Weekly Emails from Presient Lamprect YEAR TWO

8/13/23 Greetings from Trinidad. In the last two days we had a wonderful Zone Conference and interviews with the Elders here. We also were able to meet with the members in the Port of Spain Ward. I’m grateful for the progress the stake is making and for the good things happening in the zone.

This last week we also said goodbye to six of our wonderful missionaries who are now home safe and sound; four from the Suriname Zone – Elders Baird, Ducker, Hunter and Salyer, and Sister Dansie and Schexsnayder from the ABC Zone. We were sad to say goodbye to them but excited for their next steps in life. We’ll miss them.

This week I invited you to study the talk by Elder Rasband in the last General Conference entitled “Hosanna to the Most High God.” Elder Rasband spoke about the events related to Palm Sunday. As you remember, in fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus asked two of his disciples to find a donkey for him. In Mark 11:7-10 it says:

And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

As I thought about that event, I also remembered another time when the people shouted Hosanna as the Savior was with them. It happened in the land Bountiful, when the Savior appeared to the people after His ascension in Jerusalem. After confirming who He was, the first thing the Savior did was invite those who were there to:

…come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. After they all did that, one by one, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

In both cases, the crowd of people used the same word – Hosanna. The dictionary says it is used to express adoration, praise, or joy. In a talk given in April 2020, Elder Gong said the following:

The sacred events between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are the story of hosanna and hallelujah. Hosanna is our plea for God to save. Hallelujah expresses our praise to the Lord for the hope of salvation and exaltation. In hosanna and hallelujah we recognize the living Jesus Christ as the heart of Easter and latter-day restoration.

In both cases the people in the crowd recognized Jesus for who He was – their Savior and Redeemer. They rejoiced at His coming and anticipated what He would do (or did) for them through His atoning sacrifice. I can imagine it as a cry of reverent rejoicing.

In our Zone Conference, as part of their training the Sangre Grande Elders shared the following scripture, found in Doctrine & Covenants 29:4-7.

Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump. Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom. And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive. And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;

As I read this scripture, the bolded words above jumped off the page to me. We are to declare the Savior’s gospel “with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.” We are to “lift up (our) hearts and be glad.” Why? Because the Savior is in our midst, He is our advocate with the Father, and He wants to give us His kingdom. His elect are listening for the sound of His voice, shared with rejoicing.

I then started thinking about what it means to share His message with rejoicing. In doing so, my thoughts went to the talk we were studying, specifically those two instances in the scriptures where people “cried out” (I’m thinking that it was not a whisper) the words of adoration, praise and joy (Hosanna) they felt for the Savior in that moment. What was it that motivated both groups to do that? In both cases they recognized the Savior for who He was and what He offered them. Their gratitude for His atoning sacrifice, either to come or already occurred, was overwhelming. They knew He was “mighty to save.”

I then asked myself how we as a mission are sharing the message. Are we sharing it with rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump? Do we feel to shout Hosanna? Are His elect going to recognize what we are sharing with them or are we sharing too often in a “voice” that doesn’t match the message? Is it recognizable for them?

The key is how we feel about the Savior and what He has done for us. In his talk, Elder Rasband said:

Are we continually grateful for the incomparable Atonement of Jesus Christ? Do we feel its purifying power, right now? That is why Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our salvation, went to Jerusalem, to save us all. Do these words in Alma strike a chord: “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?”

Elders and Sisters, that’s my question to each of you (and to me!). Do we feel to sing the song of redeeming love? Do we want to shout Hosanna as we feel deeply the gift the Savior has given? Simply, He offers us power over death, remission of sins, and the opportunity to make covenants with Him that bring power to overcome the world. If so, are we sharing that message with rejoicing, or are we just providing information? There’s a huge difference. His message deserves passion, enthusiasm, joy, happiness, “the sound of a trump.” If we’re not sharing it that way, it’s going to be hard for the elect to recognize it. The messenger needs to match the message, or the message gets confused.

Let me close with this quote from Elder Rasband’s talk, where he quotes President Nelson.

President Russell M. Nelson has admonished us to make Palm Sunday “truly holy by remembering, not just the palms that were waved to honor the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, but by remembering the palms of His hands.” Then President Nelson referred to Isaiah, who spoke of the Savior’s promising, “I will never forget you,” with these words: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

As His full-time representatives, we need to make every day “Palm Sunday.” Just as the people in Bountiful shouted Hosanna after witnessing those tokens of His sacrifice on His physical body, let us also have that same feeling as we partake of the tokens of His body and blood every Sunday, symbolic of that same sacrifice. It should make us want to shout Hosanna every Sunday as we do so and it should motivate us to share that message with rejoicing as we go about fulfilling our purpose as His representatives.

I testify that God is Our Father. His greatest gift to us was the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was:

… wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

What an amazing message. He has overcome the world. He offers us the same. Let’s share that message with rejoicing, as with the sound of a trump.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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8/21/23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Guyana. This week we said goodbye to the second group of August missionaries departing for home -- Elders Downs and Waite. We're grateful for their service and will miss them. After they left, we traveled to Guyana. This trip from Curacao to Guyana for Sister Lamprecht and me represents what I would call Step 1 of the move. We started bringing with us what we plan to move to the mission home on this trip. We envision that within 30-45 days, that process will be complete, and we will be based in the new mission home.

We also are planning the mission office to switch over completely to Guyana by the first week of September. I know there are going to be challenges, but I know this is part of the Lord’s will for this mission, and we’re doing our best to comply with it. I know we’ll be blessed as we move forward. I’m grateful for everyone who is working so hard to accomplish this, including Sister Lamprecht, the Adams, the Pedersens, Sister Mayers, and all the facilities people in Guyana and the Area office. It has been and continues to be a large and complicated project. We’re grateful for all of the blessings the Lord has given to us along the way. We look forward to its completion.

This last week I asked the mission to study the two talks from General Conference related to patriarchal blessings and to take an opportunity this week to study your patriarchal blessing. I’m excited that Elder McKinnon and Elder Gajadhar are going this week to Trinidad to receive their blessings. I pray that they have a wonderful experience receiving this wonderful blessing. I thought I would spend a few minutes on that topic in the email this week. To do that, I’d like to answer the following questions:

What is a patriarch?
What is a patriarchal blessing?
How can we use our patriarchal blessing as a guide and source of strength?

First, let’s take a minute and learn about the office of patriarch. The General Handbook says:

A patriarch is an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Patriarchs are called and ordained to give patriarchal blessings to worthy members of the Church. A patriarch must be a worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holder. He should be mature in his understanding of the gospel and sensitive to the Spirit. He should have received his own patriarchal blessing. Normally he should be age 55 or older. He must be married when he is called. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles directs the calling of stake patriarchs. The stake president may recommend whom to call.

I have a great respect for those men who are called as patriarchs. Sister Lamprecht’s father was a patriarch. He was exactly as described, “mature in his understanding of the gospel and sensitive to the Spirit.” Every patriarch that I have known meets that description. They are amazing men who are given the gift of prophecy and revelation to bless the lives of each member in their stake. As you know, patriarchs only function in stakes. That will be such a huge blessing to the areas of our mission when they become stakes.

Second question – What is a patriarchal blessing? I think Elder Yamashita gave a great answer to that question. I’m going to quote him:

Let’s consider two purposes for a patriarchal blessing:

A patriarchal blessing contains personal counsel from the Lord to you.
A patriarchal blessing declares your lineage in the house of Israel.

Your patriarchal blessing is a message from your Heavenly Father and will likely include promises and inspired counsel to guide you throughout your life. A patriarchal blessing is not going to map out your life or answer all your questions. If it doesn’t mention an important life event, do not take that to mean you won’t have that opportunity. Likewise, there is no guarantee everything in your blessing will come to pass in this life. A patriarchal blessing is eternal, and if you live worthy, promises that are not fulfilled in this life will be granted in the next.

As you receive a declaration of lineage, you will come to know that you are of the house of Israel and the seed of Abraham… As members of the Church, we are children of the covenant. We receive the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant as we obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

Any worthy member of the church can receive a patriarchal blessing. There is no wait time or minimum or maximum age. The handbook recommends that a person should be mature enough to understand the significance and sacred nature of the blessing.

Final question – How can we use our patriarchal blessing as a guide and source of strength? I’ll first share quotes from both talks to answer this question, then close with experience with my own blessing. The Church Handbook says:

A person who receives a patriarchal blessing should treasure its words, ponder them, and live to be worthy to receive the promised blessings in this life and in eternity.

I really appreciated this quote from Elder Bennett:

A dear friend who joined the Church as a young adult shared: “When the patriarch placed his hands on my head and spoke my name, everything changed, … not just then but for the rest of my life. I immediately sensed that—through the power by which he spoke—I was known intimately and deeply. The words he spoke penetrated my entire being. I knew that Heavenly Father knew me, inside and out.”

Elder Bennett added this personal experience with his blessing:

Cherishing my patriarchal blessing while I was young blessed me with courage when I was discouraged, comfort when I was fearful, peace when I felt anxious, hope when I felt hopeless, and joy when I needed it most. My patriarchal blessing helped increase my faith and trust in my Heavenly Father and my Savior. It also increased my love for Them—and it still does.

Elder Yamashita quoted President Monson and President Oaks on the importance and value of patriarchal blessings:

President Thomas S. Monson explained, “The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home.”

President Dallin H. Oaks declared that a patriarchal blessing “is given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and should be read and interpreted under the influence of that same Spirit. The meaning and significance of a patriarchal blessing will be taught line upon line in the course of time by the power of the same Spirit that inspired [it].”

To close, let me add my personal testimony. My patriarchal blessing has been personal scripture to me. There are elements of that blessing that come to mind often – the words and concepts are ingrained in my thinking. They have guided numerous decisions in my life and have provided comfort and direction. The warnings and promises have become real to me, and I have seen them fulfilled.

I would like to specifically testify to what President Oaks said about the fact that we will learn line upon line as to the meaning and significance of our blessings. I’ll share one example with you. In my blessing there are specific references to my time serving in the mission field. I saw those promises somewhat fulfilled in my young mission. Now, 45 years later, I see a more complete fulfillment of those promises serving in this calling with all of you. I would have never guessed that was what it was referring to until now. So much of our blessings will unfold to us as we have different life experiences. What an amazing gift Our Heavenly Father has given to us – as President Monson said, our personal Liahona.

I hope you’ve had a sweet experience studying your blessing this week. As I’ve shared often, you are the best Our Heavenly Father has – saved for this time to gather Israel in advance of the Second Coming of Our Savior. Your blessing will help you have a vision of who you are and who God wants you to be – who He has trained you to be to fulfill your purpose.

Have a wonderful week. We love you. President Lamprecht

♥♥♥♥

8-27-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Suriname! Sister Lamprecht and I had already planned to be in Suriname this weekend for District Conference, which was subsequently postponed by the Area, so we decided to come here for church since we hadn’t been here the entire transfer. I was able to interview a prospective missionary and meet with the District Presidency this evening. We’re now preparing to go back to Curacao this week to say goodbye to our last group of August departing missionaries and welcome a new group of missionaries to the mission next Friday. We’ll be receiving five new missionaries speaking Spanish, and two English speaking. We were hoping to get three Dutch speaking missionaries, but we unfortunately have not received their Suriname visas, so they are going on reassignment. We hope to get them here soon.

One other thing we were able to do this weekend was to attend a baptism for the Commewijne branch. It was wonderful to see an entire family (Father/Mother/Son) get baptized, plus the husband of a member. It was in essence two families that were being united in the Church of Jesus Christ, making covenants with their Heavenly Father. In addition, two other recent converts, a husband and wife, who were baptized in the past few months were also in attendance, supporting their fellow new members. As I was sitting there, I was thinking of three potential families who a year from now could be sealed in the temple. What an exciting day it was!

As I was thinking about the covenant path before them, leading to the temple, it reminded me of the talk we are studying this week from Elder Kevin R. Duncan, entitled “A Voice of Gladness!” Elder Duncan used as the basis for his talk the scripture found in Doctrine & Covenants 128:19:

Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy…

As Elder Duncan pointed out, the prophet felt this joy as he was teaching the principle of baptism for the dead, which was so wonderful for the saints, as they had been raised with the doctrine that anyone who had passed without receiving Christ would go to hell. What a great relief it was to be taught this great truth. Elder Duncan quoted Wilford Woodruff, who said: “The moment I heard of it, my soul leaped [for] joy! As I was thinking about what was ahead for these three families, I could relate to that feeling of joy for the temple blessings ahead of them. Elder Duncan, in speaking about the extent of temple blessings offered to us, said:

Because God considered these to be among His highest and holiest blessings, He instructed that sacred buildings be erected where He could confer these precious gifts upon His children. These buildings would be His home on earth. These buildings would be temples where that which was sealed or bound on earth in His name, by His word, and with His authority would be bound in the heavens.

The longer we’re here in a part of the world that doesn’t have a temple convenient to it, and the more I see the sacrifice that is made, both by the individuals and by the church, to make it possible for members to attend one time, I realize what an amazing blessing it is to have a temple within a reasonable distance. It continues to motivate me to 1) do all I can to encourage and make it possible for the Saints here to make those covenants, and 2) do all we can as a mission to move the process forward for temples to come to this part of the world. It's the only way to overcome the power of the adversary and establish the church in this part of the world. I liked what Elder Duncan said about the adversary and temples:

The adversary is on the alert. His power is threatened by the ordinances and covenants performed in temples, and he does anything he can to try to stop the work. Why? Because he knows of the power that comes from this sacred work. As each new temple is dedicated, the saving power of Jesus Christ expands throughout the world to counteract the efforts of the adversary and to redeem us as we come unto Him. As temples and covenant keepers grow in number, the adversary grows weaker.

