdas, Najorda, and Barrios. We’re
grateful for their service and wish them well.
Incidentally, they are the last missionaries that served under the prior
mission president. Everyone from now on
we have had the privilege of welcoming to the mission. On that note, we’ll be welcoming five new
missionaries this week, three going to Guyana, one to the ABC Islands, and one
sister going to Suriname from her reassignment.
We can’t wait to meet them and have them join us in this field of labor.
My message tonight comes from my reading the Book of
Mormon. I’m currently in the post-Isaiah
chapters of 2 Nephi, where Nephi is speaking to his people and us. I especially love when he gets to Chapter 31,
one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. He says: “Wherefore, the things which I have
written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the
doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the
plainness of my prophesying.”I don’t know if there is a more simple and
powerful explanation of the doctrine of Christ as what is found in 2 Nephi
31. Here are a few passages I would like
to share with you tonight. First, after
talking about Christ’s baptism and why it was necessary, Nephi gives this
simple invitation:“And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to
keep the commandments of the Father? And
the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my
Beloved Son. And also, the voice of the
Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the
Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the
things which ye have seen me do.”
The Savior invites us simply to follow Him. And how do we do that? We keep the commandments of the Father, which
are to repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost – “do the things ye have
seen me do.” We learn in verse 13 what
that looks like:“…if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart,
acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent,
repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take
upon you the name of Christ, by baptism…” Later he teaches us what this step
represents:“…For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by
water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And
then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye
have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the
Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost…”
The initial steps as it relates to the doctrine of Christ,
namely faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost,
enable us to enter through the gate to the strait and narrow path that leads to
eternal life. However, as Nephi said “I
would ask if all is done?” No. We have only entered through the gate and
onto the path. We must follow that
path. And what do we call that? Enduring to the end. As Nephi said:“And now, my beloved brethren,
I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the
example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.”
Nephi then describes what enduring to the end looks like:“Wherefore,
ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect
brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall
press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold,
thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”
Speaking specifically to missionaries, but applicable to
everyone, Elder Renlund said this about enduring to the end:“Missionaries need
to know that they endure to the end by repeatedly and iteratively “relying
wholly upon” the doctrine and merits of Christ. Repeatedly means that they
cycle through the elements in the doctrine of Christ throughout their lives.
Iteratively means that they change and improve with each cycle. Even though
they cycle repeatedly, they are not spinning in circles like on a
merry-go-round without upward motion. If that were the case, the experience
would be dizzying and unproductive. Instead, as we cycle through the elements
of the doctrine of Christ, we arrive at a higher plane each time. This ascent
provides new vistas and perspectives, brings us closer to the Savior, and we
eventually return to the presence of our Heavenly Father as an heir to all He
has.” The steps are the same. The only
difference is that we substitute our renewing our covenants each week through
the ordinance of the sacrament instead of repeatedly being baptized. Otherwise, the process is identical. We learn by faith, exercise that faith
through repentance (change), receive an ordinance (baptism/sacrament), and
become cleansed through the Holy Ghost (baptism of fire). Then we start over again, hopefully at a
little higher starting point. This is
the doctrine of Christ. There is no other
way to fulfill our purpose of receiving salvation and exaltation for us, or the
friends we are teaching.
I’m grateful for the beautiful and simple teachings of the
doctrine of Christ found in 2 Nephi 31.
I feel like this is a great chapter to have our friends read to begin to
appreciate the beauty and power of the Book of Mormon. There is no better explanation of the
doctrine of Christ than here. There is
no more important doctrine to learn and incorporate into our lives. We are praying that those of you moving to
new areas will do so safely and connect with your new companions. Seek the Lord’s guidance as you begin this
next transfer on what He would have you do.
Set goals to help you achieve what He tells you. As you “thrust in your sickle with all your
might,” I know the Lord will bless you with fruits of your labors. You will be “laden with sheaves.” As we do so, I know that we will be able to
achieve the level of baptisms the Lord would have us reach. It will be done in His way, as we follow His
direction. Have a good week. We love
you, Pres Lamprecht
******
2-5-2023 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings again from the Mission Home, and Happy February to
you. We’re officially underway in our
next transfer. I’m grateful that
everyone has been able to get to their new areas. We witnessed what I would call miracles for
that to happen. The first miracle was to
obtain several new visas from Trinidad, enabling us to send six more of you to
join with the four there to form a zone for the first time in over 3
years. That’s a miracle.
We also saw miracles in getting our new missionaries to
their areas. When I received the flight
itinerary for the four Elders coming from the MTC, I was surprised that they
were booked from Salt Lake to Los Angeles to Miami to Curacao. They have never gone through Los Angeles
before. That turned out to be divine
intervention, because if they had been routed through airports in the Midwest
or south, they may have been cancelled (more on that later). They made it on time on Thursday afternoon,
had orientation on Friday, and flew out with Elder Stinson (going to Guyana
also) and Elder Barrios (going home to Trinidad) on Friday evening.
At the end of the night, just before I was going to bed, I
thought to check their flight. To my
dismay, I found their flight from Port of Spain to Guyana had been
cancelled. None of these Elders had a
phone and the Caribbean Air offices were closed. I spoke with both the Georgetown Zone Leaders
(who were just leaving to go pick them up when I called) and the Trinidad Zone
Leaders to see if we could figure out what happened. The Georgetown Zone Leaders were blessed to
be able to find a phone number at the airport and talk to someone who told them
they were sent to a hotel that night.
The Trinidad Zone Leaders made a late drive to the airport and were able
to talk to some people to confirm that.
A few minutes later Elder Stinson was able to call me via Facebook
Messenger and tell me where they were staying and that they were getting picked
up the following morning at 5:30 AM to go to the airport. However, we had no solid information on what
flight they were on.
The following morning, we looked at the flight information
and saw only one flight in the morning that was showing cancelled. We had no idea what to do, and no way for the
Elders to contact us. Sister Williams
started calling and was able to talk to someone at the airport who somehow was
able to confirm that the four were on a plane that was leaving that
morning. We had to trust that, so I
called the Georgetown Zone Leaders to have them head out to the airport,
exercising faith that they were on a flight.
Miraculously, they were and were picked up by the Zone Leaders Saturday
morning. We’re grateful they were able
to make it and are here to join us in the mission.
On Thursday, the 4 Elders flying from the MTC were supposed
to be joined in Miami by Sister Vakautakakala, one of our Dutch speaking
sisters who was on reassignment in Dallas waiting for her visa. She had received her visa and was booked to
fly from Dallas to Miami on Thursday.
Unfortunately, at that same time a horrible weather front with subzero
temperatures and ice storms hit Dallas, grounding all the flights on Wednesday
and Thursday. On Thursday afternoon we
were told that she could possibly fly Friday morning from Dallas to New York to
Miami to Curacao, arriving at around 10 PM Friday night. We had already booked a flight for her to fly
from Curacao to Suriname on Saturday morning.
We thought about it and sought inspiration. Sister Lamprecht and I agreed it would be
best to get her to Curacao on Friday night and turn her right around to fly to
Suriname on Saturday morning. Miraculously,
she was able to get out of Dallas on Friday and make all her connections,
arriving Curacao at about 10:30 PM. She
had a short night and went back to the airport at around 7:15 Saturday
morning. We’re grateful she was able to
make it to Suriname yesterday afternoon in time for her companionship to have a
baptism. What a way to start her service
in Suriname!I look at it as a miracle-filled week. As I was going through the week, dealing with
all these different challenges and miracles, I happened to listen to a song
that had the following lyrics: The power
of God is plain to see. There are
wonders on every hand To those who will
see through eyes of faith, Beyond the
minds of men.For how could we hope to see His face- Who never could see His hand?
That last phrase stuck with me all week – “how can we hope
to see His face if we never could see His hand?
It brought two things to mind.
First, it reminded me of one of the miracles of the Savior, found in
Luke 17:12-19:And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men
that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and
said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the
priests. And it came ot pass, that, as
they went, they were cleansed. And one
of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice
glorified God, And fell down on his face
at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give
glory to God, save this stranger. And he
said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
It's interesting to me that the Savior specifically told the
man who returned to give thanks, that his faith had made him whole. I think there was a wholeness or spiritual
healing that was granted by the Savior in addition to his physical healing
because the miracle was recognized, and gratitude shown. I think the same thing is true for us. As we recognize the Lord’s hand, we will be
blessed with spiritual strength and healing.
I also remembered the talk given by President Eyring on this topic, entitled O Remember, Remember (Oct 2007). He said that after an experience he had with his father-in-law helping him, he started a habit. He describes it this way:“I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.
More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.”He shared the most important requirement for seeing the Lord’s hand in our lives:“The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them.”
Elders, and Sisters, I invite you to see the Lord’s hand in
your lives. As the song says, If we
can’t see His hand, how can we expect in the long-term to see His face and feel
comfortable in His presence? I have a
testimony that as we identify and express gratitude for the times each day when
we see His hand, those times will multiply, and our conviction of His love and
guidance in the work will increase. This
week that was impressed on my mind again.
The Lord leads and guides this work.
As you righteously exercise your agency, recognizing and acting upon the
promptings of the Holy Ghost, and recognize and show gratitude when you see His
hand, I know the Lord will lead you to the elect and you will be able to teach
the doctrine with the power necessary for them to make the hard changes
required for them to enter onto the covenant path. Have a great week. We love you.President Lamprecht
************************
2/13/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Hello again from the Mission Home. It’s been out of the ordinary for us to be here for this long. We would have normally been already on our way for the transfer tour; however, we were blessed to have a wonderful conference with all our in-field senior missionaries in Curacao this last week. We were so grateful that they were all able to travel in safety and arrive back to their fields of labor.
We were able to spend time together getting to know one another, sharing experiences, and discussing the things we can do to help the Lord establish His church here in our mission. They are amazing brothers and sisters, who are dedicated to serving the Lord. I know the Lord has called them here and that they have a great work to do not only in fulfilling their primary assignments, but also to help Sister Lamprecht and me to fulfill our role in caring for all the young missionaries. I don’t know what we would do without them and our other wonderful senior missionaries serving remotely. I hope you show them your gratitude for their service. This week in my Book of Mormon study, I was reading in the Words of Mormon. I often think of people reading the Book of Mormon for the first time and getting to the Words of Mormon. All of a sudden, they are reading the words of someone almost 1,000 years later, who has seen this all and is telling them the ending. However, there is a message in the Words of Mormon that jumped off the page as I read it, and I have been pondering it a lot since then. The message is found in verse 7: “And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.” What is Mormon talking about? What is “this?” To understand that we need to look at events that started 600 years before Christ and ended in 1829, a span of over 2,400 years. Here are the highlights:
Nephi, the first writer of the Book of Mormon, was commanded
by the Lord to keep a record of the history on one set of plates. He was then commanded by the Lord to start
another set of plates for the “ministry of his people.” Why?
Let’s see what he said in verses 5 and 6 of 1 Nephi 9: “Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make
these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not. But the Lord knoweth all things from the
beginning; wherefore, he prepareth way to accomplish all his works among the
children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his
words.”Nephi felt prompted to do it. He
obeyed, not knowing why, but trusting in the Lord. Remember that starting a new set of plates
wasn’t like going to Office Depot and buying a new notebook. This was a serious endeavor, one I’m sure
Nephi at times wondered about.
Nevertheless, he trusted in the Lord and did it Prophets from Nephi to
Amaleki, born in the time of King Benjamin, continued to add to these plates as
they were directed by the Spirit up to the time of King Benjamin, even though
they knew that a record was being kept on other plates.
From King Benjamin to the time of Mormon (around 500 years)
this set of extra plates made by Nephi and his descendants was kept with the
other records. When Mormon was abridging the record, we know he wrote an
account of the history of the people from Lehi to King Benjamin (verse 3 of
Words of Mormon). However, while
searching through the records, he “happened” to find these plates of Nephi,
which he felt like needed to be added after this first history, “for a wise
purpose” which he did not know. Fast forward to 1829. Joseph Smith has translated 116 pages of the
“Book of Lehi” which was the record Mormon spoke about. Martin Harris asked to show it to his family
because he had given Joseph money and supported him. We know what happened. Joseph finally gave it to him, and the pages
were lost. The Lord told him not to
re-translate that part.
“Coincidentally,” Mormon included the record from the other plates of Nephi. Because of that, the Book of Mormon was able to retain the history of that exact period (not as fully, I’m sure) and some critical and beautiful doctrines from Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and others. We have the tree of life, the prophecies of Nephi and his teachings, the teachings of Jacob, and the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The Lord saw what was going to happen in 1829. Starting with Nephi, he prompted his prophets, down to Mormon, to write on those plates, retain them, and then include them in the final record. None of them knew why, but they did it “for a wise purpose in Him.” What if even one of the people along that chain had decided not to follow that prompting, needing to know why before they did it? We wouldn’t have those records today.
Elders and sisters, how many times have you been prompted to
do something that may not make sense, or may not see immediate results? Have you done it anyway? I can’t find the exact quote, but I know
President Oaks has taught that rarely has the Lord told us why He has commanded
His people. As we learn in Ether 12:6,
we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. When those moments come, we need to remember
Nephi and Mormon, trusting that what the Lord is asking us to do is for a wise
purpose in Him, and we go ahead and do it in faith. If you wait to know why, you’ll miss the
opportunity. As I think about our
journey towards achieving 50 baptisms in a month, I feel that there are steps
along the way that are going to require each one of us individually and the
mission collectively to do things we are being asked to do out of trust in the Lord,
without knowing why. Only as we do so,
can we obtain the faith and the resulting miracles necessary to meet our
goal. I invite all of us to embrace
those moments and move forward – not hesitate or “shrink.” We look forward to being out with you
starting this week. We’re grateful for
your service and your diligence. We love
serving with you. Have a great
week. We love you. President Lamprecht
**************
2/13/23 Elder Miller: Thanks for your letter this week. I was glad that you had a good Sunday last
week with new members and less actives.
All are important to the Lord. I’m looking forward to seeing you and
Elder Turley work together this transfer.
I felt the Lord wanted the two of you together. There’s something that needs to happen. Go find it together. Sorry about the bike problems. I hope you are having a better week in that
area. I enjoyed reading your experience with translating. That shows me that your language is really
progressing. Translating is not an easy
thing, and especially since neither of those languages was your native
tongue. That’s awesome.
Have a great rest of your weekend. We love you.
Richard Lamprecht
*************************************
2-20-23 nDear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana.
Sister Lamprecht and I have had a wonderful week spending time in
interviews with the missionaries from the Guyana zones. Today we were able to meet with Elder
Alvarado, and tomorrow we pick up Elder and Sister Nielson. Sister Alvarado will not be joining us, as
the Alvarados just welcomed their second grand child into their family and
Sister Alvardo is helping out. We are
looking forward to having them be with us in the mission for the next few
days.
In the worldwide church today, we rarely have an opportunity
to be in a meeting with a member of the Presidency of the Seventy and a member
of the Area Presidency and First Quorum of Seventy. It’s a unique privilege, that brings with it
a special responsibility. That’s what I
felt I should write about tonight.