I have a testimony of the underlined sentence. I have seen it in branches, when a group of people go to the temple, things change. There is more commitment and more of a desire to be unified and work together. It’s very clear to me that every time someone makes that covenant, the power of Satan is diminished. Just think of the power when temples come to these lands in our mission.

Finally, I’d like to share from Elder Duncan’s talk the blessings of the temple in our own lives.

In this mortal life, we will never escape the war, but we can have power over the enemy. That power and strength come from Jesus Christ as we make and keep temple covenants.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught: “The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do. Our safest insurance is to continue to be worthy of admission to His holy house.”

Do you need miracles? Our prophet has said: “I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”

Do you need the healing and strengthening power of the Savior Jesus Christ? President Nelson reassures us that “everything taught in the temple … increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. … As we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power. And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.”

Elders, and Sisters, I want to testify to you that I know each of those blessings is true. I have experienced them in my own life or witnessed them in the lives of my family and others. Let me add one more promise from another prophet. President Hinckley promised that if you go to the temple every week, the Lord will bless you with that blessing that you need the most, whatever it is. My life changed when I was able to become a temple worker and go to the temple every week.

As missionaries in this mission, obviously we cannot currently enjoy the blessings of temple attendance. However, I think there are three important things we can do right now:

Testify of the blessings of the temple and invite new members and less active members to prepare to make and keep those sacred covenants. It will change your branch and change the mission.
As you partake of the sacrament, renew all your covenants that you have made, not just at baptism.
Make a commitment right now that for the rest of your life you will be worthy and hold an active temple recommend and use that recommend as often as your life allows you to do so.

I promise you that as you do so, the power of your covenants will sustain you through good times and bad, and you will faithfully endure to the end, obtaining all that Our Father has with those whom you love. As Elder Christofferson has taught us, “In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer.”

I know that transfer week is coming up. Many of you are going to be in new places, with new companions and having new experiences. I also am aware that due to the timing of the new missionaries, many of you will be in temporary trios, perhaps not in your areas. I invite you to do the best you can. The Lord knows the situation. I am confident that if you accept it with a good attitude and work hard, good things will happen. I feel this is where the Lord would have each of you serve this transfer. If you’re not sure, go forward in faith, and the Lord will confirm.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the Curacao Mission Home; possibly one of the last weekly letters I'll be writing from here, as we continue the process this coming week of moving the mission office and mission home to Guyana. As of Wednesday of this coming week, the Mission Office will officially be in Guyana. The Mission Home will hopefully be there by the end of September.

This week was a week of “lasts.” It was the last group who left to go home from the Curacao mission home, and the last group of missionaries arriving in Curacao. It’s been a great run here, with lots of wonderful memories, but just as with your transfers, the Lord wants us in a new place, to move the work forward. We’re grateful for all that has happened to bring that to pass. We pray that the remaining steps will come together, and we’ll have some “firsts” coming up, to start new memories.

We’re also excited to begin the Mission Tour this coming weekend with Elder and Sister Gavarret. We begin in Trinidad on Saturday morning with the Trinidad zone and complete the following Saturday in Aruba with the ABC Zone, with stops in Suriname on Tuesday and Guyana on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. We look forward to your spending time with Elder and Sister Gavarret. They are great teachers, and they are looking forward to being with you. They told us tonight to prepare by studying the Doctrine of Christ and focus on the changes in the new Preach My Gospel. Pray with and for us that all the travel arrangements will come together. It’s going to be a crazy week.

First, I apologize for not sending out a talk this week to study. I think I got focused on the departing and arriving missionaries, and it slipped my mind. I’ll put one out next week for the upcoming week.

These last few days I have been thinking a lot about some scripture stories that illustrate a point I would like to make. Let’s start with the stories and then apply them. The first story is about Elijah and the priests of Baal. In 1 Kings, Chapter 18 we read about Elijah challenging the Priests of Baal, who served the wicked King of Israel, to see who’s God is real. This was the specific challenge:

Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.”

Elijah asked them to go first. We know they did all kinds of things for the whole day to get their God to answer, but nothing happened. Then we read what Elijah did:

And Elijah…repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

This is one of my favorite scripture stories. There are so many things we can learn, but I want to focus on one -- the faith of Elijah. When I read that story, I think of confidence and expectation. From what we read, Elijah had absolutely no doubt the Lord would do what he was asking the Lord to do. He fully expected it to happen, and it did, in a spectacular way.

Think of other scripture stories where someone’s faith was shown with confidence and expectation. What about the Brother of Jared. After he prepared the 12 stones, do you remember how he approached the Lord? He said:

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 small unto the understanding of men.

And what happened? The Brother of Jared’s faith-filled request was answered, beyond even his expectations.

What about the life of Nephi? Think about getting the plates, breaking his bow, building a ship. In one verse we can see his mindset on every one of those and many other challenges:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

In every case, we know that Nephi expected and was confident that the Lord would help him accomplish the thing the Lord had commanded him to do, just as was the Brother of Jared and Elijah, plus many others in the scriptures and in this dispensation. They saw the fulfillment of what the Lord asked them to do with their “eyes of faith.” They did their part, and then expected the Lord to do His. They did not doubt and acted 100% consistently with their expectations.

So, what has the Lord asked us to do? What is our ship to build, plates to get, stones to have lit, or miracle to exhibit? We know it in one verse:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

How are each of us approaching that assignment? For example, are we exercising our faith to the extent that we are fully expecting and are confident that we will fulfill the assignment of teaching and baptizing in our area this month? Do we have faith that we “can do all things through Christ?" Do we hope or wish that will happen, or are we acting as if it will? Elder Wilford W. Andersen, a past member of the Quorum of Seventy, put it this way:

I have noticed in my life… that there seems to be two distinct levels of faith. The first level is the faith to try, the faith to enroll, the faith to thrust in our sickles. But there is another level of faith. It is more than the faith to try, it is the faith to do. It is more than the faith to enroll, it is the faith to graduate. It is more than the faith to thrust in your sickle, it is the faith to reap.

Elders and Sisters, I believe that each of us has a desire to see our friends make their first covenant with God and access His power in their lives. We also know the Lord would have us reach our goal of 50 baptisms. I feel that for both us individually and the mission as a whole, we must develop and then exhibit the kind of faith Elder Andersen described. We need to exercise our faith and be confident every moment of every day, even in the face of obstacles and doubts. Every story discussed earlier could have had moments of doubt, but somehow those men of God trusted in the Lord and His mighty power to do that which was required for them to accomplish their task. I know the Lord will do the same with and for us.

As we learn in Alma 32, our job is to (taking a little license with the scripture):

…nourish (our areas) by (our) faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit (baptisms) thereof, (then) it shall take root; and behold it shall be an (area) springing up with….fruit thereof, which is most precious (our friends entering the waters of baptism).

Elders and Sisters, I testify that the Lord has someone in each area that is prepared for baptism in September. Our job is to exercise our faith, with full confidence and expectation that it will happen. It will require us to go forward with great diligence and patience, expecting to see the harvest. Let's all have a revelatory plan and unite with our branch members to make it happen.

I hope your transfer is off to a good start. By the middle of next week, we’ll finally have everyone in their areas. Sorry it’s taken so long. Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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9-3-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Elijah asked them to go first. We know they did all kinds of things for the whole day to get their God to answer, but nothing happened. Then we read what Elijah did:

And what happened? The Brother of Jared’s faith-filled request was answered, beyond even his expectations.

What about the life of Nephi? Think about getting the plates, breaking his bow, building a ship. In one verse we can see his mindset on every one of those and many other challenges:

So, what has the Lord asked us to do? What is our ship to build, plates to get, stones to have lit, or miracle to exhibit? We know it in one verse:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

As we learn in Alma 32, our job is to (taking a little license with the scripture):

I hope your transfer is off to a good start. By the middle of next week, we’ll finally have everyone in their areas. Sorry it’s taken so long. Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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9-18-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Aruba. We just completed a busy but amazing weekend here with the ABC Island Zone missionaries and ABC Island district members. Friday we traveled from Guyana to Aruba (touching four of six countries in our mission in one day – Guyana/Trinidad/Curacao/Aruba) arriving just in time to take part in a wonderful musical fireside presented by the ABC Island zone missionaries. They shared their talents and testimonies with members and friends who attended. It was a great evening.

On Saturday morning/early afternoon we held Zone Conference for the ABC Island Zone. We had wonderful trainings focused on our transfer theme of “Go and Do.” I was impressed by a thought that the STL’s shared in their training about the magic happening in those times when we push beyond our comfort zone – when we do that thing that we have been unwilling to do previously. It’s another way of saying “4^th floor, last door.” In our extremity is when the Lord intervenes, and miracles occur.

At the end of Zone Conference, we went immediately into the ABC Island District Conference. We decided to have the ABC Zone members stay over so they could participate in this District Conference in person. I knew that it was going to be a unique conference and felt like it would be a great opportunity for them to be there.

The meeting was presided over by Elder Tomas Roman, an Area Seventy from Puerto Rico. He has only been a member for about 20 years, so his perspective as a convert was powerful. He shared his conversion story of reaching a point of recognizing that the true church was not on the earth, and that he could worship Christ better in his own way. Soon after he was approached by a friend who was a member of the church who shared the gospel with he and his wife. In a very short time, they recognized the truth and were baptized. It made me think of those 18–30-year-old men we are seeking. They are the ones that are the future Elder Romans throughout our mission. It’s why it’s so important for us to seek them.

This was going to be a special District Conference because we were going to make a change in the District Presidency. The current president has been serving for about 8 years. Elder Gavarret instructed me at the prior District Conference about six months ago to plan on making a change at the next conference. As a Mission Presidency we sought the Lord’s guidance and were given the name of the current second counselor.

When I extended the call to he and his wife last week, he confirmed that the Lord had let him know about his future calling about two weeks prior to that, and he was already having thoughts and making plans. In my life as a church leader, it has always been a sweet and faith-strengthening experience to know the Lord has gone out in front and prepared people for callings before you even make the decision. It’s a sweet reassurance that the person the Lord has chosen to serve has been identified. Whenever I experience this, it confirms my testimony that this is the church of Christ, not of men.

On the Sunday morning session, we released the old presidency and sustained the new one. I was grateful that all the ABC Island Zone missionaries were there to witness that change and feel the spirit of it. It is something unique we don’t witness that often. I’m grateful the Lord prompted us to have them stay over. I felt an outpouring of the Spirit as the prior District President and his wife bore their testimonies, followed by the new President and his wife and the other two counselors. When I extended the call to Pres Perez, I felt to tell him that he would likely be the one who would be in place when they became a stake. I think the members of the district felt that also. We’re excited to see what this new presidency will do.

In my remarks at the meeting, I felt to share some thoughts about the process of calling this District Presidency and what it means to sustain. I wanted to share those thoughts with you.

The 5^th Article of Faith says:

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

Let’s identify the three fundamental principles found herein. First, a man must be called by prophecy. What does that mean? I found this definition in the Gospel Library:

A prophecy consists of divinely inspired words or writings, which a person receives through revelation from the Holy Ghost. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. A prophecy may pertain to the past, present, or future. When a person prophesies, he speaks or writes that which God wants him to know, for his own good or the good of others. Individuals may receive prophecy or revelation for their own lives.

It's interesting that Joseph Smith, when writing the Articles of Faith, used the word “prophecy” instead of “revelation.” Perhaps because the nature of the message is looking forward – someone who the Lord wants to call to fulfill a future purpose.

The second principle is that in either case, whether prophecy or revelation, it is received via the Holy Ghost by one who has “authority to preach the Gospel and administer the ordinances thereof.” Because of the keys given to me as Mission President to preside over the districts, including the ABC Island district, I qualify as the one who has that authority. The revelation always follows the keys. I have had enough experiences in my life to know that is a true principle.

Third, the person must be called “by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority.” That is referring to the setting apart. I was required to set apart the new president because I needed to pass down keys to him to preside over the district. The laying on of hands is the vehicle through which those keys are passed. I felt the direction of the Spirit in sharing with him through the blessing what the Lord would have him do.

These are basic truths but critical to understand for members of the church to remain faithful and sustain their leaders. As part of my remarks to the members, I shared the following quote from an old Ensign article about what it means to sustain your leaders:

We have an opportunity to sustain—support, help, pray for—each of these people in their callings. We indicate our willingness to do so by raising our right hands when their names are read to us in general conference, stake conference, ward or branch conference, or sacrament meeting. Raising our hands is a sign to us, to them, and to the Lord that we will sustain them.

Raising our hands to sustain someone is not like voting that person into office. The person has already been called by the Lord to serve in that calling by one who has the priesthood authority to extend such a calling. Our sustaining is a vote of confidence in the person, because we recognize that he or she has been called of God through priesthood leaders we sustain.

We can sustain the General Authorities and our local leaders and officers in several ways, including by our faith and prayers in their behalf, by following their counsel, by helping when they ask us, and by accepting callings they extend to us. Sustaining our leaders is evidence of our goodwill, faith, and fellowship.

This is basic doctrine critical for all members of the church to understand. It’s what makes the kingdom of God unique. It is what makes it living. I testify that God calls people to positions through this process, enabling His work to move forward. When the Lord wants to make course changes and infuse new energy into the work, He calls new people who He has prepared to fulfill His desires. They have the capabilities to do what He wants to have done at that time. I know that is true for this new District Presidency. I expect to see a new energy and focus from them moving forward, as they receive revelation in their new callings. I support and sustain them, just as I do all the other leaders in the mission. I invite you to do the same.

We look forward to being in Suriname this week for interviews, Zone Conference, and their District Conference. It will be great to be with the missionaries and the Saints there.

We hope all of you have a great week. We love you.

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9-25-23

Good night from Suriname. We have just completed a great few days of interviews, Suriname Zone Conference, and then this weekend the Suriname District Conference. We’re grateful for the time we’ve been able to spend with the missionaries here and for the spirit we felt as we met together to discuss our transfer theme of “Go and Do.”

This weekend our District Conference was presided over by Elder Jean-Baptiste, an Area Seventy. He was not able to get a visa to come to Suirname, so he had to preside via Zoom. It made it a bit of a challenge, but we were grateful to meet with the Saints in Suriname. We had excellent attendance at all the sessions, including more people at the Sunday session than I remember ever seeing before, with over 80 people required to sit outside and listen through the windows. I think we’re at a point where we may need to rent a hall for the future Sunday sessions. That’s a great problem to have.

I was impressed by what President Verwey, the District President, spoke about in his talk today. He talked about five things we need to do to become a stake. I thought I might share them with you, as they are applicable to most areas of the mission, and even in Trinidad, where we are reestablishing the stake.

First, we must begin by having the elements of a stake in our own hearts and homes. This was also one of the key messages from Elder Jean-Baptiste. He was aware of our efforts related to “10 by 2024,” and preparing Suriname to become a stake. He taught the members that if we begin with our hearts and homes, the Lord will bless us with all things necessary to bring the organization of a stake. He quoted 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.

Elder Jean-Baptiste taught us how important it is to arise and shine forth and create in our own hearts and homes a place for gathering that will provide a defense, a refuge from the storm, and protection from the wrath that will be poured out upon the earth. Living the gospel and keeping our covenants is the best protection we can have, and it provides the foundation for a righteous life.

The second principle President Verwey taught was that we must bring back the lost sheep. This was consistent with the message I shared with the leaders on Saturday afternoon. I based my remarks on the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-7:

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors,, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

I focused my remarks on three things. 1) We must determine who is lost. 2) We need to seek revelation on who is prepared to be found and how to do it, and 3) We need to search until we find them. As we’ve talked about this transfer, we need to go and do until we accomplish what the Lord would have us do.

President Verwey shared some experiences in his talk where people have been placed in the path of branch leaders and missionaries who are ready to return. I see this happening throughout the mission. I feel like it’s a sign that the Lord is doing His work. I know that 10 by 2024 is of the Lord and is consistent with His desires for the members in our mission.

The third principle President Verwey shared was Focus on the temple. I know this is true and is consistent with everything I have felt ever since we arrived here. The most important thing we can do as a mission and as leaders is to help people make and keep covenants. I continue to be amazed when I see branch members return from temple trips with new fire and commitment to build the kingdom. It’s important that we continue to invite those whom we visit to prepare themselves to go to the temple, regardless of where they are now. It will change their lives and give them a new perspective on the Lord and His plan that enables them to go forward in faith.

The fourth principle that President Verwey shared was to be peacemakers. This was also the subject of President Ritfeld’s (a counselor in the district presidency) talk in the adult session. As you remember, this is what President Nelson taught us in the most recent conference. I love this quote in his talk:

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others—especially when we have differences of opinion. 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.

This is so critical for all of us to be able to do. It was interesting that my message in the Sunday meeting was consistent with this principle – that we should become one. There is power in unity. Without it, whether it be in our homes, with our companions, or our branches and districts, we have no access to God’s power. Remember He said, “if ye are not one, ye are not mine.” Being peacemakers is one of the keys to obtaining unity.

The final principle President Verwey shared that was key to becoming a stake was “prepare to go and do.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? He focused on the importance of doing our part – magnifying our callings, whatever they may be. As a way of making his point, he shared a great analogy. He pointed out that when the sacrament bread is broken, there are small pieces and big pieces. However, in that circumstance, each one fulfills its purpose and is equal in importance. I’d never thought about it that way before. As we all do our part, the kingdom of God moves forward.

It was a wonderful conference. I loved how the messages throughout the conference were woven together to provide direction on how to move forward. As a mission, I know that if we focus on having a stake in our own hearts, companionships, districts, zones and the mission, continue to seek for the lost, focus on our own temple covenants and invite others to go to the temple, be peacemakers, and “go and do,” the Lord will bless us to see the miracles and growth that we are all seeking. We as a mission are a critical part of this effort. Let’s keep exercising our faith, knowing that the Lord will provide a way.

One last thing. Sorry I’ve gotten behind on responding to your letters. Forgive me. I hope to be able to catch up soon. I’ve read them all. It just takes some focused time to respond that I haven’t had in the last couple of weeks. If there are things that you need an immediate response to, send me a quick text or remind me in your letter this week. I’ll do my best to get right back to you.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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10/2/23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Good evening from Guyana. What an amazing weekend it has been. I’m so grateful for the privilege of being able to listen to the words of living prophets, seers, and revelators. I hope that each of you also had a great experience and were able to feel the spirit and receive answers to your prayers and questions. It was confirmed to me again what Elder Holland shared in that talk so many years ago:

If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.

I thought tonight I might share some of my initial impressions from conference. I know as I have the chance to read and study the words of the conference, more will come, but there are a few things that have already stood out to me.

First, I feel like the thing we’ll be saying to each other for the next six months (and maybe longer) is “think celestial.” I love how President Nelson can simplify things in a way that we can all understand and then apply. It was powerful that he taught that it is in the way that we think that we determine where we go after this life, what kind of body we will have, and who we will be with. It’s that simple (not easy – but simple).

How does “think celestial” apply to us as missionaries and as a mission? That’s a question that we all probably need to ponder over the next few days. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I wanted to share a few ways with you that I felt were themes of the conference that we could focus on as we think celestial.

First, Elder Bednar in his talk quoted the scripture from Helaman 15:5-6, where Samuel the Lamanite, speaking of the converted Lamanites, said:

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 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.

Consistent with our transfer theme, one way of thinking celestial means we are “in the path of (our) duty,” and we “are striving with unwearied diligence.” We are going and doing. If so, we can expect that there will be “many who do add to (our) numbers daily.” I appreciate so much the efforts of all of you to internalize our transfer theme and move forward in faith. It is the key element in qualifying for the miracles we all need in our areas.

Second, thinking celestial means being focused on gathering Israel. Several talks referred to the gathering. Elder Christofferson asked what the purpose of the gathering is. One of the answers is for the protection of God’s covenant people, as a defense and refuge from the storm and from the wrath of God, which he equated to the natural consequences that will fall upon those who do evil.

Elder Christofferson taught us that the ultimate goal of our gathering is to build the Lord a house, enabling His children to be sealed together as families for eternity. Isn’t that why we’re all here? We need to gather God’s children in our mission so that a house of the Lord can be built here, enabling His children to be sealed together. I believe that if we’re focused on the goal of gathering Israel to build a house(s) of the Lord in our mission, we’re thinking celestial.

Third, thinking celestial means thinking covenants. I noted at least three times speakers quoted President Nelson’s now famous teaching about covenants:

Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ...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.

Also, there were many references to getting on and staying on the covenant path. I really felt like Sister Freeman’s talk was a powerful reminder of covenants and the covenant path, especially that walking the covenant path is not about checking boxes; it is about the covenant relationship. She said, “Our level of keeping our covenants will determine our relationship with the Savior.” She also said, “Pace or placement on the path is not as important as progress.” That is not only applicable to our efforts on the covenant path, but also to our missionary efforts. God wants us to make progress – to get a little better every day.

Finally, thinking celestial means focusing on the Savior Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. Here are some short quotes I loved about the Savior:

Sister Wright: “He is the reason why there is never an end to our story.”
Sister Runia: “Because of Christ, it all works out.”
Sister Freeman: “His is a mission of condescension and ascension. Jesus will meet us where we are. However, staying where we are will not bring our deliverance. It’s not the course that will exalt us – it will be our companion.”
Elder Uchtdorf, quoting Elder Holland: “We can’t sink lower than the light of Christ’s atoning sacrifice will shine.”
Bishop Waddell: “Our hero needs to be Jesus Christ. Anything or anyone who distracts us from him will affect our progress on the covenant path.
Elder Renlund: Christ is our “mark.” He is our treasure.

We’ll do a deeper study of the talks throughout the next few months like we did for the last conference. There is a lot to learn. I’m grateful for what we have received.

To close, I also want to bear my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and His love for every one of His children. I had an experience this evening where it became crystal clear that the Savior knows each of us and is involved in the details of our lives. As Elder Uchtdorf taught us, He is watching for our return, and when we do, He runs to us. I witnessed that this evening.

Have a great last week of the transfer. Be 4^th floor, last door missionaries. Go and do. Also, as today is October 1, I hope that each of you have prayerfully set a new goal to see at least one of your friends enter the waters of baptism in your area this month. I know that the Lord desires to bless you with that experience. As our transfer scripture says, if you act in faith, He will provide a way for you to accomplish this.

We love you. President Lamprecht

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10/9/23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Guyana! As of this week we have officially moved into the new mission home. It’s been an interesting week with a lot of getting used to being here, but we’re grateful for all the help we’ve received to get us in. We’ve had little miracles all week long. We will be getting our belongings from the Mission Office and Mission Home in Curacao soon. They are in Guyana, just not out of customs yet.

We feel that this change, although not easy for all involved, is what the Lord wants us to do. I already realized today the importance of being available for multiple branches to visit their meetings and then do temple recommends and other interviews in a different branch.

It’s also been a week full of emotions for Sister Lamprecht and me. My father is our last living parent. He just turned 91. In the last couple of weeks his health has diminished a lot. We were pretty sure he was going to pass away this last week. According to his wishes, we have taken him off all life sustaining measures, and now we’ll see what his body and the Lord want to have happen. He wants desperately to reunite with my mom and most of his family, who have preceded him. For him, as President Nelson said, he has already chosen 1) where he will live throughout all eternity, 2) the kind of body with which he will be resurrected, and 3) those with whom he will live forever.

Because of that, even though it will be hard for me to say goodbye, I know that he is sure about those three things, and death will be a joyful time of reunion for him. It is such an amazing blessing we have been given to understand our purpose here and, in some part, what lies ahead. I don’t know how people who don’t have that knowledge deal with the passing of someone close to them like a parent. It must be devastating and hopeless. That fact alone has motivated me to share the gospel and try to help others find that source of comfort.

As I have experienced the things that have happened this week, I have been grateful to have had some time to study the words of our living prophet. As noted above, they have been spot on. I thought I would highlight a few things in addition to what I wrote about last week about “thinking celestial.”

Speaking of God’s plan for us, President Nelson said:

I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible… Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan! An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever.

Elders and Sisters, when we teach the plan of salvation, do we teach it with the conviction and enthusiasm that President Nelson shares? I have found that I probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I should until I lost a close loved one (my mother). At that point all the things that were theoretical became real. My appreciation for what was done for me greatly increased. I hope that we can all find a way to recognize and appreciate more deeply what Our Father and His Son have done for us.

President Nelson also taught us the two key elements of God’s plan for us:

When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws. Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.

Faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His laws -- it can’t get more simple but more important than that. I testify that what President Nelson said about obedience is true. It is the first law of heaven. It is the key to joy and spiritual power, combined with faith in Jesus Christ. That spiritual power is what enables us to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.” (2 Nephi 31:20).

Finally, I thought this quote from President Nelson’s talk was powerful:

There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust—from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who “will show unto you all things what ye should do.” Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.

This is such valuable counsel to us not only now as missionaries, but for the rest of our lives. I promise you, Elders and Sisters, that there will be moments ahead of you that will shake you to the very foundation. However, remember this promise from Doctrine & Covenants 45:56-57:

And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.

When President Nelson talks about doing the spiritual work to increase our capacity to receive personal revelation, my mind goes to the scripture above – that by doing so we become wise, receive the truth, and have the Holy Spirit as our guide, so we will not be deceived. It is only in not being deceived that we can “abide the day.” I want to abide the day, don’t you? President Nelson has told us how to do it.

I’m immensely grateful that we have a prophet to lead us in this time. I continue to be amazed at how relevant and powerful the principles are that President Nelson teaches us, and the effective way he has of teaching them. So many of the things he has taught have become foundational for me. I'm guessing they have become foundational for you also. I think we can all sing with rejoicing, “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet!”

Monday, we begin another transfer. We’re looking forward to getting three of our Dutch-speaking missionaries joining us this week, two from reassignment and one straight from the MTC. We need them desperately, as we’re down six missionaries since August in Suriname. Those remaining have clearly had to hold down the fort. We hope to get our full number of missionaries for Suriname soon.

I’m grateful for all of you who are humbly accepting new assignments, new companions, or new areas, or some combination of the above. I know others may have hoped to have changes and didn't receive them. I want to testify again that I have worked closely with Sister Lamprecht and the Assistants to discern the Lord’s will. We feel like this transfer reflects that. I pray that you can receive that confirmation as you “go and do.” I know change is difficult, but trust in the Lord and go forth in faith, and all will be well.

I know that there will be some moving around and getting settled this week. Stay committed to using your time wisely and listening to the Spirit, and the Lord will bless you. I pray that you will all end up where you need to be in safety and ready to move forward by the end of this week.

God bless you. We love you. President Lamprecht

♥!♥♥♥♥♥♥

10-16-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings again from Guyana. We have one more night in the new mission home before we head off again for Trinidad Zone Conference this week and then the Mission tour and Berbice District Conference with Elder and Sister Gavarret. We look forward to being with all of you in the next two weeks. It’s what we love doing.

It’s been a week of firsts. This week was the first time we received new missionaries in Guyana at the new mission home. We welcomed Sister Sorensen and Elders Sheffield and Gibb to the mission. They are Dutch speaking and are already in their areas in Suriname. They were the first ones to come through Guyana immigration for a temporary stay, sleep in the new mission home, have our new orientation schedule adapted to them arriving in the middle of the night, and the first to fly from Guyana to Suriname on the little plane with all their luggage. We weren’t sure how any of those new things were going to play out. We’re pleased that all went well, that everyone throughout the mission is now in their new areas, and we are fully into our next transfer.