As I was thinking about these next few days, two scriptures
came to mind. The first one was from
Exodus. Moses had brought the children
of Israel to Mount Sinai to be presented to the Lord. The Lord wanted them to prepare themselves
for that experience. This is what the
Lord told Moses: (Exodus 19:10-11):
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and
sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the
third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount
Sinai.”
A little over 40 years later, Joshua was preparing his
people for another big day, the day they would cross over the Jordan and enter
the promised land. This is what he asked
his people to do then: (Joshua 3:5):“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify
yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” I looked up what it means to sanctify, as it
is used here as a verb. The dictionary
says it means to “set apart as or declare holy, consecrate, free from sin,
purify.” Both Moses and Joshua were
commanded to encourage the children of Israel to consecrate or purify
themselves in advance of the opportunity to see the Lord and His wonders.
What can you do in the next day or two to sanctify
yourselves? Probably not some massive
changes. However, you can make some
minor changes that show the Lord you really want to Hear Him. What might those be? Perhaps a little more focused personal
study. Perhaps a more consecrated and
effective P-day. Perhaps more purpose in
prayer. Perhaps more sacred or reverent
music to listen to. There could be a lot
of things. Find something that will
sanctify you and prepare your mind and heart to hear the word of His servants. Also,
remember that the most important message you hear may not be heard by your
ears. It may be heard by your
heart. I testify that the Spirit of the
Lord will be with these leaders, and they will teach with power and
authority. I know that if you come
prepared, the Spirit will give you answers to your questions and help with your
struggles, even if they are not spoken out loud. Just come with ears to hear and hearts to
understand. I also found it interesting that Moses told the children of Israel
that they should wash their clothes. Why
does that matter? I believe there is a
powerful connection with setting yourself apart spiritually and making
appropriate physical preparations. Doing
something special (ironing your shirt, getting your hair cut, polishing your
shoes, (sisters, fill in the appropriate things for you here!), will have a
powerful impact on your preparation.
Elder Bednar once shared a great story of preparation. He was meeting with a group of his student leaders. “I …had what I thought was kind of a crazy idea. I said, "Are you willing to participate in an experiment with me?" And they said, "Sure." This was on Friday night. The following Tuesday, Elder Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Church Commissioner of Education, was coming to BYU-Idaho to speak. I said to these 250 students, "We determine what an Apostle will say. We can pull things out of him if we are prepared. “Are you willing to prepare?... I can't tell you how to prepare, but you prepare spiritually to come and be taught by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve." And then I said, "Now, as an outward manifestation of your inward preparation, I want you to wear your absolute Sunday best." We invited the young people to always dress appropriately and dress up for a devotional. But I said, "I don't want you just wearing a white shirt and a tie and Dockers. If you have a suit, you wear a suit. To you sisters, no flip-flops and khaki skirts. If you've got a dress, you wear a dress. Now, it's not about what you wear; it's about a representation of your inner spiritual preparation.”
My invitation to you is to take whatever time between now
and your meetings to prepare. Even if
you’re not in the meetings in person, treat it the same way. Make sure and read (or reread) the talks that
were given to us in advance. Do the
things both spiritually and physically that will make it special for you. I know
the Lord has sent His servants here for a reason. There will be a message the Lord wants us to
receive. It is the responsibility of
each one of us individually to prepare ourselves to hear and understand. I know that if we do so, we will receive
revelation in answer to our individual needs, and as a mission, we will know
what the Lord would have us do to improve.
We look forward to this amazing experience. God bless you in your preparation. Have a great week. We love you.President Lamprecht
*******
2-27-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Suriname. What an amazing week this has been. I hope that the visit of Elder and Sister Nielson and Elder Alvarado was as much a spiritual boost for you as it was for me. It was a privilege to have them with us. Their messages were inspired and directly applicable to our mission, both missionaries and members. Now that they are gone, I feel a heavy burden to make sure we act upon the things that they shared with us. If we don’t, it’s as if they never came. We all might have some good notes in our study journal, but if nothing changes, that’s on us. Tonight in my email I thought I might identify a few things that they said that have been pressing on my mind.
First, I felt like we all received a confirmation of our
mission finding plan. Both Elder Nielson
and Elder Alvarado confirmed that in our mission the most important finding
efforts are targeted to the less active and newly-baptized members. I didn’t write down which one said this, but
they said “when someone returns, they bring someone with them.” I know this is true, and I know that’s why
the Lord wants us to focus here. I am
convinced that whenever we’re out teaching or finding, we ought to be thinking
about which less active or newly-baptized members live in the area where we’re
at, and who should we visit. You don’t
need appointments. Just go. I think sometimes it’s easier for people to
turn you down on the phone than in person on their doorstep. Slightly modifying a statement from Elder
Gong – when we’re out we should be asking the Lord, “which less-active or
newly-baptized member needs us right now.”
I know if we act on that and talk to everyone, we will be led to those
who are prepared to receive us, and we’ll be finding people who will stay.
We also got some direction about what to teach them when
they let us in. We should teach them the
missionary discussions, beginning with the restoration. I was thinking about how that works with our
invitation to go to the temple. The more
I thought about it, the more sense it made.
I think one of the follow-on invitations if we talk about the temple is
to encourage them to “brush up” on the doctrine as they prepare. They do that by receiving the discussions
again. I feel like if we do that, we can
connect a desire to go to the temple to learning or re-learning the basic
gospel principles.
Second, I feel like we were reminded of the importance of
teaching the atonement. I thought the connection
between what Elder Nielson asked us to study in advance and the scripture
identified at MLC for this transfer (Moroni 10:32-33) was no coincidence. The Lord wants us to better understand for
ourselves and then more powerfully teach the doctrine of the atonement,
especially that of the redemptive and enabling power.
Third, Elder Nielson’s focus on Mosiah 15:7, where the
Savior’s will was swallowed up in the will of the Father was powerful. We’re invited to do the same – to submit
cheeerfully. He said “the missionary
who submits his or her will to the Father changes everything. At that point they have access to the power
of God.” We all need to think about what
that might look like in our own lives.
Fourth, Sister Nielson taught us the importance of loving
our companion and not just tolerating them.
Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a more powerful or applicable
talk on the importance of companionship unity.
The experiences of each of their sons in their missions were incredible
examples of the importance of loving your companion and looking for what the
Lord wants you to learn from them. Our
companion is on the same team and has sacrificed as much as we have (or perhaps
more) for the same purpose. Our job is
not to change them into something different or better. It’s to learn from them and work
together. Most importantly, one of the
most visible indicators of your discipleship to others is how you act around
your companion. As was pointed out in
John 17, our unity with our companions is one of the first indications that we
are representatives of the Savior Jesus Christ.
Fifth, I loved the answer Elder Nielson gave to the question
about how we help people get baptized faster.
After confirming that each person has their own timeline, the key
direction was “we need to connect them with heaven.” I have thought a lot about that since the
meeting. In my notes I wrote “We are not
schoolteachers.” We have a lot of
information we can share, but if that is the extent of our teaching nothing
will happen. If we don’t somehow help
our friends have a desire to connect with God themselves, our teaching is in
vain, and they won’t progress. If we can
help them connect with God, at that point we just become guides to the covenant
path. They’ll want to make it on their
own.
Finally, I loved what Sister Nielson taught about the Holy
Ghost. Her comparison of the Gift of the
Holy Ghost to breathing was so powerful and makes so much sense. Just as we don’t notice that our body
continues to breathe, we also don’t notice the ongoing influence of the Holy
Ghost on our thoughts and feelings. It’s
consistent with other teachings on the subject.
The more we just let go and act, the more often we’ll see the Lord’s
hand guiding us. In the words of Elder
Nielson, it’s the doctrine of proximity – we need to be up and moving for the
Lord to tell us what to do. I know
that’s a true principle.These are just a few of the things I wanted to focus on
tonight. Now comes the hard part. What are we individually and as a mission
going to do? How are we going to act
upon what we have heard? What are we
going to change? Are we going to take
advantage of this great blessing or waste it?
I invite us all as individuals, companionships, districts, and zones, to
select at least one thing we can do differently based on what we have been
taught. I know that as we do that, we’ll
see the blessings the Lord would give to us.
I feel this is another important step in lifting our mission to the
level that it needs to be to see 50 people in a month enter the waters of
baptism. It’s all part of our building
process. The Lord is the one building
us. I know that.Have a great week. We love you.
*******
3-6-23
Greetings from
Miami. Sister Lamprecht and I just
competed our first leg of traveling to Trinidad. We leave to Port of Spain tomorrow morning. We’re excited to spend some time with our new
Trinidad Zone members. They are living
fulfillment of a miracle we were seeking since we first arrived. We’re grateful to have these 10 serving in
and helping strengthen the Trinidad stake.
Yesterday, we had the wonderful opportunity to welcome Elder
and Sister Pedersen to Curacao. They
will be taking over for Elder and Sister Williams, who will be leaving us in
about two weeks. We’re grateful for the
service the Williams have given us. They
have certainly helped the mission get on its feet post-Covid. They will be training the Pedersens to pick
up the baton and keep moving us forward.
We’re grateful for all the senior missionaries who are serving in our
mission. They are remarkable and do so
much to help the mission and the districts/branches. What would we do without them? This week in
my studies I was reading in the New Testament.
I read the following verses that really stood out. They are found in Luke 9:57-62: “….a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will
follow thee withersoever thou goest. And
Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And he said unto
another, Follow me. But he said Lord,
suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and
preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me
first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” I was
pondering these conversations between the Savior and different people
considering what we were taught by Elder Nielson about cheerfully having our
will swallowed up in the will of the Father.
In each case I believe the Savior was trying to teach them (and all His
followers) what discipleship requires.
Each one emphasizes a different aspect of discipleship. In the first
one, I believe that Christ was telling the man that if you really want to
follow me, you’re going to have to be prepared to give away everything you have
and take on the life that I lead. It’s
not comfortable or easy. It will take
sacrifices and suffering. Are you
prepared to do that?
In the second one, where the man said he must bury his
father, I think when Christ said let the dead bury their dead, he was trying to
teach the man that if you want to follow me, you must let go of old
obligations, cultural norms, and habits.
Christ’s life is a new life. I
don’t think He meant that we must give up our families. Perhaps more that we need to think of how our
discipleship and following Him can bless our families from an eternal
perspective. Perhaps also he was trying
to stress that discipleship is forward-looking.
The third man said he needed to
say farewell to his family before going.
I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with that, but Christ used it to teach a
lesson, using one of my favorite scriptures, maybe because I grew up on a farm
– “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.” In the days prior to
tractors, farmers would hook up their animal to the plow and then stand behind
the plow, directing the animal where to pull.
One of the most important things to do is plow in a straight line. To do that, you must pick something at the
end of the row and focus on it, leading the animal in that direction. If while plowing the person directing the
animal turns back, the animal wanders all over the place and the effort is
wasted. The field won’t get plowed. Knowing that, do you see what the Savior was
trying to teach about those who are called to labor in the kingdom? If we look back at our old life or the
attractions of the world, and not keep our focus on the Savior and His gospel,
we will not accomplish what He has asked us to do.
Repeating those three lessons:
Discipleship will be demanding and uncomfortable at
times. Are we willing to accept that?
Discipleship will require us to put God first, ahead of
culture and habits that could distract us.
If we have an eternal perspective, we trust that God will bless us and
our families as we submit our will to Him. True disciples must not look
back. Looking back equals holding
back. In doing so, we cannot submit our
will to God. Is it worth it? Each one of
us must decide that. He promises us that
everything He has will be ours if we do so.
We will receive “rest unto our souls,” and power to overcome the world
through our making and keeping covenants – all at a cost. “He who loses his life for my sake shall find
it.” It’s not easy. I don’t think it was
for the Savior either. We know at the
Garden of Gethsemene, having some idea of what was ahead of Him, He asked His
Father if there was some other way. In
his own words, found in Doctrine and Covenants 19 He said: "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 -- Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and
finished my preparations unto the children of men." One of my favorite “Chosen” episodes has a
private discussion between John the Baptist and Jesus. John the Baptist is encouraging Jesus to
become more public with His mission. I
have thought a lot about the two of them.
It seems to me that the two of them, and perhaps Mary, Christ’s mother,
were the only ones who really understood what was ahead of Jesus to complete
His mission. In response to the
encouragement by John, Jesus says “I’m always ready to do my Father’s
will. But it doesn’t make it easy.” Those words really struck me. I have to believe Jesus felt that way during
His ministry, but He was always true to His mission, and His will was swallowed
up in the will of the Father. Elders and Sisters, that same invitation is given
to us. Discipleship is all about
substituting what God wants us to do for what we want to do. It’s overcoming the natural man and becoming
a Saint. Neal A Maxwell, a prior member
of the Quorum of the Twelve, underwent chemotherapy. In a talk in General Conference after that,
he said: “As we confront our own … trials and tribulations, we too can plead
with the Father, just as Jesus did, that we ‘might not … shrink’—meaning to
retreat or to recoil. Not shrinking is much more important than surviving!
Moreover, partaking of a bitter cup without becoming bitter is likewise part of
the emulation of Jesus.” Let’s not shrink from our responsibilities as
representatives of Jesus Christ. That
involves not looking back or holding on to things that we need to let go. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way to true
discipleship, and the only way to truly access the power of God, through faith,
to see the miracles that we seek to help our friends come unto Christ. It takes our continual efforts to figure out
what we can do to keep moving forward on the road of discipleship. I know that as we do so, the Lord will make
us ever increasingly effective instruments in His hands, and we will find the
true joy of the work. Have a great week.
I feel the Lord blessing us as a mission. Good things are happening. Let’s hold on to the momentum. We love
you. President Lamprecht
♥♥♥♥♥♥
3-19-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Happy Sunday from the mission home. It’s been kind of a strange week for Sister
Lamprecht and me. This is the week we
would normally send home departing missionaries and receive new ones. We had neither of those this transfer in
Curacao. Both of our new missionaries,
Elder Ranjit and Elder Cruikshank, either started in Guyana or returned to
Guyana directly from the MTC. We’re glad
to have them with us until they receive their visas to go to the Jamaica
Mission.
We were excited this week to receive notice that three of
the four Dutch missionaries who are on reassignment received their Suriname
visas. They will fly to Curacao and then
join the Assistants, Sister Lamprecht, and me on our flight to Suriname Tuesday
night. We’re so happy to get them. For the first time we will have our full
total of Dutch speaking missionaries since Sister Lamprecht and I started our
missions – another milestone. We are
looking forward to starting our zone conference tour in Suriname this week.
This morning I was reading in the Book of Mormon,
specifically Alma Chapter 8. I love this
chapter for a lot of reasons. Just to
recap, this is the chapter where Alma goes to Ammonihah, gets rejected and
kicked out, is visited by the same angel who originally called him to
repentance, goes back to Ammonihah, meets Amulek, and they prepare for their
mission together. The chapter is full of
things to ponder and learn from. I’d
like to focus on Alma 8:14-15: “And it came to pass that while he was
journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much
tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who
were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down
with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up
thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been
faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst
thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you." Try
to put yourself in Alma’s shoes for a minute.
You have had a very serious rejection by people who spit on you and
basically threw you out. The scripture
said he was “weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and
anguish of soul…”. Have you felt like that before, especially as a
missionary? I have. So in the middle of those feelings, this
angel appears to you, the same one that shook the earth and called you to
repentance, and he says “lift up your head and rejoice, for thou has great
cause to rejoice…”. I’m sure the first thing I would have thought about is
“what do I have to rejoice about? I’ve
just been thrown out of town. I’m a big
failure.” It’s important to see what the
angel said next – “for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of
God…”. In other words, Alma is told that
regardless of the outcome, he can rejoice if he has been faithful in the things
he can control. Does that sound familiar?
It should. We read something very
similar to that in Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel, our focus for this transfer:“Your
success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find,
teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of
the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost. Avoid comparing yourself to other
missionaries and measuring the outward results of your efforts against theirs.”
Your success is measured by what you can control – just as Alma’s rejoicing was
a result of the things he could control.
I’ve used this many times, but it’s also what President Nelson is
talking about when he says: “My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has
little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the
focus of our lives. When the focus of
our lives is on God’s plan of salvation…and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can
feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”
When we were serving our senior mission in Singapore, we had
a wonderful mission president who taught a simple but powerful principle to us
as missionaries. “Make God Happy.” It became a powerful motto throughout the
mission. We even had a senior couple who
printed out pass along cards that had that saying on them. We make God happy when we are faithful to the
things we can control, and when we do, we feel the joy that comes from His
blessing us for doing that.
It reminds me a little bit of what Elder Nielson was talking
about when he taught us about what it means to have our will swallowed up in
the will of the Father. Do you remember
what his example was? Are we the kind of
missionary that our leaders don’t worry about?
I think that’s another way of saying that we’re making God happy.
And what happens when we are faithful and make God
happy? First and foremost, we find joy
and satisfaction in fulfilling our callings, regardless of the specific
outcomes. We have cause to rejoice. However, our mission president also taught us
something else. He pointed to Alma
21:15-17. Speaking of the Sons of Mosiah,
it says
“And they went forth again to declare the word….And they
went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord, preaching the
word of God...And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch
that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth;” He pointed out that as
we serve faithfully and “make God happy,” God will bless us with our righteous
desires, which for the Sons of Mosiah (and I hope for all of us) is to bring
many to the knowledge of the truth. We
will see fruits of our labors. Elders and Sisters, we need to focus on what we
are asked to do – the things that are in our control, and then exercise faith
that God will make the miracle happen.
It’s just as Joseph Smith said:“Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let
us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still,
with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be
revealed."I bear testimony that this is a true principle. As we continue to focus on the things we can
do, and get a little better every day, the Lord will bless us with not only joy
in our efforts, but I trust that we will be “laden with sheaves.” I know the field is white, already to harvest
in the Trinidad Port of Spain Mission.
God has sent each one of you here to labor in the vineyard with Him and
to harvest.
I invite you as you begin this next transfer to read Chapter
1 of Preach My Gospel, our transfer focus, and do two things – 1) identify
something that is in your control that you can do better, and 2) rejoice in the
knowledge that you are being faithful.
Please remember this simple fact – each of you are at this moment
consecrating your life to the service of the Lord. You’re fulfilling the calling of a prophet of
God. You have cause to rejoice. Rejoice! Have a great week. We love you
♦♦♦♦
...3-26-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Good evening from Suriname.
After working through many flight issues and related miracles, Sister
Lamprecht and I plus the Assistants and three of our Dutch speaking
missionaries were able to travel to Suriname for Zone Conference and District
Conference. We’re so grateful to have
Sister Quist, Elder Ming and Elder Dewsnup join us here in our mission and
specifically in Suriname. As I said last
week, it’s the first time we are at our total amount of missionaries authorized
for Suriname. It enables us to do some
things we’ve been wanting to do and felt prompted to do for months. As I looked around at Zone Conference and saw
all 20 of the missionaries with Elder and Sister France, I felt like we finally
had all the pieces in place. We’re
excited for the work to move forward here.
We also had a wonderful District Conference with the Saints
here in Suriname. All three of the
meetings were Spirit-led, and the topics shared by each of the speakers were
powerful. During the sustainings in the
general session, as the people in the district were sustained, I was impressed
by the growth in the district organization over the last six months. There are 10 members of the District Council
and leaders for each organization. As I
was thinking about it, I received a strong spiritual impression, almost a
vision, of Suriname becoming a stake. I
shared with the District Presidency that it was a confirmation of where they
were headed and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m excited for them, as I am for all the
districts. I think there is spiritual
momentum building throughout the mission to establish the church. Each of you are a part of that. Let’s press forward to do all we can to make
it happen.
I can’t help but focus on an obvious subject tonight, as
this is the last Sunday before General Conference. Let me start with a quote from Elder Holland:“Brothers
and sisters, this general conference, and the other annual and semiannual
versions of it are the continuation of that early declaration to the world. I
testify that the proceedings of the past two days are yet one more evidence
that, as our hymn says, “Lo, Zion’s standard is unfurled”—and surely the dual
meaning of the word standard is intentional……I ask you to reflect in the days
ahead not only on the messages you have heard but also on the unique phenomenon
that general conference itself is—what we as Latter-day Saints believe such
conferences to be and what we invite the world to hear and observe about them.
We testify to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people that God not only lives
but also that He speaks, that for our time and in our day the counsel you have
heard is, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, “the will of the Lord, … the
word of the Lord, … the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto
salvation.”
Next weekend we have the unique and amazing opportunity to gather around our screens and receive the mind and will of the Lord through His designated servants. It’s what He wants us to know and do in this day and in this time. There will be messages over a variety of subjects, all of which are meant for us as members of the church and for the world. These messages are critical for our ongoing spiritual health. On this subject I love the story told of an incident in the lives of the early Church leaders. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were in a meeting where one of the participants challenged those in authority to confine their revelations to what is in the written word. At the conclusion of those remarks, the prophet Joseph turned to Brigham and asked him to share his views with regards to the living oracles and the written word. Brigham Young took the stand and stacked up the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine & Covenants, then said the following:“There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now when compared with the living oracles these books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.”When he was done, the prophet Joseph told the congregation: “Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.”
One of my favorite all-time quotes is from a past apostle,
Elder Bruce R. McConkie. I think it fits
so well as we prepare ourselves to receive the words of prophets, seers, and
revelators:
“The Church is like a great caravan—organized, prepared,
following an appointed course, with its captains of tens and captains of
hundreds all in place.What does it matter if a few barking dogs snap at the
heels of the weary travelers? Or that predators claim those few who fall by the
way? The caravan moves on. Is there a ravine to cross, a miry mud hole to pull
through, a steep grade to climb? So be it. The oxen are strong and the
teamsters wise. The caravan moves on.Are there storms that rage along the way,
floods that wash away the bridges, deserts to cross, and rivers to ford? Such
is life in this fallen sphere. The caravan moves on.
Ahead is the celestial city, the eternal Zion of our God,
where all who maintain their position in the caravan shall find food and drink
and rest. Thank God that the caravan moves on!”Elders and Sisters, we are part
of this wonderful caravan. It is the
kingdom of God on earth, and it moves forward, despite all that is placed in
its way, because “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” President Nelson has promised and warned us:“Our
Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works
between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that
God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty
and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually
without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy
Ghost.”
One of the primary sources for receiving direction is to
listen to the words of our living prophets.
I promise you that if you go into conference with ears to hear and
hearts to understand, the Lord will give you what you need to go forward in
faith and to deal with challenges you are facing. I also know that as we listen as a mission,
we will receive direction on how to fulfill God’s purpose in this part of the
vineyard. I invite you to follow Sister
Lamprecht’s suggestions on what to do this week to prepare, along with your own
ideas. I also ask you to plan to be in a
place where you can concentrate on conference.
I know that’s a challenge but do all you can to enable yourself to focus
on what is being said and where the still small voice can speak to you. It’s also a great thing to invite your
friends to witness. What does the Lord promise when we follow the words of the
living prophets? Here is what he said in
Doctrine & Covenants 21:4-7: “Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt
give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as
he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from
mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against
you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before
you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory. For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I
inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good…”That is an amazing
promise. I need that. I’m guessing we all do. Let me repeat my invitation. Seek to do all you can this week, including
following the suggestions from Sister Lamprecht, to prepare yourself
spiritually to hear the word of the Lord from His chosen servants. Have questions that you are seeking answers
for. Plan for being in a place where you
can concentrate and feel the Spirit. I
know that as you do so, it will be a remarkable experience. Have a great
week. We love you.President Lamprecht
♦♦♦♦
3-31-23 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. I enjoyed our interview. I hope we were able to take care of your
questions. As I was going through letters
again to respond, even though we had an interview, I felt like I wanted to
address the experience you had with your friend that said he thought his
problems would go away if he were baptized.
I’m sure he wasn’t told that, but we need to help new members understand
that the first year after baptism is going to be difficult. It’s a major adjustment, and things will
happen. What we need to help people
understand is found in two of my favorite quotes.
President Nelson:Now, how does overcoming the world bless
our lives? The answer is clear: entering into a covenant relationship with God
binds us to Him in a way that makes everything about life easier. Please do not
misunderstand me: I did not say that making covenants makes life easy. In fact,
expect opposition, because the adversary does not want you to discover the
power of Jesus Christ. But yoking yourself with the Savior means you have
access to His strength and redeeming power.
Elder Uchtorf:No, following the Savior will not remove all
of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help
your Heavenly Father wants to give you. God will be with you. He will direct
your steps. He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is
greatest.We need to help people understand that the gospel will help them first
bear, and then be lifted out of our trials.
It’s our access to power that others don’t have. It’s our responsibility to be very clear and
bold on this point.
I felt like I needed to share that with you. Hope you make it back to Bonaire safely. Enjoy conference. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
♦♦♦♦♦♦
4/2/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Happy Palm Sunday to you.
I’m hoping that you just finished an amazing conference weekend. It always surprises me how quickly the
weekend goes. It is such a special
opportunity to focus on the words of our living prophets, seers, and
revelators, to hear the power of the incredible music, and feel lifted by the
Spirit. I hope each of you feels strengthened,
inspired, enthusiastic, and spiritually fed.
I’m also hoping that if you had questions that you brought to
conference, they were answered for you. I
know I received answers to many of my questions, and expect to receive more as
I study their words in the future. I think one of the most important things to
do as we ponder on what we have experienced this weekend is to identify the
messages for us personally and for our calling.
I thought I would share some of the key messages I identified. Perhaps in your letter to me this week you
can share with me the things that stood out to you.
One of the first things I like to do is think about the
areas of emphasis – topics, quotes or scripture that were referred to more than
once. Here are the ones that stood out
for me:The importance of avoiding contention and being unified. (I thought it
was remarkable that the prophet and two apostles spoke on very similar topics
all in one session. That doesn’t happen
very often.)Yoking ourselves to Christ through sacred covenants brings power
and peace to our lives. The importance of understanding and living the doctrine
of Christ.“We believe in Christ.” Many
times, the chapters in the Book of Mormon related to Christ’s visit to the
Nephites were quoted. By the power of His atonement, Christ can heal us from
sin, the effects of bad choices of others, and all those things that impact us
as we live in a fallen world. The
importance of caring for and ministering to our fellow man.There were many
other topics, but for me these stood out to me the most.
I also thought there were some specific talks that were
especially relevant to us as missionaries.
I would encourage you to reread the following when they become
available: Sister Cordon – Never miss an opportunity to testify of Christ. Elder
Cook (Presidency of the Seventy) – Don’t let discouragement overwhelm us. (He was the one who was asked to speak
multiple times by President Packer.) Elder Cook (Apostle) – our responsibility
to gather Israel, including from the islands of the sea (shout out to our
mission!) Elder Bragg – Spiritual poise (important for us as missionaries) President
Nelson – Refrain from anger and contention (so important, starting in our
companionships). Elder Stanfill – We can’t have a perfect harvest. The Lord perfects our efforts, using what we
offer. Never underestimate the Savior’s
power — our clumsy efforts can lead to miracles. Elder Corbett – Why did Jesus
have to die? I thought that was an
amazing way of helping us explain the Plan of Salvation. Elder Bednar – What
does it mean for Him to abide in us and us in Him? What does it mean to walk with Him?
I know in upcoming letters I’ll be reviewing more in depth
many of the things we learned in conference.
These are the most important words for us to study, as they come from
our modern oracles. It’s what the Lord
would have us know and do. I invite you
to spend time with them as they become available for you to study. Most importantly, hold on to the things you
have felt, and resolve to do one thing differently that you were invited to do
during conference. That’s how we make
progress. Otherwise, it’s just notes in
a book.
********
4-10-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Happy Easter! I hope
you have had a wonderful day and a Spirit-filled week as you focused on the
events in the life of Christ that culminated in the Garden of Gethsemene on
Thursday night, the trial and crucifixion on Friday, and His glorious
resurrection on Sunday morning, where the angels said three of the most
important words ever spoken – “He is Risen.”
This week I thought of Elder Stevenson’s question he asked
at General Conference:“How do we model the teaching and celebration of the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Easter story, with the same balance, fulness,
and rich religious tradition of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christmas
story?”Without Easter, Christmas means nothing.
I hope you were able to direct your thoughts towards the wondrous gift
of the Savior Jesus Christ to overcome the effects of sin and death. As the great prophet Abinadi preached to King
Noah and the priests many years before Christ’s birth:“And now if Christ had
not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already
come, there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the
dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory,
and that death should have no sting, there could have been no
resurrection. But there is a
resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is
swallowed up in Christ.. He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a
light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which
is endless, that there can be no more death.” (Mosiah 16:6-9).
I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and what He has done for
me and for all of us. Through Him, we go
from hopelessness to hope. Our future is
not conditioned upon our past. His is a
gospel of second chances, do overs, and try agains. Heaven knows I need a lot of those. I testify that His atonement is real and can
bring hope and joy to all who accept it and take His yoke upon them.
If we are blessed to gain a knowledge and testimony of what
He has done for us, what does he ask us to do?
I love the words of Peter in Acts 10:38-42:“How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. And we are
witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in
Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the
people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and
drink with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is
he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead."
Peter and the other apostles were physical witnesses of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. They saw
and handled Him. Because of that, they
could witness with power of the reality of His resurrection. However, what about those who weren’t
there? What did Christ tell Thomas?“Jesus
saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou has believed: blessed
are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." I think He is talking
about all those who followed afterwards, including us, who believe not because
we have seen, but because the Holy Ghost has witnessed it unto us. Also, as we have done His will, we have
learned of His doctrine (John 7:17), experiencing the joy of repentance and
forgiveness and the power of sacred covenants with God, summed up as the
doctrine of Christ. In doing so, we join
the ranks of those who have chosen to follow Him and have accepted the
responsibility to “witness” to others what we know. Alma the Elder taught this responsibility to
the His people at the waters of Mormon as part of preparing them to make a
covenant with God:“Yea, and are willing to...stand as witnesses of God at all
times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until
death."And what are we to witness?
I love this quote from Present Benson that is found in PMG:“We are
commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that
must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of
its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and
nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and
salvation to the human family” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 167).