Sister Lamprecht and I had the great opportunity of attending two baptismal services in Guyana yesterday afternoon and a sacrament meeting today with a confirmation. We were excited to see that each of those baptized had a strong connection with the members. It gave me hope that they will be life-long members, walking the covenant path, and strengthening the branches. I felt like this is what “establishing the church,” looks like. I’m grateful for all of you who are working so hard to do that.

This week I have been inspired by two talks. The first one was the one I asked you to study this week from Elder Bednar entitled “In the Path of Their Duty.” The second was a talk included as a reference in last week’s Come Follow Me. It was a talk given by Elder Uchtdorf in April 2014 entitled “Grateful in Any Circumstances.” My purpose in the email this week is to share with you the connection that I felt between these two talks.

Elder Bednar began his talk quoting President J. Rueben Clark speaking at the 100 year anniversary of the pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. President Clark honored the leaders but then focused his remarks on those of the last wagon in each camp.

President Clark declared, “They of the last wagon pressed forward, worn and tired, footsore, sometimes almost disheartened, borne up by their faith that God loved them, that the restored gospel was true, and that the Lord led and directed the Brethren out in front.”

Elder Uchtdorf also referred to the pioneers and their situation. He said:

My dear brothers and sisters, the choice is ours. We can choose to limit our gratitude, based on the blessings we feel we lack. Or…we can choose to be like the pioneers, who maintained a spirit of gratitude during their slow and painful trek toward the Great Salt Lake, even singing and dancing and glorying in the goodness of God. Many of us would have been inclined to withdraw, complain, and agonize about the difficulty of the journey.

Both of those quotes got me thinking about the difficulty faced by the pioneers but also their gratitude despite their circumstances. They pressed forward, day by day, with faith in Jesus Christ and a passion and devotion for joining with the Saints. Referring to our last Zone Conference, their “x” in the power equation was every day they got up and moved forward, despite the circumstances. They didn't know what that "x" represented. They just did it repeatedly, day by day, until they completed their journey.

Elder Uchtdorf in his talk focused on the power of gratitude; not on what we’re grateful “for,” but instead, gratitude regardless of our circumstances. He said:

Perhaps focusing on what we are grateful for is the wrong approach. It is difficult to develop a spirit of gratitude if our thankfulness is only proportional to the number of blessings we can count. True, it is important to frequently “count our blessings”—and anyone who has tried this knows there are many—but I don’t believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of trial than in times of abundance and ease. In fact, most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude for things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude.

That made me think. Do I only express or feel gratitude to God when I receive something, or see His hand in some way? Do I complain when I don’t see His hand in a way or in a time when I expect or think I need it? What is my level of gratitude when things aren’t going well? Those are tough questions for me. I really like what Elder Uchtdorf said about this:

It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way. But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach? Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be. We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.

When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.

Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God…True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.

Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.

Perhaps one of the most powerful motivators for us as missionaries is this feeling of gratitude that Elder Uchtdorf is talking about. If we wake up grateful to serve another day as a missionary, grateful to invite others to come unto Christ, grateful just for the opportunity, health, and ability to do this, what a difference it will make in our attitude and access to spiritual power. If our desire to do the work is based solely on what good things are happening with our friends, what our relationship is like with our companion, how much food we have in the house, if our health is good, or any other factor, other than a desire to serve the Lord, our joy and diligence will vary widely each day. Consistency in discipleship and missionary service depends on our commitment to the Lord, regardless of the circumstances, and our ability to recognize and thank God for those things that don’t change every day. It’s what enables us to stay in “the path of our duty.”

I am trying to be more grateful “in” my circumstances, rather than “for” them. It’s not easy. I invite you to seek to do the same. It’s a similar concept to what President Nelson shared years later about joy:

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.

To me, gratitude leads to joy. They are interconnected. As we learn to be grateful “in” our circumstances, we acquire the ability to feel joy, regardless of our circumstances.

We’re excited about the baptisms that have happened this month so far and those ahead of us. Let’s keep up our faith and pray for those who are on date in our area, and for those who are on date in the other areas of our district, zone, and mission. That’s how we unite and exercise our faith to meet our goal.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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10-23-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings again from Guyana. Sister Lamprecht and I returned this afternoon from a weekend in Berbice, where we held district conference. Presiding at the conference was Elder Gavarret, our Area President. He was accompanied by Elder Gamiette, the Area Authority Seventy assigned to our area. We had a wonderful conference where we were taught by our leaders and felt the spirit. Several people attended the conference who were either long-time less active people or friends investigating the gospel. It was a great opportunity for them to be in a room with two of the Lord’s anointed.

Last week we were able to have a wonderful zone conference with the Trinidad Zone. There were some excellent trainings given on our topic of 2 Nephi 31:19-21 – “pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ.” We talked a lot about what that means. Some of the thoughts that were shared that hit me were that we must always play like the score is 0-0, regardless of how things are going. We can always make a difference. Also, that if we serve with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, we can’t lose. We may be behind on the scoreboard, but we know ultimately that the Savior wins. “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing… We also learned that “it’s not about doing anything perfectly; it’s about doing it intentionally.”

We then held our first session of the Mission Conference tour with Elder Gavarret on Friday with all the Guyana missionaries. It was another great day of training on the transfer theme. We look forward to sharing that in our upcoming missionary meetings this week. We were also grateful to be taught by Elder Gavarret. I’ll probably wait and summarize his training to us after the tour is done next week. We’re grateful that he is here with us. Unfortunately, Sister Gavarret could not join us for health reasons. We miss having her.

This past week I invited you to join with me in studying the General Conference talk from Sister Freeman, the General Young Women’s President, entitled “Walking in Covenant Relationship.” It is interesting how much this goes along with “pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ. Nephi is talking about the same “walk” as Sister Freeman is – the covenant path. I like how Sister Freeman referred to this:

We call this walking the covenant path—a path that begins with the covenant of baptism and leads to deeper covenants we make in the temple. Perhaps you hear those words and think of checkboxes. Maybe all you see is a path of requirements. A closer look reveals something more compelling. A covenant is not only about a contract, although that is important. It’s about a relationship. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The covenant path is all about our relationship with God.”

I think this is an important principle we need to learn ourselves and teach our friends. If we present the gospel and the covenant path as a set of obligations we fulfill to “earn” our salvation/exaltation, we will miss the whole meaning. We live in a world with many challenges -- global, national, local, and personal. I shared this scripture in Berbice District Conference today found in Doctrine & Covenants 88:91:

And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.

I see this more and more in the world. I’m sure you see it every day as you talk to people. They are concerned about what is going on around them. They don’t have answers. The commotion and noise are sometimes deafening and very much unsettling. Life can be very difficult. What is it that we can look to in these times? Sister Freeman provided this answer:

Like Enoch, we must remember that the One who was bruised and broken for us will allow mortality to do its work in us, but He doesn’t ask us to face those challenges alone. No matter the heaviness of our story or the current course of our path, He will invite us to walk with Him.

How do we walk with Him? We do it by accepting His gospel, making covenants, and keeping them. In one of our trainings an elder shared this scripture, which was very powerful for me. It’s found in Doctrine & Covenants 97: 8-9:

Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me. For I, the Lord, will cause them to bring forth as a very fruitful tree which is planted in a goodly land, by a pure stream, that yieldeth much precious fruit.

We are asked to keep our “covenants by sacrifice – yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord shall command…”. That sounds challenging; however, the promised blessing is equal to it – we will be a very fruitful tree planted in an amazing location. Our lives will be beautiful and fruitful in an eternal way.

How do we keep going in that process? How do we press forward in those hard moments. I like what Sister Freeman said on this:

Begin where you are. Don’t let your condition hinder you. Remember, pace or placement on the path are not as important as progress.

And who is the one who makes progress possible? Sister Freeman said:

His is a mission of condescension. Jesus Christ will meet us where we are as we are. This is the why of the garden, the cross, and the tomb. The Savior was sent to help us overcome. But staying where we are won’t bring the deliverance we seek. Just as He didn’t leave Jacob there in the dirt, the Lord doesn’t intend to leave any of us where we are.

His is also a mission of ascension. He will work within us to lift us up to where He is and, in the process, enable us to become as He is. Jesus Christ came to lift us. He wants to help us become. This is the why of the temple.

We must remember: it’s not the course alone that will exalt us; it’s the companion—our Savior. And this is the why of covenant relationship.

I was asked this week what the message is we need to teach those who are less active. My answer was to teach about the power of covenants. It’s the key to their improving their lives and finding hope, peace, and happiness. I feel like we as a mission should be very familiar with the following quote from Pres Nelson, perhaps to the point of having it memorized. It is the most powerful answer I have found to the question of what our less-active members are missing when they stay away: It is the words of our living prophet today:

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.

When our members and friends begin to understand the power that can come into their lives through a covenantal relationship with God, it will make all the difference. It’s what will make all the difference for us also. I testify that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. We become His sons and daughters (Mosiah 5:7) as we make covenants with Him. It is that intimate of a relationship. It is only through Him that we can navigate this course back to Our Heavenly Father and gain salvation and exaltation.

I’m excited about the progress that we’re making. Let’s keep working towards finding, teaching, and baptizing, or, in other words, fulfilling our purpose.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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10-30-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the “old” mission home in Curacao. It’s kind of strange to be in our old house with all the stuff gone, pictures off the wall, etc. Still a lot of great memories here.

It’s been an amazing week. Since last Sunday we have touched five of the six countries in the mission (Guyana, Suriname, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire). On Monday morning, we continued the mission tour with Elder Gavarret, traveling to Suriname. We had meetings with the missionaries and members on Tuesday. Wednesday morning, we traveled to Aruba to have a mission meeting with the ABC zone.

Early last week Elder Gavarret asked if we could fit in a visit to Bonaire before we left, so on Thursday we traveled from Aruba to Bonaire. We said goodbye to Elder Gavarret on Friday from Bonaire and came to Curacao Saturday. We were blessed to be part of the Curacao Branch conference this weekend. It wasn’t planned, but I felt like the Lord wanted us to be there.

Throughout the week we were blessed to feel the spirit as we met with the missionaries in the Suriname and ABC Zones, and the members in Suriname. We were grateful to be able to accompany one of the Lord’s servants as he taught us through words and example. Tonight, I thought it would be important for the mission to repeat some of the things he taught while he was with us.

One of the things stressed by Elder Gavarret was the importance of understanding and focusing on our missionary purpose. He asked us to identify the action verbs related to us in the purpose. He specifically focused on inviting and helping our friends to receive. He shared with us one definition of inviting, which means to make it attractive and desirable. We need to let our friends know that they are going to have a spiritual experience as we share our message with them. He said we need to tell those that we meet “Salvation is coming to your home today.” I felt the Spirit confirm that to me as he said it. That’s what we do. We are literally bringing salvation to their home as we share the gospel message with them. I think sometimes we can forget the magnitude of what we are doing.

He also focused on the action of our friend “receiving” what we are bringing to them. He stressed that receiving means more than just gaining knowledge. To truly “receive” the gospel message, it must become part of them. It reminds me of the principle that Elder Bednar teaches, using 2 Nephi 33:1:

And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

Elder Bednar points out that the Holy Ghost carries the words unto the heart, not into the heart. For the word to go into the hearts of our friends, they must act. That’s the difference between teaching information and helping people to come unto Christ. We must invite them to act for the message to influence them. That reinforces the importance of teaching to commitment and of our friend’s doing something to help them figure out if the message is true.

Another area of emphasis from Elder Gavarret was finding, especially asking for referrals. I loved his example of the minute the closing prayer is over we ask, “Who do you know?” He referred to Chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel, which says:

In all situations—such as finding, teaching, and working with members—ask, "Who do you know who would benefit from this message?"

For us to be effective in finding, we must be always willing and able to ask this question. It needs to become almost second nature to us.

Elder Gavarret also focused on the importance of helping people make and keep commitments. In one of the missionary meetings, he focused on the importance of having our friends pray. He said, “If they don’t pray in the first lesson, it will be difficult to have them do it afterwards.” He also counseled us that if they don't pray with us it is unlikely that they will do it on their own. It’s important for us to be able to effectively teach people how to pray not only by words, but also by our example of offering simple prayers.

He also stressed the importance of having our friends attend church. He shared with us that 54% of those who attend church accept a baptismal date. It clearly is a way that we identify those who are likely to progress to baptism. I shared with the MLC the following quote from Elder Cook:

Missionaries who desire to baptize regularly...should make extraordinary efforts to have investigators attend sacrament meeting.

In our weekly planning sessions, we should be seeking revelation on how we can help our friends take that next step. District Leaders, I think this would be a great topic for discussion at District Council. I know that if we can get more people to church, we will see more baptisms.

The last thing I wanted to recap was something I know Elder Gavarret felt strongly about as it relates to those newly baptized. I’m not sure who he quoted, but he said something to the effect that “The Book of Mormon is the tool for conversion, and Family History is the tool for retention.”

I felt chastised by the spirit that we have not focused enough on Family History either in finding or retention. It should be one of the things we do naturally, especially with those who are on date and preparing for baptism. We need to introduce them to the “My Family” pamphlet and have them start filling in their ancestors. I was taught as a member of the Stake Presidency that as we do so, we invite the prayers of those on the other side to protect our friends against the adversary as they prepare for baptism, and as they begin that difficult first year on the covenant path. I invite each Zone and District to talk about what they can do to increase their use of Family History, especially with those on date and new members. It could be the thing that gets our friends from on date to the covenant path.

Elder Gavarret used this scripture often. It’s important as we consider how we move forward after these conference experiences. It is from Doctrine & Covenants 43:8-9:

And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.

And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me

In our comp studies, district councils, zone conferences, etc., we come together to instruct and edify each other for what purpose? To know how to act. And then what is our responsibility, found in verse 9? To bind ourselves to act – to commit to change. Everything we hear in any of our meetings is nice but useless and really a waste of time if we don’t bind ourselves to act – to do at least one thing differently than we did before.