That is our commission and our calling – to share that “good
news” with a world sinking ever deeper into wickedness, apathy, and
despair. We witness that through Jesus
Christ what President Benson was talking about can happen and will happen. I
“witness” to you, Elders and Sisters, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Firstborn
of the Father in Spirit and the Only Begotten in the flesh. He was and is the Christ, our Savior and
Redeemer. He was the one chosen by the
Father in the premortal council to make it possible for all of us to have the
life our Father has if we repent and yoke ourselves to Him, being cleansed and
sanctified through His atoning blood. He
is our advocate with the Father. He is
the one we trusted in the premortal existence to complete the infinite
atonement. We bet our eternal lives on
it. Understanding what the Savior has
done for you, personally, will be a determining factor in your desire to work
and the joy you feel from doing it. I
invite you to take the spirit you have felt from this Easter week and build
upon it. Gain an ever increasing and
deepening testimony of His power in your life.
It is what matters most.Have a wonderful week. Thank you for all you do to help the work
move forward. We love you. God bless.President Lamprecht
****************
4/17 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana. Sister Lamprecht and I are preparing for our flight back to Curacao, leaving at 3:42 AM from the Guyana Airport. The driver is coming to pick us up at Midnight. It’s definitely not one of our favorites, but it works.
We’re grateful for the wonderful Zone Conferences we’ve had
with the Trinidad and Georgetown/Berbice Zones over the last two weeks. We received excellent training and felt the
Spirit strongly as we committed to go forward in faith and obedience. We also completed today our District
Conference for the Berbice District. The
meetings were filled with the Spirit.
One of the focuses of all three meetings was the importance of making
covenants in the House of the Lord. Many
of the members of the district have gone to the temple since the last district
conference and were invited to share their feelings. It was amazing to hear and feel the impact
the temple had on each of them. They
shared miracles that happened while they were there and since they’ve
returned. During the meetings it was
confirmed to me again the importance of focusing on getting members to the
House of the Lord. If we can get them
there, the Lord can do wonders with them, and when they return, they can and
want to do so much more to build the kingdom of God.
As I mentioned in our last devotional, at the most recent
Mission Leader Council, we felt it was important to take some time to study the
words of the living prophets from our most recent General Conference. It would be something we could study together
as a mission and learn from one another.
One of the things we talked about was to have me share some thoughts
about the selected talk in the email for that week. This week I’m going to start doing that.
This week I asked you to study the talk by Elder Bednar
entitled “Abide in Me and I in You; Therefore, Walk with Me.” I also asked you to study John 15, which I
felt went very well with the topic of Elder Bednar’s talk. My purpose in this email is not to go over
the whole talk with you. Instead, I’d
like to share some insights I gained from my study of the topic.
John 15 is one of my favorite chapters in the
scriptures. I think there is so much
there to learn from. It’s one of the few
places in the scriptures where we read the words of the Savior Himself, as He
was preparing His apostles for life after Him being with them. We can trust that He was telling them the
things that were going to be most important to them. As it relates to the topic tonight, He told
His apostles:“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in
me. I am the vine, ye are the branches:
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
without me ye can do nothing.If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and
they are burned. If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you.”What do we learn about abiding in this scripture. First, we ought to define the term. Elder Bednar does that in his talk:“The word
abide denotes remaining fixed or stable and enduring without yielding. Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland explained that “abiding” as an action means “‘[to] stay—but
[to] stay forever. That is the call of the gospel message to … everyone … in
the world. Come, but come to remain. Come with conviction and endurance. Come
permanently, for your sake and the sake of all the generations who must follow
you.”
The Savior is our life-giving source. If we become one with Him, interconnected
through covenants, we will feel His power and grace going through us, and we
will be empowered to bring forth fruit.
If that connection is damaged or broken, we are on our own. We can’t and won’t bear fruit, and we won’t
want to continue trying, ultimately being cast off.I love what Elder Bednar
teaches us about the power of our covenants enabling us to abide with Him. He said:“We begin to abide in the Lord by
exercising our moral agency to take upon ourselves His yoke through the
covenants and ordinances of the restored gospel. The covenant connection we
have with our Heavenly Father and His resurrected and living Son is the supernal
source of perspective, hope, power, peace, and enduring joy; it also is the
rock-solid foundation upon which we should build our lives.”
According to Elder Bednar, we enhance our ability to abide
in Him through prayer, feasting on the words of Christ, worthily partaking of
the Sacrament, serving others, and keeping His commandments. We learn from John 15 the importance of
keeping His commandments:
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even
as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”Our abiding in
Him and Him in us is critical to our ability to do this work. He is the source of our power. Again, from John 15:“If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you.”
Our ability to seek His help is based on our abiding in Him
and His words abiding in us. It’s what
makes possible this promise from Preach My Gospel, Chapter 1:“…you are also to
exercise power in your work. The
authority that you have received can lead to power. Indeed, spiritual power is one evidence that
your authority is real. Spiritual power
is a gift that makes it possible for you to do your work more
effectively.”
Our connection to the Savior is the source of that
power. It can come from nowhere else.In
closing, I would like to focus on something Elder Bednar said at the end of his
talk that was very powerful to me. He
said:“Some Church members accept as true the doctrine, principles, and
testimonies proclaimed repeatedly from this pulpit in the Conference Center and
in local congregations around the world—and yet may struggle to believe these
eternal truths apply specifically in their lives and to their circumstances.
They believe sincerely and serve dutifully, but their covenant connection with
the Father and His redeeming Son has not yet become a living and transforming
reality in their lives.”This statement reminds me of a book written many years
ago called Believing Christ. Its focus
was to differentiate between believing in Christ and believing Him. As Elder Bednar said, there is a big
difference between accepting as true our ability to obtain power through
keeping our covenants and abiding in Him, and actually feeling it happen in our
lives.
I testify that through our covenants we can have that
oneness and connection to the Savior as branches have to a vine. In doing so, we have access to His power and
His grace, to sustain us and help us to bear fruit. I invite you to think of one way this week
you can strengthen or deepen that relationship. Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht
*****************
response 4/20 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. I was excited to read about the Haitian
family coming to church. I drew a blank
on coming up for resources to help translate for them. I hope the Lord will bless you. You’re doing the right thing in having Elders
from elsewhere help you teach them.
I’m glad you and Elder Pedersen were able to work through
some things. Remember the lessons Sister Nielsen taught us about the importance
of loving our companion and being unified with them. No better counsel on that subject than what
she gave us.
Finally, here’s my thought about the P-day family
communicating question. I’ll probably
share some thoughts in the future in a mission devotional, but you’ll get a
preview. I looked in the Standards and
Safeguards. There is nothing in either
place that says you don’t have to be sight and sound with your companion or
that you didn’t have to have 4 eyes on the screen when talking to family. In fact, the Safety Zone video affirms that
we should. We have authorized everyone
to use headphones when they are talking, so that should help the interruption
part. The principle behind it is
this: What can happen if someone goes
off in a room by themselves with a phone?
They could spend 5 minutes talking to family and 25 minutes scrolling
through things they shouldn’t, with no one knowing. It’s too much risk to take to have privacy
with your family. For me, the companion
must be close enough to know when the call is over, so that what I just said
can’t happen. Do you understand? I’ll let you work out the details to comply
with the principle. I hope that helps
*********
4-24-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
This may be a longer email.
There are some things I would like to share that I think are
important. First, I’d like to share the
miracle of Sister Tyrrell and Ellison returning home this last week. It’s remarkable. I’ll try to condense it into a few bullet
points:
Due to problems in Miami, the sisters missed their connecting flight to Dallas. They were rebooked on a flight that would have allowed Sister Tyrrell to make her connection to Salt Lake, but Sister Ellison would have had to stay overnight in Dallas. However, that flight ended up leaving 2 hours late, so while they were flying, I was working with church travel to figure out getting them a hotel and rebooked to go home the following day. We got a call from the sisters just after midnight. They were sitting on the runway in Oklahoma City. Their plane was diverted from Dallas due to weather. They weren’t sure if they were going to Dallas that night or if they were going to have to stay there. Five large planes headed to Dallas were all diverted to Oklahoma City. It was going to be next to impossible to get them a hotel room and we also had to figure out what was going to happen the next day to get them home. Sister Tyrrell remembered that her past bishop lives in Oklahoma City. They reached out to him, and he ended up being just 20 minutes from the airport. They were able to come pick them up and take them home. It was the perfect situation for them and solved the hotel problem, an amazing miracle and tender mercy for them. During the night I worked with church travel. We rebooked Sister Tyrrell to fly straight home to Salt Lake from Oklahoma City. However, the American Airlines itinerary for Sister Ellison would get her home earlier, flying to Dallas and then flying to Boise from there. So that’s what we decided to do. When Sister Ellison arrived at the airport, she saw that her flight was delayed so late that she would miss her connection in Dallas. As I was working with church travel to figure out an alternative, she was waiting in line to see if she could get on another flight. A person cut in front of her and got the last seat available on an earlier flight to Dallas. In the meantime, church travel booked Sister Ellison to fly to Salt Lake with Sister Tyrrell and then on to Boise from there. I let Sister Ellison know. She asked the family they were staying with to come pick her up at the airport, but they couldn’t, so she decided just to stay there and wait for Sister Tyrrell. In her own words, this is what happened: “…while waiting I met this grandma and grandson from Guatemala who was baptized 20 years ago but hasn't gone since she moved to the states after her son died. So I got their number for the missionaries in Nebraska. Everything happens for a reason! …as they were leaving, I remembered something I've said in my prayers recently, saying that I was willing to run any errand He needed me to. And I just had the thought to myself "you said you were willing to do whatever He needed, even if that means getting home later." I have no doubt it was spirit bringing that to memory. I'm just always in awe at how His plan works just perfectly.”
I thought this was such a powerful example of 1) the Lord’s tender mercies, set up long in advance for both the sisters and for this family Sister Ellison talked to, and 2) Sister Ellison’s example of submitting her will 100% to her Heavenly Father. I felt like it was important to share that with you. And by the way, she had a similar experience with another family while she was waiting at Salt Lake City to go to Boise, which also wouldn’t have happened if she would have gone home as planned.
I’m going to now switch topics and share a few thoughts
about the two talks that were assigned to the mission to study this week. They were the talk from President Nelson
entitled “Peacemakers Needed,” and the talk by Elder Christofferson entitled
“One in Christ.” Let’s first talk about the importance of
becoming one. In a mission, that begins
with being one with your companion, then your district, then your zone, then as
a mission. All are important. Elder Christofferson said:“In our own
dispensation, the Lord admonished, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not
one ye are not mine.” …Where God prevails in all hearts and minds, the people
are described as “in one, the children of Christ.” He continued “In our extremely contentious
world, how can unity be achieved, especially in the Church, where we are to
have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”?... We are too diverse and at times too
discordant to be able to come together as one on any other basis or under any
other name. Only in Jesus Christ can we truly become one.Becoming one in Christ
happens one by one—we each begin with ourselves…When we “put on Christ,” it
becomes possible either to resolve or to lay aside differences, disagreements,
and disputes.”nSo how do we begin with ourselves? President Nelson gives us that answer. He said:“One of the easiest ways to identify
a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other
people…The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift,
encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True
disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers.”
Whenever we are having problems in any of our relationships,
it is usually driven by some kind of contention, impatience, pride, lack of
understanding, etc. I love what
President Nelson said about this:“Contention drives away the Spirit—every time.
Contention reinforces the false notion that confrontation is the way to resolve
differences; but it never is. Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice.
You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to
choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”What is the Christlike attribute
most necessary to do this? President
Nelson said:“Charity is the antidote to contention. Charity is the spiritual
gift that helps us to cast off the natural man, who is selfish, defensive,
prideful, and jealous. Charity is the principal characteristic of a true
follower of Jesus Christ. Charity
defines a peacemaker.I thought I would repeat the two invitations given by
President Nelson:“If you are serious about helping to gather Israel and about
building relationships that will last throughout the eternities, now is the
time to lay aside bitterness. Now is the time to cease insisting that it is
your way or no way. Now is the time to stop doing things that make others walk
on eggshells for fear of upsetting you. Now is the time to bury your weapons of
war. If your verbal arsenal is filled with insults and accusations, now is the
time to put them away. You will arise as a spiritually strong man or woman of
Christ.”
“Today I invite you to examine your discipleship within the
context of the way you treat others. I bless you to make any adjustments that
may be needed so that your behavior is ennobling, respectful, and
representative of a true follower of Jesus Christ.”Elders and Sisters, I felt
like this was a very opportune time to have this discussion, as we begin this
transfer with new companionships (or with old companionships). Let’s accept President Nelson’s invitation to
bury our weapons of war, and as Elder Christofferson said, become “one in
Christ.” I know it’s not easy, but as
President Nelson taught, we can choose to be contentious, or we can choose to
be peacemakers. If you’re struggling
with this, I invite you to go back to your notes from Sister Nielsen’s talk
about companionships. (If you weren’t
here, ask your companion for theirs.). She gave incredible advice on the
importance of being one and how to do it as missionary companions. It will be a key for seeing miracles happen
in your area.I’m excited to begin this next transfer. I know the Lord will bless each of you as you
set goals together, remember the small and simple things, and have an eye of
faith for what the Lord wants to accomplish in your areas. I know that as we do so, we’ll rise to the
level of commitment and faith necessary to achieve our baptismal goal. I feel like we’re getting ever closer.Have a
great week. Be safe in your travels to
accomplish the transfer. I hope it all
goes well. We love you. President
Lamprecht
*************************************************
5-1-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Port of Spain. Sister Lamprecht and I have been in Trinidad this weekend for the Trinidad Stake Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with the Trinidad members and spend some time with the missionaries here. It’s a blessing to see how the mission has changed here since we arrived, going from the two local missionaries to no missionaries to now having 13 missionaries on the island. The members are excited to have missionaries in almost all of the wards/branches.One of the things that impressed me again at this conference was the importance and reality of priesthood keys. As President Danzell led the conference and as he was speaking, I felt the power of his keys, leading the stake. He has a vision for what the Lord wants here, which is to grow the stake so it can be split, which would certainly qualify them for a temple. I pray that the members will catch that vision and support him. I know the missionaries here are committed to helping them make that happen.This last week we had the great opportunity to join with the other Mission Presidents in the Caribbean Area for Mission Leader’s Seminar. We have several things we plan to share with you in the coming days. We feel very blessed by being able to come together to share experiences and to receive training from the Area Presidency and others. However, two things that I would like to share now.
First, in the closing session three of the Mission Leader couples who are going home at the end of June bore their testimonies, expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to serve and their witness of the gospel and church. As I was sitting there, I had a very strong impression from the Spirit that we are involved in a great, wonderful, and true work. Everyone in that room had successful lives, families, careers, and comforts that they gave up upon receiving a call to serve the Lord for 3+ years (Area Presidency is longer). Why would they do that if it wasn’t true? I had this reconfirmation that there is no way this happens unless it’s the true church led by the Savior Jesus Christ.
Second, one of the Mission Presidents going home shared
things he has learned as a mission president.
All were powerful, but one really stood out to me. He said he learned that even though he was
called to preside over the mission, with priesthood keys, he didn’t really
preside. Jesus Christ presides over the
mission. That hit me very hard. Elders and Sisters, I testify that is
true. Jesus Christ presides over our
mission. We are his hands and feet, but
He directs the affairs in detail for this mission. Please always remember that. This week I
invited you to study two talks from the last General Conference. They were “Finding Personal Peace,” by
President Eyring, and “Jesus Christ is Relief,” by Sister Camille Johnson. I loved both talks. Let me share a few thoughts with you about
them.
First, maybe an expression of the problem or challenge. I have heard before of the analogy shared by
Sister Johnson of the metaphorical backpack.
I think it’s a good one. She
said:“This metaphorical backpack is where we carry the burdens of living in a
fallen world. Our burdens are like rocks in the backpack. Generally, there are
three kinds:
Rocks there of our own doing because of sin.Rocks in our
backpack because of the poor decisions, misconduct, and unkindness of others.And
rocks we carry because we are living in a fallen condition. These include the
rocks of disease, pain, chronic illness, grief, disappointment, loneliness, and
the effects of natural disasters.All of us carry this backpack around. Sister Johnson tells us how we are relieved
of these burdens.“Repentance, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, is what
relieves us of the weight of the rocks of sin. And by this exquisite gift,
God’s mercy relieves us from the heavy and otherwise insurmountable demands of
justice.The Atonement of Jesus Christ also makes it possible for us to receive
strength to forgive, which allows us to unload the weight we carry because of
mistreatment by others.”That takes care of the rocks related to sin and the
impact of the poor decisions of others on us.
But what about the rocks related to living in a fallen condition – the
day-to-day challenges of mortality. How
are we relieved of those and what does that relief look like? I believe that is the peace and comfort that
comes from the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s the peace of the gospel promised by the
Savior. President Eyring said:“…the gift
of peace is given after we have the faith to keep His commandments. For those
who are covenant members of the Lord’s Church, obedience is what we have
already promised to do… the Savior promises that as we keep our covenants, we
can feel the love of the Father and the Son for each other and for us. We can
feel Their closeness in our mortal lives, just as we will when we are blessed
to be with Them forever.”
On this topic, Sister Johnson said:“I joyfully declare that our mortal burdens, these rocks in our figurative backpack, need not feel heavy. Jesus Christ can lighten our load. Jesus Christ can lift our burdens. Jesus Christ provides a way for us to be relieved of the weight of sin. Jesus Christ is our relief. He said: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [that is, relief and peace]. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ That the yoke is easy and the burden is light presumes we get in the yoke with the Savior, that we share our burdens with Him, that we let Him lift our load. That means entering into a covenant relationship with God and keeping that covenant, which, as President Nelson has explained, “makes everything about life easier.” He said, “Yoking yourself with the Savior means you have access to His strength and redeeming power.”
Do you see the common element that President Eyring and Sister Johnson are teaching? Relief/peace/comfort/help/hope, etc. etc. all are tied to making and keeping covenants with the Savior. Our covenants are the conduit to all those things. It is how we access His enabling power. There is no other way. This was reinforced for me this week as we had the opportunity to attend the temple while in the Dominican Republic. Honestly, Elders and Sisters, the newly revised temple endowment presentation is amazing and so much more instructive in its connection to the Savior and the power of those covenants. I told Sister Lamprecht I wish I could bring every one of you to the temple to experience it. I know that’s not possible, so you’ll have to look forward to that in the future, but it strengthened my testimony of the power of our covenants. I add my witness to Sister Johnson’s who said: “I testify that Jesus Christ is relief. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we may be relieved of the burden and consequences of sin and be succored in our infirmities.” I know that many of you struggle with burdens, whether they be personal trials, family challenges, struggles in your area or with companions, struggles with the branch, etc. The list can be long. Please remember the promise that those burdens can be lifted and lightened through keeping your covenants, taking the yoke of Christ upon you, and allowing His enabling power into your life. Those same blessings are offered to the people you contact. The greatest gift you offer them is access to the blessings of making covenants with God. No one else offers that but you.
I hope this transfer has started off well for you. I know that for some it has been difficult
getting settled, especially those who are waiting for your new missionaries to
train and those impacted by those and other logistical challenges. Please do the best you can. Whatever situation you’re in was no surprise
to the Lord. There is something that you
need to do or learn. Find it and take
advantage of it. Have a great week. We
love you. President Lamprecht
**********************
5-1-23 Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this last week. I’m excited to hear about the good things
happening in your area and in your previous area. As you’re learning, when someone gets baptized
in the mission, it’s the result of the efforts of many. Sometimes you’re at the beginning, sometimes
at the end. It doesn’t matter. It’s all important and it’s all about the
person getting baptized and their entering the Kingdom of God.
Good question about the less active family. Honestly, I feel like the principles for less
active families are the same as those for our friends. If we realize that they aren’t progressing,
we need to evaluate whether we go back to them again. If we do, we explain to them what our purpose
is, to invite them to come unto Christ.
We’re not called to minister to them.
That’s the branch’s responsibility.
If they don’t feel like they’re ready to renew their covenants and make
progress, we need to move on. You don’t
have time to continue to fellowship them.
Perhaps in that case, the key is to bring a member along who can
continue to friendship them. That’s how
it’s supposed to work.
Have a great rest of the week. We love you. Richard Lamprecht
5-8-2023 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Good evening from Suriname.
Sister Lamprecht and I have begun our May interview and zone conference
tour. We always look forward to being
with you in interviews and zone conference.
We’re grateful for the optimism and enthusiasm that we have felt from
each of you as we began this next transfer.
I know the Lord is blessing the mission because of your efforts.
This last week we were able to receive three new
missionaries into the mission. Elder
Marin and Elder Oliveros join us from Mexico.
They had the experience of learning English at the Brazil MTC and came
from there to join us, Elder Bell, is
from Nampa, Idaho and came from the Provo MTC.
The three made it to Guyana late Friday night (early Saturday morning)
after some adventures with immigration.
We’re so happy to have them join us in the mission!
This last week we met with the Mission Leadership Council. We discussed increasing our ability to find new friends through members. I know that as we do this, we will see a higher percentage of those we teach accept the covenant of baptism and stay on the covenant path. It is a clearly consistent with the new key indicators, and a confirmation of our Finding Plan. I love the scripture that was selected by the MLC that will help us learn more about how we do this.
In John 21:1-17 we
learn about the experience with the apostles and the resurrected Christ on the
Sea of Galilee. I invite you to really
take apart these 17 verses in your personal study, District Council, and Zone Conference. There is so much to learn from what the
apostles said and did, and what the Savior said and did. It has great application to what we’re trying
to do as a mission. I hope you find it
helpful and instructive. We felt the
Spirit confirm to all of us that this is what we should study this transfer.
This last week I invited you to study two talks from General Conference. They are “There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy,” by Elder Craig C. Christensen, and “My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ,” by Elder Neil L. Andersen. As you know, both titles come from the experience of Alma the Younger, perhaps one of the most important stories of conversion and change in the Book of Mormon. It’s probably why Mormon included it twice – in Mosiah 27 and Alma 36. I thought I would share some thoughts I had as I studied these two talks.
Let’s start with the talk by Elder Andersen, and then I’ll connect it to Elder Christensen’s. We know from Alma 36 that Alma the Younger was visited by an angel and commanded to repent. He was overcome by this experience to the point of losing consciousness for three days. During this time, he shares what happened to him:
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment,
while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered
also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of
one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this
thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me,
who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains
of death. And now, behold, when I
thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the
memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did
behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! We
covenant at baptism to always remember the Savior. I think that’s another way of saying our mind
catches hold upon Him. Elder Andersen
taught:“Filling our mind with the power of Jesus Christ does not mean that He
is the only thought we have. But it does mean that all our thoughts are
circumscribed in His love, His life and teachings, and His atoning sacrifice
and glorious Resurrection. Jesus is never in a forgotten corner, because our
thoughts of Him are always present and “all that is in [us adores] him!” We
pray and rehearse in our mind experiences that have brought us closer to Him.
We welcome into our mind divine images, holy scriptures, and inspired hymns to
gently cushion the countless daily thoughts rushing through our busy lives. Our
love for Him does not shield us from the sadness and sorrow in this mortal
life, but it allows us to walk through the challenges with a strength far
beyond our own.”Elder Andersen’s invitation and promised blessing to us is:“By
focusing our attention on Jesus Christ, all else around us—while still
present—is viewed through our love for Him. Less important distractions fade,
and we remove those things that are not in keeping with His light and
character. As you continue to attentively catch hold of this thought of Jesus
Christ, trust in Him, and keep His commandments, I promise you not only
heavenly guidance but heavenly power—power that brings strength to your
covenants, peace to your difficulties, and joy to your blessings.”
If our attention is on the Savior, what will be its greatest
effect on us? What was it for Alma the
Younger? It led him, and it will lead us
to have a desire to repent. That was the
source of joy for Alma. The same will be
true for us. Elder Christensen shared
this in his talk:“As stated by the psalmist, “Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.” As we
repent of our sins, we must focus on the great joy that follows. The nights may
seem long, but the morning does come, and oh, how exquisite is the peace and
resplendent joy we feel as the Savior’s Atonement frees us from sin and
suffering.”Elder Christensen also quotes President Nelson on the joy of
repentance:“Repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus
Christ. When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to
transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually
and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we
choose to become more like Jesus Christ! Repentance brings joy because it
prepares our hearts to receive the influence of the Holy Ghost. To be filled
with the Holy Ghost means to be filled with joy. And to be filled with joy
means to be filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Elder Christensen also shared what to me was an interesting
insight into the Savior’s view of what He did for us:“We speak often of the
pain and suffering of Gethsemane and Calvary, but seldom do we speak of the
great joy the Savior must have anticipated as He offered His life for us.
Clearly, His pain and His suffering were for us, that we might experience the
joy of returning with Him to the presence of God.” It helped me realize that
one of the things that must have strengthened the Savior during that terrible
time in the Garden of Gethsemane was the opportunity He would gain to grant
mercy to each of us – what great joy that would give Him when we come unto Him
and seek it. We get the opportunity in
some small way to feel that when we invite others to come unto Him and witness
the joy and happiness they feel when their sins are forgiven, and they enter
the covenant path. In short, as we always remember Him, we will desire to
repent and feel the joy of His forgiveness and mercy. It’s what we’re out here to figure out
ourselves and help others to do. It is a
message of hope. To close, I’d like to
share the words of a song I’ve been listening to a lot lately, from the musical
“The Lamb of God”. It is titled “Here is
Hope.” He who healed our sorrow Here was bruised and broken He whose love no
end knows Here was forsaken, Left all alone. Here despair cries boldly, Claiming
this it's vict'ry. Sweeter peace enfolds me: Hope did not die here, But here was given. Here is Hope. He who was
rejected, He knows well my longing. He,
so long expected Carried our burdens, Bore
ev'ry sorrow: Here, Here, Here is Hope, Here
is love unbounded, Here is all compassion, Here is mercy founded! Hope did not
die here, But here was given. And ours is the vict'ry -Here is Hope.
I testify that in Christ is all hope. As we exercise faith in Him, repent of our
sins, and feel His redeeming power and love, we will feel the joy that keeps us
going and gives us the desire to share it with others. Have a wonderful
week. We love you. President Lamprecht
*********************
5-15-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Guyana! We hope you are doing well, and that all of you, if possible, were able to wish your mothers a happy Mother’s Day. I’m grateful for the women who have blessed my life. I had a wonderful mother who had a great influence on me in so many ways and helped me to make good choices even though I wasn’t always the best son. I have a wonderful companion in Sister Lamprecht who has blessed my life with her love and service to me and to our family. We have two daughters and one daughter in law who are amazing mothers and raising so well their children and our dear grandchildren. So many other women have had a wonderful, positive influence on my life. I include in that group all the amazing sister missionaries that we have gotten the privilege to serve with here in our mission. You’re awesome daughters of God
This weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to meet with the members of the Georgetown Guyana district in District Conference. The Sunday session we had 432 people there, the most I had ever seen in that building in our almost two years here. The District Presidency said it was almost 100 more than the prior District Conference six months ago. It was packed. It was an amazing conference, with each speaker adding something special and powerful. I was so grateful to be a part of it. I walked away with a greater confidence and more positive outlook on establishing the church here in Guyana and throughout our mission. The Lord’s eyes are on the people in the ABC Islands, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad. Good things are happening. Our responsibility is to “put our shoulders to the wheel” and serve “with all our heart, might, mind and strength.” I feel that as we do that, we’re going to see the church grow right before our eyes in miraculous ways. However, this will not come without adversity or challenges. Satan is not going to give up or step back easily. I see it all around us. I think that’s why I felt like these two talks I invited you to study this past week are so important to us as a mission. We’re all going to have stumbling blocks and difficult times; individually, as companionships, as districts, zones, and as a mission. We need to learn from the great counsel we were given by Elder Cook and Bassett. I love how the two talks fill in the gaps on the topic. Let me share some things I learned from studying their talks.
I think the story given by Elder Cook about his experience
at the Stake Conference with President Packer when he was asked to speak
multiple times in two meetings in a row will be one I'll remember from this
General Conference. I can’t imagine how hard that would be. My only even partial understanding comes from
the way the Lord has been working with me lately in so many District
Conferences, where I prepare something and when I get to the meeting, I know
that’s not what I’m supposed to speak about, so I have to stand up with a few
thoughts and charge forward. I can’t
imagine doing that three times in two meetings in a row. However, I love what Elder Cook said, and I
remember how powerful it was when I heard him say it in conference:“Do you know
what I am grateful for? That I didn’t give up—or resist. If I had given in to
my desperate desire to escape from those meetings, I would have missed an
opportunity to increase my faith and receive a rich outpouring of love and
support from my Heavenly Father. I learned of His mercy, the miraculous
enabling power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and the powerful influence of
the Holy Ghost. In spite of my weakness, I learned that I can serve; I can
contribute when the Lord is by my side if I just keep going—with faith.”“I
didn’t give up—or resist.” I love
that. In six words we are taught one of
the most important lessons of discipleship.
When times are difficult, we need to trust in the Lord and move
forward. As Elder Maxwell taught, we
must not shrink. Elder Cook summarized
it this way:“Regardless of the size, scope, and seriousness of the challenges
we face in life, we all have times when we feel like stopping, leaving,
escaping, or possibly giving up. But exercising faith in our Savior, Jesus
Christ, helps us overcome discouragement no matter what obstacles we
encounter….
Just as the Savior finished the work He was given to do; He
has the power to help us finish the work we have been given. We can be blessed
to move forward along the covenant path, no matter how rocky it becomes, and
eventually receive eternal life. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Stand fast,
ye Saints of God, hold on a little while longer, and the storm of life will be
past, and you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you are.” I testify
that is true. There have been times,
even in my current calling, where I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. However, I’m grateful that I didn’t give up
or resist (I may have resisted a little).
The Lord has stood by my side and delivered me in those times. However, as we learn from Elder Bassett’s
talk, it isn’t always when we want it to be.