We’re now halfway into the transfer, and we’ve received this great blessing of having one of the Lord’s servants with us. We now have the other half of the transfer to apply what we’ve learned. This next Thursday is the new month of November. Please seek revelation in your weekly planning on who will be baptized in your area in November, and how that’s going to be accomplished. Bind yourselves to act. I know it can be done, but we must do it purposefully. It won’t just happen. Have a “perfect brightness of hope,” that it will happen, and then “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.”

Have a great week. We love you- President Lamprecht

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11-5-23

Richard Elmer Lamprecht rick.lamprecht@churchofjesuschrist.org

7:14 PM (2 hours ago)

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the Guyana Mission Home. We’re grateful for the time we were able to spend in Suriname and the ABC Islands the last couple of weeks. We had the visit of Elder Gavarret, and then this last week we were able to do interviews in ABC and Suriname. I also did around 25 temple recommends in Suriname on Thursday night. That may be the most I’ve done in one sitting for a very long time. I love what that means – that the Saints are getting excited about making and keeping sacred covenants.

Today was a big day in the Georgetown District. We called and sustained a new district presidency. This is the third one I’ve been involved with during my term as Mission President. In each case, I have felt a heavy burden to discern what the Lord would have done. I know that the members of the district presidency have a great impact on the health and enthusiasm of the district. It is critical to identify who the Lord would have serve and to execute that change in accordance with His will. In one of my personal studies, as I was anticipating the weekend, I felt a prompting to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.” If I went forward in faith, trusting in Him, all would be well.

Because of travel and needing approval of the district president by the area, I was not able to meet with the new district president until Friday night. As we met, the Spirit confirmed to me that this was the man the Lord had chosen. He accepted the call and was given the assignment to identify other members of the presidency by Saturday morning.

Saturday morning, I received a text from him with names for those positions. Each name was confirmed to me by the Spirit as who God would have serve in those positions. As I was able to meet with each of them, I had powerful spiritual experiences that gave me that same confirmation. Today those names were presented for sustaining in District Conference. After they were sustained, the new members of the District Presidency bore their testimonies. It was confirmed again to me that these men are those selected by God to lead this District. I feel that under their leadership, Guyana will become a stake.

The whole process reconfirmed to me that God is in the details of this work. It is done by His servants, through the instrument of the Spirit. Priesthood keys are real. I’m excited to work with these brethren. I think it will be a great opportunity for the missionaries in this district to see changes moving forward.

My experience with the spirit this weekend reminded me of our talk that we are studying this week, which was by Elder Stevenson, entitled “Promptings of the Spirit.” I feel the things that Elder Stevenson taught us are critical for the success of the mission. We can’t do this work without receiving promptings from the Spirit and confidently acting upon them. I hope that we all have been able to learn more about the spirit and how it works with us from studying this talk. I thought I would share my thoughts on a few points.

First, as Elder Stevenson taught us, each one of us has been given spiritual gifts and talents from God. I know that’s true for each of you. However, developing those spiritual gifts does not happen automatically or without effort, just as great athletes don’t become who they are without thousands of hours of practice developing those gifts. Elder Stevenson said:

….I have observed a learning curve associated with spiritual gifts. Exercising spiritual gifts requires spiritual exercise. “Having the guidance of the Holy Ghost in your life requires spiritual work. This work includes fervent prayer and consistent scripture study. It also includes keeping your covenants and God’s commandments. … It includes worthily partaking of the sacrament each week.”

An important question for each of us is what are doing to “practice” our ability to receive, recognize, and act upon promptings from the Spirit? What can we do to develop those spiritual gifts? Elder Stevenson quoted from Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel, which says:

Your ability to invite and recognize the promptings of the Spirit will develop a step at a time. Becoming more attuned to the language of the Spirit is like learning another language. It is a gradual process that requires diligent, patient effort.

I love the comparison of developing our ability to recognize the spirit to learning a language. Many of you in the mission are having that experience. I can testify that in my own life, learning to recognize and act on the Spirit has come exactly that way – a gradual process that has required diligent, patient effort. I know it will be the same for you. One of the great blessings of a mission is that you have this time to concentrate your efforts to learn that language.

Elder Stevenson suggested four ways that can help us make progress. First, we must “stand in holy places.” We must be in situations where we can feel the Spirit. What are your holy places? I would hope that your homes are holy to you. If not, what can you do to make them so? They need to be your sanctuary to find rest, renewal, and peace. Each Sunday, our holy place needs to be in Sacrament Meeting as we partake of the sacrament, renewing our covenants and receiving the promise that the Spirit will always be with us. If that’s not feeling like a holy place and a holy time, we need to figure out how to make it so. It’s critical to being able to do this work.

The second thing to do is “stand with holy people.” As it relates to the mission, I hope your holy people are your companion, district, zone, and mission. As you meet in companion study, district council, zone meetings, and mission devotionals, it should be a time when you can feel the Spirit. I feel it as I meet with you. Elder Stevenson said:

The Spirit cannot be restrained from attending a gathering of holy people. If you hope to feel the Spirit, be with people with whom the Spirit can easily dwell. The Savior said it this way: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The third recommendation was to “Testify of Holy Truths.” On this topic, Elder Stevenson said:

As you seek and take opportunities to share your testimony with others, you will create moments to recognize the Spirit for yourself.

Some of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have had are when I have testified of a truth to someone else, and the Spirit has confirmed that truth. One of the great blessings of being a full-time missionary is to have this opportunity almost daily to testify of truths. It’s critical that in those moments when we are testifying of truths to our friends and we feel the Spirit ourselves, we stop and identify it for others, so they know what they are feeling. For most of our friends, that is an unfamiliar feeling. We need to be able to help them recognize it when it happens. It will happen often as we bear our testimonies of the Savior and His gospel.

The final recommendation from Elder Stevenson was “Listen to the Holy Spirit.” This seems obvious, but I know that the more we listen to and recognize promptings, the easier it will be the next time. Our confidence increases. It reminds me of Doctrine & Covenants 121:45, which says:

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

Our ability to fulfill our purpose and see fruits of our labors becomes greater as the confidence to recognize and act upon the promptings of the Spirit increases. This work is not done without Him. I really liked this quote from Elder Stevenson on the need for the Holy Ghost:

What are the fruits of exercising spiritual gifts? They include promptings from the Spirit that help us face our daily needs and show us what to do and say and blessings of peace and comfort. As we listen and act on spiritual promptings, the Holy Ghost magnifies our abilities and capacities to far exceed what we can do on our own. These precious spiritual gifts will help us in every aspect of our lives. The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest spiritual gifts Latter-day Saints enjoy.

I would add that it is the key to accomplishing what God would have us accomplish as a mission. I repeat an invitation given by President Nelson. He said:

Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

As we do so, the Lord will be able to lead us to His elect, and we’ll be able to know how to help them come to the covenant path.

Have a wonderful, Spirit-filled week. We love you.

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11-13-23

ear Elders and Sisters,

Good evening. Greetings from the Dominican Republic. I think that’s probably a new location from which to send the weekly mission email. We’re here for Mission Leader Seminar. We’re looking forward to getting some great information to share with you when we return. We’re not sure, but we believe we’ll be in a session with Elder Soares tomorrow. We’re hoping that’s the case.

We arrived here on Friday along with all the District Presidents, Stake Presidents, Area 70’s, and Mission Presidents for a training meeting with Elder Soares yesterday. We had all of our presidents there: President Perez from ABC, President Hussain from Berbice, President Nathoo from Georgetown, President Verwey from Suriname, and President Danzell from Trinidad. Perhaps as important as the training we received was the great opportunity these brethren had to meet each other in person and develop a relationship with one another. I think this will bear fruit in the long term. Several got to go to the temple on Friday afternoon, the first time for a very long time. There was such a great spirit of camaraderie and unity. I know it gave them all even greater vision of the majesty of the work we are doing.

We met together for about 5 hours on Saturday afternoon with Elder Soares, Elder Palmer from the Presidency of the Seventy, and our three members of the Area Presidency, Elder Gavarret, Elder Cordon, and Elder Villanueva. I thought you might be interested in the list of topics that were discussed:

Elder Soares began the meeting. He talked about the importance of training new Bishoprics and Branch Presidencies. He asked us to focus on Chapter 4 of the General Handbook, which has great principles for leadership in the church. He pointed out how the Savior was a perfect example, specifically noting the washing of the apostle’s feet at the Last Supper. Leaders are servants, not power figures. He shared this quote from Chapter 4:

“Those who preside follow the example of Jesus Christ in serving with gentleness, meekness, and pure love (see John 13:13–15). A calling or assignment to preside does not make the person who receives it more important or valued than others (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:109–10).

Elder Palmer then spoke. The title of his presentation was “Uniting Families for Eternity, Covenants, and the Temple Garment.” He began by sharing that the brethren are concerned about those who have gone to the temple wearing the temple garment in accordance with their covenants. He specifically went through the whole section 38.5.5 of the General Handbook. That section is entitled “Wearing and Caring for the Temple Garment.” I invite you this week to take some time in your personal study and read that section. There is great power and promises in wearing the temple garment in accordance with our covenants. I hope that’s something you’ll take home from your mission that will be part of you.

He also spoke about the power of family history. He had us all go through an exercise using the Family Tree app where we could get to family names to do. I keep thinking about how we as a mission can improve in our ability to use family history as a way of finding and retaining. If you have ideas, please share them with me.

The next speaker was Elder Gavarret. His topic was increasing sacrament meeting attendance, a topic near and dear to all our hearts. He focused on how people should feel when they go to Sacrament meeting. We need to have joy ourselves and share it with others, obviously within bounds of reverence. He also stressed how important it was to plan Christ-centered sacrament meetings, including all members of leadership, in helping us to plan for that. I was glad that all our leaders heard that message.

Elder Cordon’s topic was Strengthening the Faith of the Rising Generation. His focus was on how ward/branch councils and parents work together to help the rising generation, prepare for sacred covenants. Both have that responsibility. He pointed us to the section in Come Follow Me for 2024 entitled “For Parents — Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God’s Covenant Path.” This is the best resource available to help children prepare for ordinances, including baptism/gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood, and temple.

The last speaker before Q & A was Elder Villanueva. He spoke on “Sharing the Gospel – Love/Share Invite.” He shared this quote froom Elder Cook:

“What is needed is a loving, compassionate, spiritual commitment by each of us – men, women, youth, and children – to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we show love, kindness, and humility, many will accept our invitation. Those who choose not to accept invitation will still be our friends."

He then quoted Elder Uchtdorf, who said “Share what is in your heart. Trust the Lord to work His miracles…. That’s the message we need to share with our members to unite us in the work,

The meeting closed with some Q&A and testimonies. Elder Soares closed the meeting, giving us all an apostolic blessing. It was a powerful experience. He blessed the leaders to be able to help the work move forward and proper with their families. I’m so glad all our leaders were there. I expect they will return with renewed fire. I’m grateful that the church was willing to use its resources to make it happen.

I think I’ll leave talking about our talk(s) for last week to my next email. I think it deserves to be a standalone topic.

Have a great last week of the transfer. Finish strong. Be able to look your companion in the eye and thank him/her for serving with you this transfer for all the good things you’ve been able to accomplish. You’ve all worked hard. Finish strong.

We love you. President Lamprecht

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11*-20-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the Mission Home. This has been an amazing, challenging, and memorable week for us. As you know, we started it in the Dominican Republic for Mission Leader’s Seminar, which lasted through Wednesday. We had the amazing privilege of spending those days with Elder Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder Palmer, one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, along with our Area Presidency. We learned so much from them. We’ll be getting their messages and direction to you as part of this round of Zone Conferences.

On Wednesday we had the sweet opportunity to attend the temple in the Dominican Republic. Sister Lamprecht and I had not been to the temple since another round of significant changes had been made to the endowment ceremony. As I was sitting in the session, I was touched by the pure doctrine being taught and how it connected so completely and powerfully with what all of us are doing every day to invite others to come unto Christ. It’s why we do it. I’m excited for those of you who have not been back to have that opportunity. I hope the Spirit makes that connection for you as it did with me.

We returned from Mission Leader Seminar to Guyana late Thursday night (more like early Friday morning). That same morning, we welcomed seven of our awesome fellow missionaries to the mission home for departing activities. I was blessed to have powerful interviews and discussions with each of them and was impressed with their testimonies and changes they had made during their time as missionaries. We were very sad to see them go on Saturday morning. They all fulfilled amazing missions and returned with honor.

A few hours after we dropped them off at the airport, we returned to pick up 10 new missionaries coming from the MTC or their reassignments. We also picked up one additional missionary on Friday morning coming from the Brazil MTC, making a total of nine elders and two sisters. The two sisters are headed for the ABC islands, and the remainder are English speaking and will begin in Guyana. We are excited to have them join us. We know they will all make a powerful contribution to moving the work forward in this part of the vineyard.

I also know that almost everyone is impacted in some way by the transfers this time. When that many missionaries come and go home, much needs to be done. I hope that you have felt the spirit confirm to you that this transfer has you in the place the Lord would have you be, with the person the Lord would have you serve with.

Speaking of feeling the spirit, I thought I would share a few thoughts from the two talks I asked you to read two weeks ago. They were “Our Constant Companion,” by President Eyring in the most recent General Conference, and “The Spirit of Revelation in the Work, given by Elder Bednar in the 2018 Mission Leader Seminar. I hope that both were helpful to you to understand more about the Holy Ghost and His ministrations to you. I wanted to point out one concept in Pres Eyring’s talk and two from Elder Bednar’s

The concept from President Eyring’s talk that I wanted to share was what to do when we feel distant from God and are not feeling His spirit. I thought this quote from the talk was key:

If you find yourself having difficulty in feeling the Holy Ghost, you might ponder whether there is anything for which you might repent and receive forgiveness. You can pray with faith to know what to do to be cleansed and thus more nearly qualify for that constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

If you want to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you must want it for the right reasons. Your purposes must be the Lord’s purposes. If your motives are too selfish, you will find it difficult to receive and sense the promptings of the Spirit. The key for me and for you is to want what the Savior wants. Our motives need to be driven by the pure love of Christ. Our prayers need to be “All I want is what you want. Thy will be done.”

In other words, if we are not feeling the Spirit, we need to perhaps identify something in ourselves that needs to be eliminated or work more closely to align our will with His. The Lord is waiting to share information with us if we can and want to receive it.

The first concept from Elder Bednar’s talk that I have found incredibly important is “not knowing beforehand." He illustrated the point with the stories of Nephi getting the plates, the couple coming to Utah to go to the temple on the exact day that Elder Bednar needed to meet with them, and the story of Oliver Cowdery coming to transcribe for Joseph Smith. Each story taught powerfully the concept of being led by the Spirit. He said:

What may be most extraordinary are the seemingly ordinary events that constituted the miracle of this episode. No dramatic, divine manifestations. No heavenly voices. Rather, ordinary people doing ordinary things under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord produced a truly miraculous outcome.

The lesson: we do not have to recognize in the moment we are receiving revelation that we are receiving revelation. Simply be good. Remember and honor your ordinances and covenants. Just go and do your best, and you will be guided, blessed, and become an instrument in the hands of the Lord to accomplish His purposes.

In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives and in this great latter-day work, God requires us to do our best, to trust in Him, and to be anxiously engaged and act and not simply wait to be acted upon. We may not see angels, hear heavenly voices, or receive overwhelming spiritual impressions. We frequently may press forward hoping and praying—but without absolute assurance—that we are acting in accordance with God’s will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we strive ever more consistently to do good and to become better, we can walk with the confidence that God will guide our steps. And we can speak with the assurance that God will inspire our utterances.

I consider this to be one of the most important things to remember about being led by the Spirit. Related to this is the concept of “what,” not “why.” Elder Bednar said:

Typically, revelation comes as a conclusion and not an explanation. We should not be surprised, for example, if impressions or promptings simply guide us to stop, to go, to open our mouths, to remain silent, to slow down, to press forward more rapidly, or to consider an option or course of action that may seem unusual. Revelation focuses upon the “what” more than the “why.”

Elders and Sisters, if we require to know "why" when we receive the whisperings of the spirit, our ability to act will be damaged and we will at some point lose our discipleship, as there will be many times when the “why” won’t be given. President Oaks teaches us:

“If you read the scriptures with this question in mind, ‘Why did the Lord command this or why did he command that,’ you find in less than one in a hundred commands was any reason given. It’s not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. We [mortals] can put reasons to revelation. We can put reasons to commandments. When we do, we’re on our own. [We should not] make the mistake that’s been made in the past, … trying to put reasons to revelation. The reasons turn out to be man-made to a great extent. The revelations are what we sustain as the will of the Lord and that’s where safety lies.”

Life experience has taught me that “why” is rarely given, and if it is, it’s usually in hindsight, not beforehand. The Lord invites us to act in faith, nothing wavering. That’s one of the key principles we need to learn in mortality. Acting without knowing “why” is a key component of that plan.

I’m grateful for the powerful lessons taught by these two leaders on this important topic. Our ability to qualify for, recognize, and then act on the Spirit is essential to our ability to find success in this work. I invite you to make a renewed commitment to live in a way for the Spirit to be able to work within you, then commit to act on everything you are told. I promise you that miracles will occur in your life if you can do that.

I know it will be a week of traveling around and getting settled. Try not to waste too much time doing that. Talk to everyone while you do it. Start the transfer off well and let’s keep up our successes, building towards meeting our baptism goal and having every area baptize on a regular basis. As we are led by the Spirit, I know that will happen.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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12/4/23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the mission home in Guyana. This week we had a great Zone Conference in Trinidad and then our first Christmas celebration with the Berbice Zone this weekend, along with interviews in both locations. It’s always a special opportunity for Sister Lamprecht and I to meet with each of you, feel the Spirit together, and be taught and motivated on how to move the work of the Lord forward in our different areas. We look forward to being with the ABC Zone this week.

As you may be aware, the missionaries in the three Guyana zones were asked to be in their homes starting this afternoon through tomorrow night in light of potential disruptions rising out of the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo area. Today the members in Guyana joined other churches in seeking the Lord’s blessings of peace and avoidance of conflict. I invite all of us throughout the mission to ask the Lord for that blessing so the work can move forward uninterrupted in this part of our mission. We are not expecting problems, but we always need to be prepared.

Tonight, Sister Lamprecht and I were able to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I hope you were able to do so also. I was especially touched by the words of President Nelson, focusing on the love the Savior has for us and our prophet’s prayers on our behalf. I look forward to reading his words and pondering their meaning. I invite you to do the same.

I felt the message of the season corresponds well to the talk we are studying this past week from Elder Uchtdorf, entitled “The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home.” The parable of the prodigal son is one of my favorites in all of scriptures. It is full of lessons about us, the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, and the love Our Father has for us.

As you know, the parable begins with one son asking his father for his inheritance. This last week, I thought about what that required of his father. He probably would have to sell many of his assets so that his son could take his part of the inheritance, in cash. This must have been especially painful for the father, knowing the likelihood that his son would go away with his inheritance and likely lose it. However, the father respected the agency of his son, sacrificing to make it happen. That’s one of the great lessons of this parable.

The son took his inheritance and wasted it “with riotous living.” Then the famine came. As Elder Uchtdorf said:

But the party did not last—it rarely does. Two things happened: first, he ran out of money, and second, a famine swept through the land.

Eventually, the son ended up in horrible circumstances, starving to death. As the scriptures say, at that point “he came to himself,” realizing that regardless of how hard it would be, returning to his father and being a servant was a better life than what he had. I think some of the most beautiful words in scripture describe what happened next:

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.

As I heard one speaker say, referring to this moment, in God’s Kingdom there are no servants, only sons. I think this is one of the most powerful, hope giving, aspects of this parable. We all make mistakes. We’re all prodigals. We all in some ways waste our inheritance in riotous living. But through the atonement of Christ, we can be forgiven. Even if we’re lost, we can be found. Elder Uchtdorf put it this way:

My beloved brothers and sisters, dear friends, like all of the Savior’s parables, this one is not just about people living long ago. It’s about you and me, today.

Who among us has not departed from the path of holiness, foolishly thinking we could find more happiness going our own self-centered way?

Who among us has not felt humbled, brokenhearted, and desperate for forgiveness and mercy?

Perhaps some may even have wondered, “Is it even possible to go back? Will I be labeled forever, rejected, and avoided by my former friends? Is it better to just stay lost? How will God react if I try to return?”

This parable gives us the answer.

Our Heavenly Father will run to us, His heart overflowing with love and compassion. He will embrace us; place a robe around our shoulders, a ring on our finger, and sandals on our feet; and proclaim, “Today we celebrate! For my child, who once was dead, has come back to life!”

Heaven will rejoice at our return.

Elder Uchtdorf then added an interesting statement:

Your return will not diminish the blessings of others. For the Father’s bounty is infinite, and what is given to one does not in the slightest diminish the birthright of others.

This is in reference to the reaction to the “other prodigal son” as mentioned in a talk by Elder Holland over 20 years ago. This is the older son, who complained when he saw what his father was doing for his lost brother. In referring to this other brother, Elder Holland said:

This son is not so much angry that the other has come home as he is angry that his parents are so happy about it. Feeling unappreciated and perhaps more than a little self-pity, this dutiful son—and he is wonderfully dutiful—forgets for a moment that he has never had to know filth or despair, fear or self-loathing. He forgets for a moment that every calf on the ranch is already his and so are all the robes in the closet and every ring in the drawer. He forgets for a moment that his faithfulness has been and always will be rewarded.

No, he who has virtually everything, and who has in his hardworking, wonderful way earned it, lacks the one thing that might make him the complete man of the Lord he nearly is. He has yet to come to the compassion and mercy, the charitable breadth of vision to see that this is not a rival returning. It is his brother. As his father pled with him to see, it is one who was dead and now is alive. It is one who was lost and now is found.

In our mortal world of limited time and resources, we understand the older brother’s complaint. How can he be a son again? Will I have to give up my half for him? How can that be fair? One of the great lessons the Savior is trying to teach us about His Father and His Father’s kingdom, is that all things are possible. There is no limit of resources. We don’t need to worry about this. We can rejoice in the good fortune of others, and not worry about how it affects us. I love these words from Elder Holland:

I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other. I know that if we will be faithful, there is a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness ready and waiting for everyone,¹⁴ “robes … made … white in the blood of the Lamb.”

The footnote for Elder Uchtdorf’s statement about not diminishing the reward of others is to another memorable talk by Elder Holland based on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-15, where laborers are chosen to work throughout the day, and at the end of the day, the master chooses to pay them all the same wage, regardless of how long they have worked. It’s another parable the Savior uses to teach us that God can bless all His children with all He has. This is one of my favorite Elder Holland quotes:

This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.

I feel like this quote applies perfectly to the story of the prodigal son also. Regardless of what we have done, if we come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, seeking mercy and grace through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all covenantal promises are possible. As Elder Holland says:

When we are lost, we can “come to ourselves,” but we may not always be able to “find ourselves,” and, worlds without end, we cannot “save ourselves.” Only the Father and His Only Begotten Son can do that. Salvation is in Them only. So we pray that They will help us, that They will “come out” to meet and embrace us and bring us into the feast They have prepared.

I testify to the truths set forth in this wonderful parable. God will always respect our agency. We will all make mistakes and waste our inheritance in riotous living. Regardless of our mistakes, we can return and be “Sons,” with the ability to receive the promised blessings of those who qualify as such. We don’t need to envy or worry about the blessings given to others. Let’s rejoice in those who are lost and then are found. That’s our mission now – to help the lost return.

This is a great message to ponder this Christmas season. As Elder Gong spoke about this evening, it’s the message of “the new Scrooge” – that we can change through the power of Christ’s atonement. Let’s carry that message forward to all those around us with rejoicing.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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12/11/23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Good evening from Aruba. Sister Lamprecht and I have had a wonderful week with the ABC Island Zone, holding interviews, Zone Conference, and our Christmas gathering. We were also able to attend the Oranjestad Branch today. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be with the missionaries and members in this part of our mission. We’re now on to Trinidad and Suriname this week. We’re looking forward to being with all of you.

I hope your holiday transfer is going well. I know many of you are involved in serving your fellow man through “Light the World,” or your own efforts. That’s the best way to ensure that this Christmas as a missionary will be memorable in a good way. Let’s keep holding up Christ as our light and do the things that He has done. As we do that, we will feel the true spirit of Christmas.

This morning I was reading the last chapter of the “Come Follow Me” assignment for this week, which was Revelations 1-5. Normally, I would not be quoting a Revelations chapter in my weekly letter; however, today I was enlightened on something that I felt would be interesting to you and relevant to our purpose.

In Revelations, Chapter 5, John introduces the topic of the book with seven seals. We know from Latter-day revelation (D&C 77), that the book with seven seals represents the history of the mortal world. Let me now share some verses from chapter 5:

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain…And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne…And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Here's the thing that I never realized before in reading this chapter. This is talking about the premortal council in heaven. From the “Come Follow Me” manual:

Consider what it must have been like when we all realized that Jesus Christ (the “Lamb”) would make Heavenly Father’s plan possible (the Savior could “open the book, and … loose the seven seals”

We all sang a new song. As we read in Job, it was a time when “all the sons of God shouted for joy…”. Why? Because the “Lion of the tribe of Juda,” “the Root of David,” “the Lamb who wast slain…has redeemed us to God by (his) blood.” Isn’t it interesting that because of the integrity and character of Christ, it is treated as if the atonement had already occurred? It was seen through the eye of faith.

Once I started pondering these verses in the setting of the premortal world, my mind went to Abraham 3, where we also read of the great premortal council, at which time the Father’s plan was presented. We then read:

And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me.

We know from this scripture as in Revelations 5, that the Savior qualified for and volunteered for the responsibility and burden of making Heavenly Father’s plan work for all His children. I know that we all rejoiced at that moment when we realized that our Elder Brother was going to give us the chance to “prove that we will do all things whatsoever the Lord Our God shall command us (Abraham 3:25). We knew that when we fell short, the Savior’s atonement would enable us to repent and start over.

It also reminds me of the joy expressed at the birth of the Savior, the beginning of the execution of His mortal plan, when the angel gave that long-awaited “good tidings of great joy,” saying:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…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.”

What an amazing and wondrous gift Our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ have given us. Elder Cook, in the talk we are studying this week, quoted Preach My Gospel, 2^nd Edition, as to the great blessings of the atonement:

This new edition, amplifying sacred scripture, powerfully proclaims: “In His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ took upon Himself our pains, afflictions, and infirmities. Because of this, He knows ‘according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities’. He invites, ‘Come unto me,’ and as we do, He gives us rest, hope, strength, perspective, and healing. “As we rely on Jesus Christ and His Atonement, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

Then Elder Cook adds: We can joyfully be peaceable followers of Christ.

Elders and Sisters, I testify that a very long time ago you and I and all our fellow children of Our Heavenly Father were taught this plan. We all knew that for that plan to work, someone would have to provide an infinite atonement, so that we could experience mortality, learn, make mistakes, and recover from those mistakes, since we couldn’t do that for ourselves. Our amazing Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, volunteered to do that for us. The plan assumed that it would be done. We counted on it. We bet our eternal destiny on Him. And He delivered. That’s one of His titles – Deliverer.