Elder Bassett used the experience with the Savior raising Lazarus as a way of teaching us about how and when the Lord delivers us. If you remember in that story, the Savior doesn’t come until the fourth day, when the Jews believed that the spirit had left the body and death was certain. We know that the Savior had a purpose in doing it this way. In John 11:4 we read:“When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” It was the last, great illustration of His power and Sonship, for many around Jerusalem to witness. Elder Bassett applied that story to our lives this way:“When the Savior arrived in Bethany, all had lost hope that Lazarus could be saved—it had been four days, and he was gone. Sometimes during our own challenges, we might feel like Christ is too late, and our hope and faith might even feel challenged. My witness and testimony are that as we move forward with faith in Jesus Christ, the fourth day will always come. He will always come to our aid or to raise our hopes back to life. He has promised:“Let not your heart be troubled.” “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
Sometimes it may seem
like He doesn’t come to us until the figurative fourth day, after all hope
seems lost. But why so late? President Thomas S. Monson taught, “Our Heavenly
Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and
become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass .”Elder
Bassett then gives some help on how we move forward in those difficult
times. He pointed out different times in
the raising of Lazarus where the Savior had others do everything they could
(moving the stone away, etc.) and He did those things that only He could
do. I thought that was very
instructive. He applies it to our
situations this way:
“We know that “faith [in the Lord Jesus Christ] is a principle of action” and “miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, faith comes by righteousness.” As we strive to act righteously by making and keeping sacred covenants and applying the doctrine of Christ in our lives, our faith will not only be sufficient to carry us to the fourth day, but with the Lord’s help, we will also be capable of moving stones that are in our path, arising from despair, and loosening ourselves of all that binds us. While the Lord expects us to “do all things that lie in our power,” remember that He will provide needed help in all these things as we trust in Him.”He then gave us three ways to carry us to the fourth day and move the stones in our path: Abide by the counsel of prophets, Obey the commandments, and Bind ourselves to the Father and the Son through covenants.I hope those look familiar to you. By following the standards we have received through prophets, seers, and revelators, (1 and 2), the small and simple things, and continually applying the doctrine of Christ in our lives through the covenants we have made, we can overcome the adversities we face. As he closed, he shared one of my favorite quotes from Elder Holland: “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.”
Elders and Sisters, whatever trials and challenges you are
facing right now and in the future, please don’t give up or resist, even when
it gets to the fourth day. Hang on,
trust in the Lord, be patient, meek, lowly in heart, faithful, and
obedient. Don’t lose hope. The Savior is our Deliverer. That’s what He does. I testify that is true. Have a great
week. We love you. President Lamprecht
*************************************
5/22/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Curacao!
Sister Lamprecht and I had a wonderful week meeting with the
missionaries in Guyana and Trinidad in interviews and Zone Conferences. We’re grateful for the spirit we felt in all
of our zone conferences so far and for the desire and commitment to increase
our focus on working with the members.
Sister Lamprecht and I feel it’s the way we will reach our baptismal
goal, and more importantly, it’s how the Savior will establish the church
through our hands. We are looking
forward to having that same wonderful experience with the missionaries in the
ABC Zone this week. I also love the
Member Missionary Miracles (3M’s) being posted to the miracle chat. I know that if we embrace this change, we’ll
be astounded by the miracles we’ll see.
It is totally dependent on our willingness to exercise faith, change the
way we do things, and stay with it. As
the Savior told Jairus when he was told his daughter had died, “Be not afraid,
only believe.” This week I invited you to study two talks from General
Conference; “Never Give Up an Opportunity to Testify of Christ,” by Sister
Bonnie H. Cordon, and “Do You Know Why I as a Christian Believe in Christ?” by
Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt. I hope you
enjoyed it. Here are some thoughts I had
as I studied both. Just by the title of Sister Cordon’s talk, we ought to be
interested as missionaries. It’s what we
do – testify of Christ. I was touched by
what Sister Cordon taught about how we obtain and retain that testimony. She said:When Christ physically visited the
Nephites at their temple, His invitation was not to stand at a distance and
look upon Him, but to touch Him, to feel for themselves the reality of the
Savior of humankind. How can we draw close enough to gain a personal witness of
Jesus Christ? This may be part of what my father was trying to teach me. While
we may not enjoy the same physical proximity as those who walked with Christ
during His earthly ministry, through the Holy Ghost we can experience His power
every day! As much as we need!”
One of the most important ways we have our own personal
experience with the Savior also involves something physical, as we partake of
the emblems of His body and blood through the Sacrament. It is our time to remember what He has done
for us and the covenantal relationship we have with Him. If we’re doing it right, we should have a
similar feeling of wanting to cry out “Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most
High God!” and fall down and worship Him.
(3 Nephi 11:17). The great thing
about it is that we have the privilege of doing it almost every week. It creates spiritual muscle memory, something
Sister Cordon talked about in the following quote:“The adversary creates so
much noise that it can be difficult to hear the Lord’s voice. Our world, our
challenges, our circumstances will not get quieter, but we can and must hunger
and thirst after the things of Christ to “hear Him” with clarity. We want to
create muscle memory of discipleship and testimony that will bring into focus
our reliance on our Savior each day.” Sister Cordon gave us this invitation:“The
adversary creates so much noise that it can be difficult to hear the Lord’s
voice. Our world, our challenges, our circumstances will not get quieter, but
we can and must hunger and thirst after the things of Christ to “hear Him” with
clarity. We want to create muscle memory of discipleship and testimony that
will bring into focus our reliance on our Savior each day.”
I really liked how Elder Corbitt’s talk provided why the
testimony of Christ is so important and of what we should testify. In the situation he described with the person
on the bus, he shared with his friend the basics of the plan of salvation and
the hopeless condition that all mankind is in without the atonement of Jesus
Christ. It reminds me of Aaron teaching
King Lamoni’s father. In Alma 22:12-14
we can see what Aaron taught:“And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures
from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal
state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation
of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name. And since man had fallen he could not merit
anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their
sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the
bands of death that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of
death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all
these things unto the king. Elder Corbitt shared his testimony of the Savior
this way: “I then shared with her the good news—the “good tidings of great joy
… to all people”—that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.” I testified to my friend, and I witness to you, that Jesus Christ is
that Savior, that He had to suffer, die, and rise again—His infinite
Atonement—to redeem all humanity from physical death and to give eternal life
with God and our families to all who would follow Him. The Book of Mormon
declares, “Thus God … gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to
make intercession for the children of men … ; being filled with [mercy and]
compassion … ; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their
iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the
demands of justice.” Later in his talk, Elder Corbitt shared the experience of
Moses and the children of Israel in the desert when they were afflicted by
poisonous serpents and had to look up to the brass serpent made by Moses to be
saved. Referring to that, Elder Corbitt
said: “Whatever the bites or poison or struggles we experience in this mortal
wilderness, let us not be as those who, anciently and presently, could have
been healed but, sadly, “would not look … because they did not believe that it
would heal them.” The Book of Mormon affirms: “Behold, … this is the way; and
there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in
the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ.”
Elders and Sisters, let’s do all we can to obtain and then
retain our testimony and witness of the Savior Jesus Christ and what He has
done for us. Then, let’s don’t let an
opportunity go by to testify of Him. In
doing so, let’s make sure people know why it matters to them. In Him is all hope -- both for now and for
all eternity. That is the good news we
have to share. Let’s make sure and share
it with power and enthusiasm. It’s how
and why we invite people to come unto Him, our purpose in being out here. Have a great week. We love you.
President Lamprecht
***********************************************
5-29-23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings again from the Mission Home. This last week we had a wonderful set of
interviews and Zone Conference with the Elders and Sisters from the ABC Island
Zone. That was the last for this
transfer. I’m grateful for the great
trainings and teachings we’ve received in each of the Zone Conferences this
transfer. I feel like you have all
studied and pondered about what the Savior taught His disciples on the Sea of
Galilee that day described in John 21:1-17 about casting their net on the right
side of the ship, loving Him, and feeding His sheep.
I am hearing of and seeing miracles as each of you embrace
the fact that the Lord has told us that to work with the members is casting our
net on the right side. I know if we
continue to go in that direction, even when it might be difficult, the Lord
will bless us as a mission in meeting our baptismal goals and being His hands
in establishing the church in our mission.
We need to be as the Lamanites who Samuel the Lamanite said:“…are
striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their
brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to
their numbers daily.” (Helaman 15:6).
I love the phrase “unwearied diligence.” That’s a perfect description of what we must
do to help the mission qualify for the blessings and miracles we need to
fulfill God’s plan for this part of the vineyard. I know that working with the members is a
critical part of that plan, and I know that each of you are equipped with the
talents and abilities to make it happen.
If we do so, we’ll see “many who add to (our) numbers daily.” What do we
have to offer those that are seeking a knowledge of the truth? That’s what I would like to focus on tonight
in the remainder of this email, using the two talks I gave you to study this
last week as the basis for that. Just to
remind you, the talks were “Accessing God’s Power Through Covenants,” by Elder
Renlund, and “Trusting the Doctrine of Christ,” by Elder Schmutz of the
Seventy. But to do that, I’d like to
first begin with a quote from Elder Bednar from a talk entitled “Converted unto
the Lord,” given in October 2012. Elder
Bednar said: “A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power
of the Holy Ghost. Continuing conversion is constant devotion to the revealed
truth we have received—with a heart that is willing and for righteous reasons.
Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently
being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion. We should know the
gospel is true and be true to the gospel.”
Brothers and sisters, if we are to accept President Nelson’s
invitation to have the doctrine of Christ rooted in the marrow of our bones, we
must deepen our conversion to the Lord by study, prayer, faithful living, and
continual repentance. We must invite the Holy Ghost to engrave the doctrine of
Christ in the “fleshy tables of [our] heart[s]” as deeply and as permanently as
it was engraved by Nephi upon the plates of gold.”He went on to say: “When we
have built our houses on the foundation of a covenantal relationship with
Christ, we are trusting the doctrine of Christ, and as we come unto Him, we
have His promise of eternal life. People who trust the doctrine of Christ press
forward with steadfastness in Christ and endure to the end. There is no other
way to be saved in the kingdom of heaven.”
I underlined what I consider the key sentence. If we can help our members and friends
understand and then trust in the doctrine of Christ, it will enable them to go
from testimony to conversion, entering onto and then proceeding forward on the
covenant path, and enduring to the end.
And what about those covenants? I really liked the definition Elder
Renlund gave of sacred covenants with God:“A covenant is a pledge that we
should prepare for, clearly understand, and absolutely honor. Making a covenant with God is different than
casually making a promise. First, priesthood authority is required. Second, a
feeble promise does not have the connecting strength to lift us above the pull
of the natural flow. We make a covenant only when we intend to commit ourselves
quite exceptionally to fulfilling it. We become covenant children of God and
inheritors of His kingdom, especially when we identify ourselves completely
with the covenant.” Elder Renlund also taught the importance and power of
covenants in helping us move forward on the covenant path and enduring to the
end: “We become His disciples and represent Him well when we intentionally and
incrementally take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through covenants. Our
covenants give us power to stay on the covenant path because our relationship
with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is changed. We are connected to Them
by a covenantal bond.”
In the YSA fireside given by President and Sister Oaks last
Sunday, President Oaks shared this quote from President Nelson:“Once you and I
have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer
than before our covenant. Now we are
bound together. Because of our covenant
with God, he will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never
exhaust His merciful patience with us.
Each of us has a special place in God’s heart.” I find peace and hope in
the thought that God will never tire in His efforts to help me, and I will
never exhaust his merciful patience with me if I make and do my best to keep
those covenants. What a great truth to
teach our friends and less active members who are trying to understand why we
are inviting them to make and keep those covenants. As President Nelson says, we have access to
God’s power, His love, and His mercy in a special way because of our covenantal
relationship. Elder Renlund summed it up
this way: “As you walk the covenant path, from baptism to the temple and
throughout life, I promise you power to go against the natural worldly
flow—power to learn, power to repent and be sanctified, and power to find hope,
comfort, and even joy as you face life’s challenges. I promise you and your
family protection against the influence of the adversary…” What an amazing
promise – one that we all have access to purely by coming unto Christ through
faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism (making
covenants), receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end
(which involves making additional covenants and then keeping them) – the
doctrine of Christ.
Let us with “unwearied diligence” do all we can to invite
others to gain a testimony of these truths and help them be equipped through
the doctrine of Christ and covenants, to become converted and endure to the
end. It’s our calling; it’s the task
we’ve been given.. We love you.
**************************
6/11/23Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter last week. We enjoyed being with you in Bonaire last
week, and then with you today in Curacao!
I know there is a good experience ahead of you here. The branch is growing and changing in a good
way. I think it will be exciting to be
here.
One thing that I noticed when you and Elder Olsen were
teaching Diego that I think would be something to think about is asking
questions at the beginning of your lessons.
It’s so important to try to see what is going on in the lives of the
people you are teaching, what their needs and concerns are, and what they are
looking for. If you’ve given them an
assignment, if they have accomplished it, ask them what they have felt while
doing it. Those first 10 minutes or so
of a lesson are critical to determine what the Lord wants you to teach. I hope
that helps. Have a great Sunday and
P-day. We love you.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
6-12-23
Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from the Mission Home. Sister Lamprecht and I have had a busy
week. First, we were sad to say goodbye
to Sister Merten, Elder Hallstrom and Sister Burgoyne. They were excellent missionaries who made a
great contribution to the Trinidad Port of Spain Mission. We'll miss them. Right after that we welcomed six new
missionaries; Sisters Cox, Robertson and Willoughby and Elder Priebe, who will
be serving Spanish speaking in the ABC Islands, and Elders Cortes and Kauihou,
who will be English speaking, beginning their service in Guyana. We’re excited to have these new Elders and
Sisters join us in the mission. I know
they are bringing with them talents, abilities, and testimonies that will
enhance our ability to do God’s work.
I’m relieved that as of Saturday night, everyone was in their place and
the transfer is fully underway. I’m
grateful for everyone’s efforts to make that happen, and I hope your transfer
is starting off well. This last week we were able to meet as an MLC to seek
revelation on what the Lord would have us do in the mission. We concentrated on how we as a mission were
doing in our efforts to increase our focus on working with the members. From all the input I have received so far, I
feel like we’re making good progress in this course change. Nevertheless, we still have work to do. As we
discussed this challenge, one of our leaders reminded us of the great story of
Nephi building a ship. Over time, as a
group we felt the Spirit move us to focusing on that story as a theme for this
transfer – "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall
show thee." I was excited, as this
is one of my favorite scripture stories.
I love all the lessons that it teaches us, and I believe strongly it has
great application for what we are trying to do right now in the mission. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts
on this theme as we go forward in this next round of Zone Conferences.
Why do you think it’s so important to the Lord to establish
the church and move this work forward?
Why does He want us to invite others to come unto Christ? Why does the church allocate a huge amount of
resources, including the valuable time of each one of you who have chosen to
serve, to share the gospel with all nations, kindreds, tongues and people? I think Elder Cook gave a great answer to
these questions in his talk that I asked you to study this last week, entitled
“Safely Gathered Home.” Elder Cook said:
The Father of our spirits desires His children to be safely gathered home. Our Heavenly Father’s plan for safely
gathering His children to our heavenly home is not based on worldly success,
economic status, education, race, or gender. Father’s plan is based on
righteousness, keeping His commandments, and receiving sacred ordinances and
honoring the covenants we make. We call this process the gathering of
Israel. President Nelson says the
following about its importance: My dear young brothers and sisters, these
surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather
Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today.
Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance,
nothing else compares in majesty. Elder
Cook quotes another prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, who defines the
gathering of Israel: President Spencer W. Kimball, speaking of the literal
gathering of Israel, stated: “Now, the gathering of Israel consists of joining
the true church and … coming to a knowledge of the true God. … Any person,
therefore, who has accepted the restored gospel, and who now seeks to worship
the Lord in his own tongue and with the Saints in the nations where he lives,
has complied with the law of the gathering of Israel and is heir to all of the
blessings promised the Saints in these last days.” Elder Cook also goes on to
quote President Nelson on this topic, who said: “Anytime you do anything that
helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants
with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are
helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.” Elders and Sisters, this is
the work that each one of us has undertaken.
The Father and Son wish to safely gather home as many of His children as
possible who live in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad. As we learn from D&C 31:7, the Savior
said "I will establish the church by your hand." He's talking about
us, His missionary force. Our assignment
is to determine how to do it their way.
We need to construct a ship to gather Israel. That ship can’t be built after the manner of
men. It must be built another way –
God’s way – so it can fulfill His purpose.
Let’s be diligent in laboring alongside the Lord of the
vineyard. Let’s do our best to follow
His instructions in the process, so that we might rejoice with Him in our
labors and see many of His children safely gathered home. It’s what the Lord has called us to do. It’s what will bring us the most joy. Have a
great week. We love you--President
Lamprecht
**************************************
6-18-23
Greetings from Suriname!
This last week Sister Lamprecht and I had a wonderful experience with
the missionaries in Trinidad, holding interviews and Zone Conference. This was the first Zone Conference with our
theme of “building a ship not after the manner of men.” We had great trainings, and I believe we all
felt the spirit and the challenge of what the Lord is asking us to do.
We arrived in Suriname at our hotel at about 3-4 AM on
Saturday morning. We’re grateful to be
here with the Suriname Zone missionaries and members. Today I had a busy day using my keys, holding
around 10-15 Temple Recommend interviews, many going to the temple for the
first time. It's great to see such a
large group of people wanting to make covenants with God to bless their lives.I
have two things I would like to share with you tonight. The first one comes from my Stake President
at home. Sister Lamprecht and I were
able to watch the general session of our stake conference today. I was especially impressed by the topic of
our Stake President’s talk, and I thought I would share it with you. He spoke about the fundamental importance of
our desires. One of the things he used
to introduce the topic is the parable of the sower. He pointed out that the title of the parable
refers to the person sowing the seed, but it really is the parable of the soil,
not the sower. Even if the sower did
everything right, including having the perfect seed, it would mean nothing if
it fell “by the wayside,” “on stony places,” or “among thorns.” It still wouldn’t bear fruit. It needs to be planted in “good ground.” He said we sometimes focus on trying to make
the perfect seed (have the perfect lesson, the perfect activity, etc) or be the
perfect sower (teacher, leader) and forget about how we need to prepare the
soil. “Good ground,” in a gospel sense,
is when people are prepared to receive and act upon the word. His recommendation is that we think more
about what we need to do to prepare the soil. Our figurative soil, and that of
others, is very much based on desire. We
know that faith begins with a desire to believe, as shared by Alma: But behold,
if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my
words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than
desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a
manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
President Oaks spoke in April 2011 General Conference on
desire. He said:Desires dictate our
priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.
The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.How
do we strengthen our own desires and the desires of others for righteousness
and seeking the Kingdom of God? For
ourselves, the key is to pray for the Lord to change our desires. If we pray with real intent, the Lord can
deepen our desires for righteousness and lessen our desires to do evil. He can change our hearts, which is really
where desires begin.
To help others have a desire to change, we need to help them
want what we have. He told a great story
about his life as an attorney, working a lot of hours. He said his kids would always see him working
early in the morning, late at night, on vacations, etc. He realized as his kids got older that they
had no desire to become an attorney because of what they have seen of his life. He did not make it attractive to them.
He compared that to us as members of the church. We need to live the gospel conspicuously and
joyfully, so that others are attracted to what we have. If we are complaining about how busy we are,
or how hard living the gospel is, no one will be attracted to it. It made me think a lot about my attitudes and
what I am showing to others about my feelings about the gospel. It also made me think how important it is to
help our members share the joy of the gospel through their actions, even more
importantly than their words.
I invite you to think about what kind of soil you have, and
what you can do to prepare it to be more fruitful. Let’s also live the gospel with joy, and
invite our members to do the same, so others will want to have what we have.
The second topic I would like to focus on is the talk from
Elder Meurs entitled “He Could Heal Me.”
Sister Lamprecht and I have a special love for Elder Meurs, as he was a
member of the Area Presidency when we were in Singapore, and came to visit our
mission a few times. He is a very kind
and loving man. I was especially touched
by the story of his causing the head on collision. I can’t imagine how much guilt and burden he
bore because of that. I have an idea of
how I would feel.
I loved how he shared what the Savior might have felt when
He looked upon the Nephites who sought healing from him: I
believe that His compassion was much more than a response to the people’s
tears. It seems that He could see them through the eyes of His atoning
sacrifice. He saw their every pain, affliction, and temptation. He saw their
sicknesses. He saw their infirmities, and He knew from His agonizing suffering
in Gethsemane and on Golgotha how to succor them according to their
infirmities. Elder Meurs then applied that same compassion the Savior has for
us in our situations:
Similarly, when our Savior, Jesus Christ, looks upon us, He
sees and understands the pain and burden of our sins. He sees our addictions
and challenges. He sees our struggles and afflictions of any kind—and He is
filled with compassion toward us.
Brothers and sisters, whether you are carrying the burden of
unresolved sin, suffering because of an offense committed against you long ago,
or struggling to forgive yourself for an accidental mistake, you have access to
the healing and redeeming power of the Savior Jesus Christ I testify that He
lives. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us. He has compassion for us, He
is filled with mercy, and He can heal you. I add my witness that through His
atonement, the Savior can heal us in whatever way we need. All He requires us to do is come unto Him and
be willing to do what He asks us to do to obtain the healing. Remember Naaman, for example, who was asked
to wash in the Jordan 7 times for his healing to occur. The Savior may at times ask us to exercise
our faith to receive healing. Sometimes
the biggest exercise of our faith is believing that we can be healed. Again, remember the Israelites who wouldn’t
look upon the brass serpent because they didn’t believe it could heal
them. The Savior is the source of all
healing. “With His stripes, we are
healed.”Finally, keep seeking to build the ship in your areas, "after the
manner which the Lord (will show) us."
“Go to the mount oft,” when you’re not sure what to do. The Lord will reveal His will to you. If we do it the Lord’s way, “the workmanship
will be exceedingly fine,” just like Nephi’s ship. It will be the way to get to the promised
land. Have a great week. We love
you. President Lamprecht
****************************************
6-26-23
Greetings this Sunday night from Guyana. This week Sister Lamprecht and I were able to
be with the missionaries in Suriname. We
were grateful to have the opportunity to meet with them in Zone Conference and
to hold interviews. On Thursday, we made
the short flight from Suriname to Guyana, and Friday we were able to go to
Berbice and interview the missionaries there.
We always love and enjoy being with you wherever we are in the mission. Tonight,
we were able to watch the fireside from the Area Presidency to youth and YSA in
our mission, entitled "In the Caribbean, I Serve A Mission." We were excited to see Elder Jomie, who
served previously in our mission, co-host the fireside, and Elder McKinnon
sharing thoughts about his mission.
Elder Morrison and Haws also were part of an interview with a local
missionary from Guyana preparing to go to Sierra Leone, and we saw Elder
Cruickshank and Sister Haynes (a local missionary from Guyana) sing in the
Jamaica missionary choir. We were proud
of all those with Trinidad Port of Spain mission connections who took
part. We hope it will be a catalyst for
more local missionaries to serve.
Speaking of the Trinidad Port of Spain Mission, we have an
announcement to make, that many of you are aware of already. As of July 1 (next Saturday), the church will
announce that the name of our mission will be changed to the Guyana Georgetown
Mission. The Mission Home and Mission
Office will be moving to Guyana sometime in the next few months. We’re not sure what that all means yet for details. As things develop, we’ll let you know. We feel like it’s what the Lord would have
done, and it has gotten approval all the way to the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve. I’ll be sad to let go of
TPOSM, but perhaps GGM will grow on all of us over time. Perhaps there will be a better acronym for
that. We’ll see what develops.
What a unique, wonderful, but challenging time we live
in. President Nelson continues to tell
us: “The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the
Lord comes again.” What is one of the most important, foundational, doctrines
that we must have written in our heart to be able to keep up with the
restoration? That’s what I’d like to
share with you tonight, pulling from the talk that we are studying this week,
entitled “A Living Prophet for the Latter Days,” by Elder Allen D. Haynie. Before I get into it, I was especially
touched by this talk because:
I testify that we are led by prophets, seers, and
revelators. We are in the middle of the
ongoing restoration. What an exciting
but challenging time we live in. It is
fraught with risk, but we have been given the tools to make it safely to the
other side. President Nelson gave a
great promise and warning pertaining to our time: “Our Savior and Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He
comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming
days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding,
directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” One of the
most important sources for that ability to survive spiritually is hearing and
hearkening to the words of our living prophets.
I know by personal experience that if we listen to and follow what we
hear from them, our lives will be blessed, and we will be safe in the kingdom
of God, regardless of what happens around us.
Have a great week.
Enjoy your study of “Preach My Gospel – 2nd Edition.” It’s evidence of that ongoing revelation from
prophets, seers, and revelators. We love you.
President Lamprecht
***************
7/9/23
Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from the Mission Home. We made it back today after spending a
wonderful few days with the Elders and Sisters from the ABC Zone. We had a great Zone Conference, receiving
excellent training. It has been an
amazing set of Zone Conferences throughout the mission. We’re grateful for the revelation we’ve
received in each one. Now it’s time to
finish the transfer strong using the things we’ve been taught.
This week the New Testament chapters to be studied for “Come
Follow Me” were Acts 1-5. These are some
of my favorite chapters in the scriptures.
This is really the beginning of the The Church of Jesus Christ in its
modern form, led by apostles and prophets.
One of my favorite chapters in all of scripture is Acts 2. There is much we can learn from it as
missionaries. I’m going to use it as my
focus tonight, combined with the talk from Elder Soares that I invited you to
study this week. As I highlight the
events in the chapter, please focus on something Elder Bednar points out, that
sequence in the scriptures is often very enlightening. Think about the sequence of the events in
this chapter.
The chapter begins with the apostles and followers gathered
“in one place.” It sounds like for some
kind of council meeting. Here’s what
happens-And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.We believe that this is when the Gift of the Holy Ghost and power
descended on the apostles. It happened
in a council meeting. Doesn’t that make sense?
So, what happens next?Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude
came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in
his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to
another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans? Jerusalem was full of
people from all over the world. Somehow
what was happening with the apostles drew attention, and all the people
gathered, hearing what the apostles are saying in their own tongue. They were witnessing the power of the
representatives of Jesus Christ. That’s
what caught their attention. Peter,
seeing the gathering, begins to preach doctrine, including fulfillment of
prophesy, and then his witness of Jesus Christ:And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel,
hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know: Him, being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken,
and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it…This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses…Therefore let
all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
What have we been promised if we testify of Christ? The Holy Ghost will confirm that witness with
those we teach. We see an example of it
here. One of the great missionary
scriptures follows:
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart,
and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
shall we do? Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost always prompts us to act when it
testifies. The people who felt it asked,
what shall we do? How should we
act? Just as Preach My Gospel, 2nd
Edition teaches us, Peter went straight to inviting them to repent and make a
covenant with God. And what
happened? Three thousand people were
baptized from that one conversation! And
what do we know about these new converts? And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers…And
all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in
the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with
gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
1) The Apostles and followers gathered together
in council, and were blessed with an outpouring of the Holy Ghost. 2) Others witnessed the power of the apostles
through the gift of tongues. 3) Peter teaches doctrine and testifies of
Christ. 4) The people are “pricked in their hearts”
through the Holy Ghost, and ask what they should do. 5)
Peter gives them the baptismal challenge. 6)
Thousands accept and become united as a body of Christ. 7)
Because of their unity, the Lord added to the church daily.
Doesn’t that sound familiar to you? – seek the spirit, show
power, teach doctrine, testify of Christ, invite, unite with members,
exponential growth. The pattern is the
same in the modern-day church as it was in the ancient days. This is the pattern of how the church becomes
established. I invite you to ponder how
you can apply what can be learned from Acts 2 in your area. I also invite you to accept Elder Soares’
invitation: My dear brothers and sisters, as we strive to develop attributes
like the Savior’s, we can become instruments of His peace in the world
according to the pattern that He Himself established. I invite you to consider
ways we can transform ourselves into uplifting and supportive people, people
who have an understanding and forgiving heart, people who look for the best in
others, always remembering that “if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of
good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”
I’m very excited for the month of July, our first full month
of the Guyana Georgetown Mission. We
still have over 60 people on date for the rest of the month. Let’s unite our prayers with the members to
help as many of these people as possible enter the waters of baptism. We need the power that comes with a unity of
faith. What a great way to start the
history of this new mission! Have a great week.
We love you. President Lamprecht.
*******************************
7-11-23Elder Miller,
Thanks for your letter this week. I was excited to read about what happened
when you applied what you learned in Zone Conference to your teaching
pool. That’s exactly what the Lord
wanted you to do. It’s a good example of
receiving and acting upon inspiration. I
also hope the lady you found who could be the new Relief Society president is
still progressing. That’s exactly the
way we need to think about working in the areas where the new branch will
be. We’re looking for the key
pieces. It’s like when Joseph Smith sent
missionaries out to find architects, etc. to build the Kirtland temple; they
found them, the Lord prepared them, they were baptized, and filled that
role. The same thing can happen here. I’m
sorry your friend on date is struggling with the doctrine of the Sabbath
Day. Was she a Seventh Day Adventist
before? That’s usually their issue they
have to get over to join the church. I
took this from the old Gospel Principles manual: After His Resurrection, Sunday
was held sacred as the Lord’s day in remembrance of His Resurrection on that
day (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). From that time on, His followers
observed the first day of the week as their Sabbath. In both cases there were
six days of labor and one for rest and devotion. The Lord has given us a direct
commandment in these days that we too should honor Sunday, the Lord’s day, as
our Sabbath (see D&C 59:12).
I’m sure you pointed out to her in Acts that the Savior and
His followers worshipped him on Sunday, the 1st day of the week ( see
scriptures on quote). However, you can
never “prove” principles like this. What
it really comes down to is if she believe in living prophets. Joseph Smith, and others have instructed us
to worship on Sunday. That’s what we
do. If she has a testimony of Joseph
Smith and the Book of Mormon, she has to accept all that flows from that,
including worshipping the Lord on the 1st, not the 7th day of the week. If you need anything else, let me know.I hope
that helps in some way. Have a great
rest of the week. We love you.