Let’s all try to share this message with the kind of enthusiasm that it deserves. It is a message of joy and rejoicing. It is one of hope and change. It’s one of freedom and deliverance.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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12-25-2023

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Good morning, and Merry Christmas. I decided this week to send you my weekly email on Christmas Day as my Christmas message. I hope that your Christmas Eve was a special time for you and that you will have a wonderful Christmas Day as a missionary, talking to your families and thinking of Him on this special day. I know many of you have acts of service and kindness planned for the day. Whatever you do, I hope that you will feel the spirit of Christmas, which is the Spirit of Christ.

In the spirit of the day, I thought I would share with you a story that I found many years ago. I think it captures the purpose of the season. I hope you enjoy it.

This is a story about another wise man whose name was Artaban. He was a magi and he lived in Persia. With his learned companions, he searched the scriptures as to the time the Savior would be born. They knew that a new star would appear, and it was agreed that Artaban would watch from Persia while the others would observe the sky in Babylon. They agreed that if the star appears, they would meet ten days later at a certain spot and set out together for Jerusalem.

Artaban made ready for the journey by selling all of his possessions and buying 3 jewels- a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl- to present as tribute to the King. One night, Artaban parted the curtains and went out again to take his vigil to watch the night sky. As he watched he observed a new star in the dark sky. Artaban bowed his head, “It is the sign,” he said, “The king is coming, and I will go to meet him.”

On their journey, each day his faithful horse measured off the allotted distance, and at night fall of the tenth day, they approached the outskirts of Babylon. As they approached, in the dim starlight they saw the form of a man lying in the roadway. His pallid skin bore the mark of the deadly fever that ravished the marshlands at this season of the year. As Artaban turned to go, a sigh came from the sick man’s lips and his bony fingers clasped upon the Magi’s clothing. Artaban felt sorry he could not stay to help the dying stranger for he could not forfeit the reward of his years of study and faith to do a single deed of human mercy. But then, how could he leave this dying man alone? He knew he could not go on. He took off his robe and began his work of healing. Then Artaban gave him all he had left of his bread and wine, a potion of healing herbs, and instructions for his care.

Though Artaban rode with the greatest haste the rest of the way, it was too late when he arrived at the designated meeting place. His friends were nowhere to be seen. Finally, his eyes fell on a piece of parchment. He caught it up and read “We have waited until past midnight and can delay no longer. We go to find the king. Follow us across the desert.” Artaban sat down and covered his face with despair. “How can I cross the desert with no food and a spent horse?” I must return to Babylon to sell my sapphire and buy provisions for the journey.

Several days later, when Artaban reached Bethlehem, the streets were deserted. As he wandered the streets, he came upon a house with the door open. He could hear a mother singing a lullaby to her child. He entered, introduced himself and asked if the woman had by chance seen his three companions. The woman told him it had been three days since the 3 wise men had appeared in Bethlehem. They had found the young child with Mary and Joseph, laid their gifts at his feet, and disappeared as mysteriously as they had come. Joseph had taken his wife and child that very night and fled Bethlehem.

Suddenly outside there arose a wild confusion and women were shrieking. Then he heard a desperate cry, “The soldiers of Herod are killing the children!” Artaban went to the doorway and saw a band of soldiers hurrying down the street. The captain approached the door to try and push him aside, but Artaban did not stir. His out-stretched hand revealed the ruby. He said, “I am waiting to give this jewel to the captain who will go on his way and leave this house alone.” At the splendor of the gem, the captain said to his men “March on, there are no children here.” The voice of the woman behind him said softly, “Because thought hast saved the life of my little one, may the Lord bless thee and keep thee.”

For many years thereafter, Artaban continued his search for the king. Though he found no one to worship, he found many to serve. As the years passed, he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, healed the sick and comforted the captive.

33 years had now passed away since Artaban began his search and he was still a pilgrim. He knew his life’s end was near but he was still desperate with hope that he would find the King. He had come for the last time to Jerusalem. It was the season of the Passover, and the city was thronged with strangers. A large crowd was moving toward the Damascus gate. Artaban inquired where they all were going. One answered, “We are going to the execution on Golgotha. Two robbers are to be crucified and another with them called Jesus of Nazereth, a man who has done many wonderful works among the people. But the priest and elders have said he must die, because he claims to be the Son of God. Pilate sent him to the cross because he said he was the King of the Jews.

How strangely these words fell upon the tired heart of the old man. Could he be the same for whom the star had appeared 33 long years ago? As Artaban stared towards Calvary he noticed a troop of soldiers coming down the street dragging a sobbing young woman with a torn dress and dishelved hair. As Artaban paused, she broke away from her tormentors and threw herself at his feet, her hands clasping around his knees. “Have pity on me” she cried. “And save me, for the sake of the God of Purity. My father has died, and I am to be sold as a slave to pay his debts.”

Artaban trembled as he once again felt the old conflict arising in his soul. It was the same that he had experienced on the road form Babylon and the cottage in Bethlehem. Twice the gift which he had consecrated for the king had been given in the service of humanity. Would he now fail again? Yet one thing was clear, he must rescue this helpless child from evil. He took the pearl from his sack. Never had it seemed so luminous, so radiant, so full of living luster. He laid it in the hand of the slave and said, “Daughter, this the ransom. It is the last of my treasures for which I had hoped to keep for the king.”

While he yet spoke, the darkness of the sky thickened, and the shuddering tremors of an earthquake shook the ground. Artaban sank behind a protecting wall. What had he to fear? What had he to hope for? He had given away the last remnant of his tribute to the king. The quest was over, and he had failed. What else mattered? As one lingering pulsation of the earthquake quivered beneath him, a heavy tile, shaken from a roof, fell and struck him on the head. He lay breathless and pale. The rescued girl leaned over him fearing he was dead.

Then there came a still small voice through the twilight. It was like distant music. The notes were clear, but the girl could not understand the words. Then the lips of Artaban began to move. As if an answer, she heard him say. “Not so my Lord; for when saw I thee hungered and fed thee? Or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw I thee in prison and came unto thee? 33 years have I looked for thee; but I have never seen thy face, nor ministered unto thee, my King.” As he ceased, the sweet voice came again. And again, the girl heard it, faintly and far away, but now she understood the words. Which said “Verily, I say unto thee, that inasmuch as thou hast done it unto the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me.”

A calm radiance of wonder and joy lighted the face of Artaban as one long last breath exhaled from his lips. His journey was ended. His treasures had been accepted. The Other Wise Man had found his King.

Elders and Sisters, during this time in your life you are giving that same gift – the gift of your time, love, and effort to invite the “least of these” to come unto Christ, to be healed of Him, to be delivered by Him, and to receive His peace. You can do no greater work. I pray that you will feel His love, peace, and gratitude for your efforts on this day and every day.

Have a wonderful day and a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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12-31-23

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Happy 2024! I’m guessing that by the time you all see this, it will be 1-1-24. It’s an honor for us to begin another year in the Guyana Georgetown Mission with all of you amazing missionaries. We’re looking forward with an eye of faith that 2024 will have many miracles as we labor to assist the Lord in establishing the church in our six countries. Thank you for all you do.

I was thinking about what to write about as we prepare to start another year. A question that one of you asked me has been running through my head. In essence, the question is: "How can I find deeper motivation in myself and help other missionaries be more motivated to a greater level of diligence and enthusiasm in the work?" How would you answer that question? It’s a very important one. What is it that drives each one of us every day to do this work? How can we increase that? Let me share a couple of thoughts on that tonight, especially as we think about New Year’s resolutions and goals for the new year.

I believe the answer lies in one sentence in Chapter 1 of PMG. It says:

As your understanding and testimony of the Savior and His Atonement grow, your desire to share the gospel will increase. You will feel, as Lehi did, the “great…importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth.” (2 Nephi 2:8).

It reminds me of two of my favorite parables shared by the Savior, found in Matthew 13:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unta a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

In both cases, when each man found treasure, or “one pearl of great price,” they sold all they had to obtain it. Two important things happened in these parables. First, the men were looking for something, found it, and realized its great value. Second, they sold all that they had to obtain it.

Is our knowledge of the Savior and His love for us, most fully expressed by His atoning sacrifice, our treasure? The Savior taught in the Sermon on the Mount that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Does the Savior hold the priority position in our hearts, or is there something else in that spot? Until we recognize the value of the treasure or the pearl, we won’t be willing to sell all to obtain it.

How, then, do we appreciate the value of what the Savior has done for us? First, we need to not look beyond the mark, as Elder Renlund taught in the talk we are studying this week. He said:

During Jesus’s mortal ministry, many looked beyond the mark, beyond Him. They looked past the Savior of the world. Instead of recognizing His role in fulfilling Heavenly Father’s plan, they condemned and crucified Him. They looked and waited for someone else to bring them salvation.

Like those people in Jerusalem…. we too can be prone to look beyond the mark. We need to guard against this tendency lest we miss Jesus Christ in our lives and fail to recognize the many blessings He offers us. We need Him. We are counseled to rely “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.”

He is our mark. If we incorrectly imagine that there is a need for something beyond what He offers, we deny or diminish the scope and power He can have in our lives. He has claimed the rights of mercy and extends that mercy to us. He is the ultimate “source [to whom we should] look for a remission of [our] sins.” He is our Advocate with the Father and champions what the Father has wanted all along: for us to return to Him as inheritors in His kingdom. We need to, in the words of the prophet Alma, “cast about [our] eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for [our] sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection.” Jesus Christ is our treasure.

If Christ is our treasure, what is required to “purchase” it? I think the answer is found in His words to the Nephites just after the destruction in the New World:

And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

He wants our heart. Doesn’t that make sense, since if He is our treasure, that’s where our heart will be? He wants us to have faith in Him, obey Him, trust Him, rely on Him, submit our will to Him, come unto Him. As Elder Neal A Maxwell taught:

The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us.

Submitting our will to Him is in my mind what is happening when we lose our life for His sake. It’s the payment for the “pearl of great price.”

I invite all of us perhaps for a few minutes this week, as we look down the road of another year, to ponder what the Savior has done for us and its incomprehensible value. It is absolutely the treasure worth selling all to obtain. I feel strongly that our appreciation of its value is directly tied to our willingness to sell all to obtain it.

I testify that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. He is mighty to save. He is our Deliverer, our Savior, and our Redeemer. Without Him, we are hopeless. With Him, we have a “perfect brightness of hope.”

My wish for each of us as we enter this new year is to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the Savior and, as a result, increase our discipleship. As we do so, our desire to share that with others will increase, and we will do it with more enthusiasm, commitment, and passion. It will be the good news that as Jeremiah says is:

…in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (Jeremiah 20:9).

God bless each one of you. Again, Happy New Year. May your 2024 be filled with joy and peace. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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1/7/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the mission home in Guyana. This past week we said goodbye to three excellent missionaries, Elder Gibson, Elder Morrison, and Elder Dean. They all made a great contribution to our mission. We also welcomed Elder Ram and Elder Schiffman. Elder Ram is English speaking and will serve in Guyana and hopefully Trinidad. Elder Schiffman’s assignment is Spanish speaking. He is headed for Aruba tomorrow morning at 3:34 AM. That should put everyone in place to begin this first transfer of 2024.

This past week was also filled with joy as we as a mission realized that we were able to reach our baptismal goal of 50 in the month of December. We knew going into the last weekend of the month that there was a chance it could happen. The Assistants were able to confirm that total baptism exceeded 50 last Monday.

It was great to share that information with all of you in the mission devotional. I’m grateful for this blessing from the Lord. It’s the result of His grace combined with the hard work, faith, and prayers of each missionary in the mission, and probably the continued prayers of those who have already gone home, parents, etc. It came in a way that I was hoping it would come—because of normal and natural efforts from each companionship to fulfill their purpose. I felt from the beginning that meeting this goal is a measure of the entire mission’s obedience, devotion, and commitment to fulfilling their purpose.

It reminded me of the talk given by Elder Michael A Dunn in the October 2021 General Conference, entitled One Percent Better. The basis of his talk was how the British cycling team had improved from decades of no success. Elder Dunn shared the following:

In 2003, Sir Dave Brailsford was hired. Unlike previous coaches who attempted dramatic, overnight turnarounds, Sir Brailsford instead committed to a strategy he referred to as “the aggregation of marginal gains.” This entailed implementing small improvements in everything. That meant constantly measuring key statistics and targeting specific weaknesses.

Elder Dunn shared this quote:

…acclaimed author James Clear says this strategy puts the math squarely in our favor. He maintains that “habits are the ‘compound interest of self-improvement.’ If you can get just one percent better at something each day, by the end of a year … you will be 37 times better.”

What happened with the British cycling team?

Consider what’s happened to British cycling in the past two decades since implementing this philosophy. British cyclists have now won the storied Tour de France an astonishing six times. During the past four Olympic Games, Great Britain has been the most successful country across all cycling disciplines. And in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, the UK won more gold medals in cycling than any other country.

Does this principle have spiritual application? Let me share two quotes from Elder Dunn’s talk. In the first quote, Elder Dunn shares something that Elder Bednar said on the subject:

Small, steady, incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take. Preparing to walk guiltless before God is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime; it does not result from sporadic spurts of intense spiritual activity.

Elder Dunn also shared this thought:

It is He who knows when a sparrow falls that is likewise focused on the minute as well as the momentous moments in our lives and who is ready right now to assist you in whatever your 1 percent quest is…. Because every effort to change we make—no matter how tiny it seems to us—just might make the biggest difference in our lives.

To this end, Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Each assertion of a righteous desire, each act of service, and each act of worship, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum.” Truly, it is by small, simple, and, yes, even just 1 percent things that great things can be brought to pass.

I feel that in the last two years, we as a mission have taken a similar approach to meeting our baptismal goal. We have tried to identify different aspects of missionary work, based on our study of Preach My Gospel, direction from our priesthood leaders, and revelation to mission leadership, that will help us improve in our ability to find, teach, and baptize. I feel like each effort was a “1% improvement” that we were trying to make, adding to our spiritual momentum.