♥♥♥♥♥♥
7/24/23Dear Elders and Sisters,
Greetings from Curacao, on the evening before we start our
whirlwind Zone Conference tour. We’re
making sure we get in all the Zone Conferences before the departure of those
who are going home a bit early because of requirements to start school. We look forward to being with you.
In Utah and some other surrounding states, tomorrow is a
holiday – Pioneer Day. On July 24, 1847,
the first party of pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. It was a very important day in the history of
the church and marked the beginning of the gathering of Saints to the western
United States from all over the world.
Many of us have ancestors who were part of that gathering.
One of the stories that I love about what happened when the
party first arrived in the valley is about Ensign Peak. Let me share that story with you. George A.
Smith, a counselor to President Brigham Young, described how President Young
first saw Ensign Peak while seeking divine guidance following the 1844 death of
the Prophet Joseph Smith…President Young had a vision of Joseph Smith, who
showed him the mountain that we now call Ensign Peak, immediately north of Salt
Lake City, and there was an ensign fell upon that peak, and Joseph said, 'Build
under the point where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace.’” Young understood that he was to lead the
Church members west and that the peak he saw in vision would be a sign that
they had reached their appointed destination. On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young
arrived at an overlook for his first view of the Salt Lake Valley. “While
gazing upon the scene, . . . he was enwrapped in vision for several minutes. He
had seen the valley before in vision and upon this occasion he saw the future
glory of Zion and of Israel, as they would be, planted in the valleys of these
mountains. When the vision had passed, he said: ‘It is enough. This is the
right place. Drive on.’”
The story goes that they took Heber C. Kimball’s yellow
bandana and put it on a walking stick, then waved it from the top of the hill
signifying the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy. We know that beginning at that point,
thousands of people from all over the earth started to gather to Utah and the
western states. This was the beginning
of the final gathering of Israel.
However, in a landmark talk given by Elder Bruce R. McConkie
way back in 1977, he said the following: We are living in a new day. The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is fast becoming a worldwide church.
Congregations of Saints are now, or soon will be, strong enough to support and
sustain their members no matter where they reside. Temples are being built
wherever the need justifies. We can foresee many temples in South America in
process of time. Stakes of Zion are also being organized at the ends of the
earth. In this connection, let us ponder
these truths: A stake of Zion is a part of Zion. You cannot create a stake of
Zion without creating a part of Zion.
Zion is the pure in heart; we gain purity of heart by baptism and by
obedience. A stake has geographical
boundaries. To creaate a stake is like
founding a City of Holiness. Every stake
on earth is the gathering place for the lost sheep of Israel who live in its
area.The gathering place for Peruvians is in the stakes of Zion in Peru, or in
the places which soon will become stakes. The gathering place for Chileans is
in Chile; for Bolivians it is in Bolivia; for Koreans it is in Korea; and so it
goes through all the length and breadth of the earth. Scattered Israel in every
nation is called to gather to the fold of Christ, to the stakes of Zion, as
such are established in their nations.
Elders and Sisters, we are participating in the efforts seen
by Elder McConkie almost 50 years ago.
We are attempting to create stakes of Zion in the ABC Islands, Guyana,
and Suriname, and strengthen the one already in Trinidad, so that there is a
place to gather the lost sheep of Israel.
Why? We read the answer in
Doctrine & Covenants 115:5-6:Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine
forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; And that the gathering
together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and
for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without
mixture upon the whole earth.I’m grateful for all the pioneers, around the
world, who gathered first to the western United States, and thereafter in their
own countries to build up Zion. We stand
upon their shoulders. Our responsibility
is to build upon their foundation – to continue to establish Zion and her
stakes throughout the world, and specifically in our mission. And how do we do that? One way is to boldly bear testimony of this
truth. Let me close with a quote from
our talk of the week from President Ballard.
He said the following about the power of testimonies:As you bear
testimony of what you know, believe, and feel, the Holy Ghost will confirm the
truth to those who earnestly listen to your testimony. They will do so because
they have watched you become a peaceful follower of Jesus Christ. They will see
what it means to be His disciple. They will also feel something they may not
have felt before. A pure testimony comes from a changed heart and can be
carried by the power of the Holy Ghost into the hearts of others who are open
to receive it. One of the most important truths we need to know, believe, and
feel is that we are involved in the restitution of all things, and gathering
scattered Israel as foretold by ancient and modern prophets. Those who make and keep covenants and unite
with the Saints will help establish Zion, where they can have a defense and a
refuge. Where they also have access to
God’s power to help them in all aspects of their lives. It’s critical that we have that testimony
burning in our hearts, and that we bear it boldly and without reservation. Elders and Sisters, if we can help our
members get stakes, then temples follow, as seen by Elder McConkie. It’s what this area needs, and it needs to be
our single focus. Let’s raise our
standard to the nations and invite all to come unto Christ.
I hope your transfer is off to a good start. We’re in range of meeting our goal in July,
and the good thing is that we also have almost 60 people on date for August in
a four-Saturday month. I feel the Lord
is blessing us as promised if we unite with the members. Let’s continue to exercise faith and move
forward. "No unhallowed hand can
stop the work from progressing...".
We love you.
**************************************
7/31/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Good evening from Guyana.
As of tonight we finish our first week of the Zone Conference tour for
this transfer. It has been a busy week,
with Zone Conferences in Suriname on Wednesday, Guyana on Friday, and 48
interviews wrapped around that. We have
loved being with all the missionaries in those zones this last week, and we
also felt a powerful spirit confirming our transfer theme in both Zone
Conferences. We look forward to being
with the ABC Zone this coming week and soon thereafter finishing with the
Elders in Trinidad. We love you all and
are proud of the work that you are doing.
This week I asked you to study the conference talk given by
President Oaks entitled “The Teachings of Jesus Christ.” President Oaks began his talk with this
introduction: We are given the scriptures to direct our lives. As the prophet
Nephi taught us, we should “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the
words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” Most of the
scriptures reporting Jesus’s mortal ministries are descriptions of what He did.
My message today consists of a selection of the words of our Savior—what He
said He then went on to quote scriptures exclusively from when Jesus was
speaking, with virtually no commentary – just the words of Christ. I remember when he gave the talk that I first
was a little taken aback, because it wasn’t the normal talk, but as he
continued to say what Jesus said, I felt the power of the words of Christ.
President Oaks completed his talk this way: We believe in Christ. I conclude with what He
said about how we should know and follow His teachings:“But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you.”
When I assigned the talk for you to study, I asked you to
think about what President Oaks was trying to teach and model. Here’s a few of my thoughts. Chapter 10 of
the new PMG says this about teaching: The standard works of the Church are your
basic sources for teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many
reasons why it is vital to use the scriptures as the basis for your teaching.
For example: The scriptures invite the Holy Ghost into your teaching. The
scriptures have a more powerful effect on the minds of people than anything
else. The scriptures address the great questions of the soul. The scriptures
give authority and validity to your teaching. The Lord and His prophets have
said to do so.
One of the lessons I believe President Oaks was trying to
teach us is the power of the words of the Savior. As I reread the talk, I felt the Spirit
testify to the truth of those words, just as PMG says. We can trust that when we use the words of
Christ instead of our own, the Holy Ghost will testify of their
truthfulness. I know that at times we
can get into a habit of using a great story or analogy, perhaps that we learned
from another companion sometime in our mission, to teach a principle. We need to ask ourselves if we’ve substituted that for the words of
Christ. Would using the words of Christ
be more effective to teach that principle?
I also believe that President Oaks was trying to model the
importance of teaching “pure doctrine.”
President Nelson prefaced the October 2021 General Conference with the
following statement: The General
Authorities and General Officers of the Church who speak will focus their
messages on our Savior, Jesus Christ, His mercy, and His infinite redeeming
power. There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge
of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul…
The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life
of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life.
The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path. Staying on
that narrow but well-defined path will ultimately qualify us to receive all
that God has. Nothing could be worth more than all our Father has!
I was reading the other day in Moroni 7 and ran across two
verses that jumped off the page to me like I had never read them before. I think they relate to what President Oaks
was trying to teach us about the words of Christ and pure doctrine. These are the words of Mormon to the faithful
of his day, but I think also directed to His servants in the latter days:
(Moroni 7:31-32) And the office of their ministry (angels) is to call men unto
repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father,
which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the
children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the
Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God
prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the
Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and
after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made
unto the children of men.
Who are the “chosen vessels of the Lord?” Obviously, one answer would be the prophets and apostles whose responsibility it is to declare the words of Christ to us, just as President Oaks did. However, I think it’s more than that. What about each of us? Aren’t we “chosen vessels of the Lord?” Isn’t our calling at this time to “prepare the way among the children of men,” to “bear testimony of Him,” and to help the “residue of men” (those we talk to every day) “have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts?” Nephi taught us also that: Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. (2 Nephi 32:3).
Our responsibility is to learn and then teach the words of
Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost.
We are called of Him to invite others to come unto Him. We do that as His chosen vessels by teaching
His words. As we do so the Holy Ghost will testify of their truth. I
invite you to take a hard look at the way you are teaching the four
lessons. Could you use more of the words
of Christ as President Oaks taught us? I
testify that if you do that, you will witness the Holy Ghost witnessing in
power to those words, helping your friends to have the desire to keep
commitments and ultimately make covenants. Have a great week. We love you.
President Lamprecht
♥♥♥♥♥♥
8/6/23 Dear Elders and Sisters,
Good evening from the Mission Home. We’ve had a great week in the ABC
Islands. Since Wednesday we’ve been on
all three islands interviewing missionaries, having zone conference, and
visiting the members. We’re grateful for
the wonderful spirit and the things we were able to learn together in Zone
Conference. We now are preparing for
sending the first six of our August departing missionaries home this week,
followed by a trip to Trinidad at the end of the week for our final Zone
Conference and interviews.
This week I asked you to review the talk given by Elder
Uchtdorf in the most recent conference entitled “Jesus Christ is the Strength
of Parents.” As part of that assignment,
I asked you to consider how the things he was focusing on for parents have
application to us as missionaries. I
thought in my eail this week I might share a few of my thoughts on that topic. I’d
like to begin with the quote from Elder Uchtdorf about earth life:
Have you ever thought about the tremendous risk our Father
in Heaven takes each time He sends a child to earth? These are His spirit sons
and daughters. They have limitless potential. They are destined to become
glorious beings of goodness, grace, and truth. And yet they come to earth
completely helpless, barely able to do anything besides cry for help. The
memory of their time in God’s presence is veiled over, along with the knowledge
of who they really are and who they can become. They form their understanding
of life, love, God, and His plan based on what they observe from the people
around them—especially their parents, who, honestly, are still trying to figure
things out for themselves.
I have often thought about the risk that Heavenly Father takes to send us here. I think of my own children and how scary it was when they went to their first day of school, drove away in the car alone for the first time, went on their first date, or left for college. As a parent you know that it is the right thing for them to do, and you’re excited for them, but you also know somewhere inside you that bad things can also happen – things you can’t control. In a very small way, it helps us understand what our Heavenly Father feels as He sends His children to earth. I also thought of us as missionaries, teaching our friends. In a lot of ways, our relationship with our friends is like a parent and child. Our friends rely on us to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them make covenants, just as children rely on their parents. Speaking to parents, but I think also applicable to us as missionaries, Elder Uchtdorf said:
My message to all parents is this: The Lord loves you. He is
with you.He stands beside you. He is your strength in guiding your children to
make righteous choices. ....Within the framework of gospel values and
principles, you are the ones to guide your child in the details of daily
decisions. Help your children build faith in Jesus Christ, love His gospel and
His Church, and prepare for a lifetime of righteous choices. In fact, that is
God’s plan for parents. Satan will oppose you, distract you, try to discourage
you. But every child has received the Light of Christ as a direct line to
heaven. And the Savior will help you, guide you, and encourage you. Seek His
help. Inquire of the Lord!
Elder Uchtdorf goes on to talk about a few specifics as it
relates to helping parents, which I think are also applicable to us as
missionaries. First, Elder Uchtdorf talked about how the Savior magnifies love
of parents for children. He said: Your
love for your children creates a rich environment for teaching truth and
building faith. Isn’t that true for us also?
Perhaps one of the most important truths that we share with our friends
is that God loves them and wants them to make covenants with Him. We must be the conduits to that love – they
must feel it as we teach and testify. If
they can’t feel our love, which is the love of Christ through us, they are not
going to be interested in hearing what we say.
You know the saying – they don’t care how much you know until they know
how much you care.
Second, Elder Uchtdorf talks about consistency of small and simple things: But the consistency of small and simple things, day after day, nourishes your children much better than an occasional flood. That is the Lord’s way. He speaks to you and your child with a still, small voice, not a voice of thunder. He healed Naaman not through “some great thing” but through the simple, repeated act of washing. The children of Israel enjoyed the feast of quail in the wilderness, but what kept them alive was the small and simple miracle of manna—their daily bread. That is the same principle that we are learning from Preach My Gospel, 2nd Edition. Consistency of short and powerful lessons done closely together is much more powerful to cause change than long lessons spread far apart. It is the consistency of feeling the spirit that will motivate our friends to change and want to make covenants.
Next, Elder Uchtdorf talks about the importance of receiving
revelation:With God’s help, you can learn to know your children in a pure and
heavenly way. I invite you to accept God’s offer to guide your family by
personal revelation. Seek His guidance in your prayers.Receiving revelation on
behalf of our friends is critical to help them.
If we seek revelation, we can get to know them “in a pure and heavenly
way,” also. That is the key to understanding
and teaching to their needs. Elder Uchtdorf then spoke about the importance of
parents having a mighty change of heart.
This is just as critical for us as missionaries. He said:
Fortunately, there is a divine source of help for parents:
It is Jesus Christ. He is the source of our mighty change of heart. As you open your heart to the Savior and His
teachings, He will show you your weakness. If you trust Jesus Christ with a
humble heart, He will make weak things become strong. He is the God of
miracles. It is through Jesus Christ and His gospel that our hearts are
changed. As we focus on the doctrine of
Christ and keeping our covenants, our hearts will change, and we will have a
greater desire and ability to share His gospel.
The last part of the talk that I wanted to focus on is
titled “Never Give up on the Miracle.” I
love that. Here is what he said: What
you can and must do for the rising generation is provide rich, nourishing soil
with access to flowing heavenly water. Remove weeds and anything that would
block heavenly sunlight. Create the best possible conditions for growth.
Patiently allow the rising generation to make inspired choices, and let God
work His miracle. The result will be more beautiful and more stunning and more
joyful than anything you could accomplish just by yourself. Again, this is
great counsel to us as we work with our friends. “Create the best possible conditions for
growth. Patiently allow (our friends) to
make inspired choices, and let God work His miracle.” I know that if we focus on that, we will see
our friends keep commitments and prepare to make covenants. I will close with a
slight modification of what Elder Uchtdorf closed with – Jesus Christ is the
Strength of Missionaries. This is His
work. We have the privilege of being
part of it. I know that He is involved
in the details of this mission. He is
preparing people for us to find and gather into His kingdom. If we follow the principles given above, we
will find success in doing so. We love you.
♥♥♥♥
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