One real indicator of momentum was the number of areas that had baptisms during each month. From May to August 2023, we ranged from 11 to 16 companionships per month. In September we had seven. However, every month after that we saw growth, as October was 15, November was 18, and then December was 26, which is still only a little over 50% of our companionships.

I know that as each area sets a goal of baptizing each month and makes plans to do so, the Lord will bless us to continue to improve. It’s the way we will be able to maintain and then improve upon our baptismal goal.

Beyond the mission, this principle of 1% improvement I felt like has great application as we embark upon a new calendar year, which is oftentimes when we set new goals. Something that Elder Dunn said on that subject I feel like is important:

…what if we applied that same principle to the very sweet and savory second principle of the gospel, repentance? Rather than being stymied by the churn and dramatic swings between sin and repentance, what if our approach was to narrow our focus—even as we broadened it? Instead of trying to perfect everything, what if we tackled just one thing?....Could aggregating small but steady marginal gains in our lives finally be the way to victory over even the most pesky of our personal shortcomings? Can this bite-sized approach to tackling our blemishes really work?

I encourage you to take this to heart as you think about things you feel like might be holding you back to becoming the kind of missionary you would like to be and through which the Lord can do His work. Don’t try to fix everything at once. It will overwhelm and disappoint you, and nothing good will happen. Identify through prayer, pondering, and scripture reading the one thing that would be most important to your growth, set a goal related to it, make a plan, then go to work. What I have seen is when we focus on that which is most important, many other things kind of solve themselves, or they became “collateral improvement.” Once you feel like that 1% improvement has been achieved, move to #2 on your list. It’s the most important way to have real growth, and it will not be overwhelming.

As you probably know by now, the “one thing” we’re focusing on for the mission, where we feel like the Lord is asking us to make incremental improvement, is “Teach the gospel through Preach My Gospel.” You’re all working so hard to find new friends. As each of us improves in our abilities to teach with power and authority, thereby helping our friends have personal spiritual experiences and make/keep commitments, we’ll see further growth in our level of performance, measured by monthly baptisms and, in addition, retention and returning members. All are affected by our ability to teach and invite to repent through the Spirit. I invite you this transfer to help one another become more effective teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It will be an important 1% improvement area for the mission.

We hope that each of you are settling into your new areas and have set goals for this transfer, along with plans for achieving them. I know this is where the Lord would have you serve, and the companion that He wants you to have this transfer. Let’s make it a great way to start the new year.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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1/15/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Suriname. We’ve completed our first stop in this transfer’s mission tour, this week holding interviews and zone conference with the missionaries in the Suriname zone. I felt a renewed confirmation of our transfer theme of focusing on teaching the gospel using Preach My Gospel as we discussed how we can be more effective in helping our friends progress to making a covenant with God. I feel this is an important next step for the mission. I hope in your different councils and companion studies that you are focused on learning principles from Preach My Gospel that will help you improve your ability to teach to needs and help people make and keep commitments. We look forward to talking about this with each zone in the next few weeks, continuing with the ABC Island Zone next week.

This week I want to share a few thoughts on a topic that has been on my mind for the past few days. As you know, one of the responsibilities we have as missionaries, found in D&C 31:7, is to be the means for the Savior to establish the church (“I will establish a church by your hand.”). I know that for me, ever since I have been here, the measure of establishing the church was at a more macro level. I look for measures such as increased sacrament meeting attendance, more full-tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders, more people making covenants with God through baptism or the temple, and stronger priesthood leadership.

However, if you go to the Preach My Gospel definition of establishing the church, this is what it says:

The Church is established and built up as people with testimonies are baptized and confirmed, keep their covenants, prepare to go to the temple, and help strengthen their ward or branch.

Do you see any differences from what I was thinking and this definition? What jumps out at me is that God is interested in establishing the church from the ground up, one person at a time. We use statistics to measure progress, but I don’t believe they are meant to be defining our success. For those of us who are focused on measuring progress with numbers, this is a tough thing to accept. However, the more time I spend in this calling, the more I realize what God means when He says:

For behold, this is my work and my glory —to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

How does God fulfill His purpose? He invites each person, one at a time, to come unto Him. I feel like that scripture could say “…bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of a man, and it would still be correct.

The Savior was the perfect example and teacher of this principle. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a past apostle once said:

True disciples of Jesus Christ have always been concerned for the one. Jesus Christ is our greatest example. He was surrounded by multitudes and spoke to thousands, yet He always had concern for the one. “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost,” He said. “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?”

The gospels are filled with accounts of the Savior focusing on the one. He would oftentimes be in the middle of multitudes but take time to focus on the needs of specific individuals around Him. He never got caught up in the pressure or importance of the group. One of the greatest examples of that occurred in the New World, as He introduced Himself to the people gathered at the land Bountiful. After telling them who He was, He said:

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth and have been slain for the sins of the world.

And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

The Savior could have had just the apostles come forth, and witness to all the others. He could have just showed them all. But that wasn’t what He wanted to do. He wanted each person to have a personal witness of the tokens of His crucifixion. I heard someone say once that if there were somewhere around 2,500 people there, it would have taken hours for each one to go forth and have that personal experience. Whatever it required, it’s what the Lord wanted done.

Even in His atoning sacrifice, we get the feeling that somehow, His suffering for mankind was not done on some kind of macro scale. Jacob taught in 2 Nephi 9:21:

And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

And the prophet Alma taught:

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 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.

As I read and ponder those scriptures, I get the feeling that somehow the Savior experienced our specific pains so He could know exactly how we feel and how He can help us. Someday perhaps we’ll understand how that was done, but in the meantime, we can trust in it and learn from His example.

The question, then, is how does this apply to what we’re doing? Perhaps it can best be answered with the following quote from Elder Bednar when he was on an assignment to England:

We tend to want to think about, "We're going to give a talk, and it's going to--" No, it's not. Just get one, who will go get one, who will go get one, who will go get one. I have not come to England to be in this meeting. Now I'm here, and I love this, and we're doing important things, but that's not why I'm here. While I'm in England, the Lord sent me to find a one. And along the way, I get to participate in a bunch of meetings, and maybe some good will be done. But the keys of the kingdom were sent here to find a one. You don't talk to a congregation; you talk to assembled ones. So just go get one, who will get one, who will get one. And that's how it works, and that's how you establish the kingdom, and that's ultimately how thousands come.

Elders and Sisters, we’re here to find “ones.” We’re here to teach “ones.” We’re here to baptize “ones.” We’re here to reactivate “ones.” We’re here to strengthen “ones.” We’re here to help individuals repent and come unto Christ. We can’t lose sight of that or get caught up in either a quest for numbers, or discouragement in not seeing numbers. I have learned repeatedly, that when I visit a branch or whenever I’m asked to use my keys, I need to look for the “ones” who the Lord needs to have blessed through those keys. Those have been the moments of great joy and fulfillment.

Each of you, in your activities every day, can find a “one” – someone who the Lord needs you to invite to come unto Him, to receive His mercy and grace, or to make sacred covenants with Him. As we each focus on individuals, we will feel the joy of this work, and over time, in the Lord’s time, as Elder Bednar said, we can get one, “who will get one, who will get one. And that’s how it works, and that’s how you establish the kingdom, and that’s ultimately how thousands come.”

The Savior is the perfect example. He invites us to go find the one who is lost. In doing so, we establish the church in the way He wants it done. I testify that this is a true principle.

We hope you have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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1/22/24 Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the now dedicated island of Aruba. We have had a wonderful week with interviews and Zone Conference for the ABC Island zone. Today we were able to meet with the newly constituted Savaneta branch in their new building. What a great blessing it was. Elder and Sister Villanueva of the Area Presidency joined us in their meeting. There was a wonderful spirit there and we are excited for the future of that branch.

In the afternoon we were able to meet Elder Soares from the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife at the airport. What a great privilege it has been to be around them. We have felt their spirit and love. One of the great blessings has been to watch him interact with everyone. It reminded me of what I wrote last week about being in the moment. Every person he meets he treats with respect and dignity, making them feel special, and totally being in the moment with them. It was remarkable to see. You could see it on the faces of the people he was talking to that they felt loved and knew what a special moment they were having. When I have these experiences, it makes me know a little bit better what it might be like to be around the Savior.

Soon after they arrived, we traveled to the Oranjestad building where the dedication was to occur. There was just a small group invited to the specific dedication, composed of current leaders and their wives and members who are considered “pioneers” (who were some of the early, or influential members of the church on the island).

It was a powerful experience to bow our heads as Elder Soares gave the dedicatory prayer. I felt the power of the keys he holds, under the direction of the prophet of God, to dedicate the island for preaching the gospel and establishing the church. I look forward to getting a transcript of the prayer, but the words that really hit me were that through the dedicatory prayer, the keys have been given to open the door of sharing the gospel on the island. It was very visual to me. It was like you opened the door in a dark room and light flooded in. I feel like there are good things ahead.

As part of his remarks prior to the prayer, he invited all of us at this dedication of the island to re-dedicate ourselves to establish the church and build the kingdom of God. I felt strongly that there will be a day that people will look back and see that this day was a turning point in the growth of the church on Aruba.

We were then able to move into a member devotional for all the members on Aruba, with broadcasts to Curacao and Bonaire. It was a special meeting. Sister Lamprecht and I shared some remarks, including Sister Lamprecht having the entire ABC Zone stand and recite the Standard of Truth. She was prompted to do that because in the dedicatory prayer, Elder Soares prayed that no unhallowed hand would stop the work from progressing. I felt like it was a powerful moment in the devotional. I was proud to stand and recite it with our ABC Zone members.

We also heard uplifting words from Elder and Sister Villanueva and Sister Soares. Elder Soares was the final speaker. He taught with power, as you would expect an apostle to do, but also with great warmth and love. He shared many thoughts, but I wanted to share two things with you that stood out to me.

One of the major themes of his remarks was to study the words of our living prophet, specifically the last General Conference, where President Nelson encouraged us to “think celestial.” Elder Soares gave us two ways to help us think celestial. First, he spoke about the importance of studying the Book of Mormon each day. He spoke of the power of the Book of Mormon to change our lives if we study it and apply its teachings. He quoted President Nelson’s promises about the Book of Mormon, including if we read and study it every day, we’ll make better decisions every day.

He then shifted to a second way that we think celestial, which is to make and keep our covenants with God. He quoted the scripture from D&C 84:20, where we read that “in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” Ordinances are how we make covenants with our Heavenly Father. Elder Soares went on to quote President Nelson about the power of covenants. I know you’ve heard me quote this many times, but it deserves being included again:

He then said the following (I had to write it down because it was so powerful to me):

The rest we receive through keeping covenants is the power of Godliness manifest.

Do you see the amazing connection he made with D&C 84:20 and the promises of President Nelson? Rest in this sense doesn’t mean stopping and sitting on a chair. It means the ability to go forward in the face of challenges, to have peace, to be able to endure well, to not shrink, as Elder Maxwell would say.

I was thinking of our callings. This rest is what motivates us to get up in the morning, face adversity, keep moving forward as we set goals and make plans, and still put one step in front of the other with joy. It’s the most amazing thing we offer to our friends – the power to overcome the world and face all its challenges. It is how the Savior gives us His enabling power – as we make and keep covenants with Him.

It was an amazing opportunity to be taught by one of the Lord’s servants. It reinforced my testimony that the 15 men of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are indeed prophets, seers, and revelators. Their keys and power are real. This is the Savior’s church on the earth. It will go forth in power and glory. “No unhallowed hand” is going to stop it.

It is our privilege and honor to serve with each of you in this great cause. As the prophet Joseph said in Doctrine & Covenants 123:17:

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.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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1/29/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the Mission Home. We’re back after an amazing week, beginning with the dedications of Aruba and Bonaire by Elder Soares, along with the wonderful gift he gave us of a special mission devotional. We also had interviews with our six remaining missionaries in Trinidad and finished the week starting the interview process of our missionaries in Guyana.

We’re grateful that all went well, and we have many fond memories we’ll take with us of our time with our leaders. I hope that you recognize what a great privilege it was to have an apostle of the Lord speak to us. Elder Villanueva said when he was mission president in California, they never had an apostle visit them. We have been very blessed.

I really hope that everyone in the mission felt the power and importance of the message that Elder Soares shared with us in our devotional. I told him afterwards that I don’t think there was a more important topic to share with the mission than the way to experience joy as a missionary. I think that’s the question I get most often in interviews and weekly emails. I wanted to repeat the five principles he shared with us:

Feeling joy increases our desire to share the gospel with others.
Joy is a principle of power. Focusing on joy brings God’s power into our lives.
Having joy is a choice. It is a personal decision.
Forget yourself and get lost in the great cause.
We can feel true joy by focusing our mission on Jesus Christ.

That is a lot of good material for many personal studies in the future. I hope you take advantage of that.

I wanted to take that general principle and connect it with the talk I invited us all to study this last week, entitled, “Do You Want to Be Happy?,” by Elder Yoon Hwan Choi. I wanted to focus specifically on the third section of the talk with the heading “How Can Keeping Covenants with God Make You Happy.” He shared the following:

My wife says that our marriage yokes us together, and because of that she can do things she couldn’t do before. For example, ever since she was young, she has had a hard time going out in the dark, but it is not hard anymore because I go with her. She is short and cannot reach to the high shelves unless she uses a chair or ladder, but I can reach the things from high shelves for her because I am taller than her. Taking our Savior’s yoke upon us is like that. As we yoke ourselves to Him, we can do things we couldn’t do on our own because He can do the things we cannot do for ourselves.

That description of being yoked to the Savior really hit me. What a beautifully simple and powerful way of explaining that concept. He went on to quote Elder Bednar on the topic:

Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and pull together with Him, even though our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared with His. As we trust in and pull our load with Him during the journey of mortality, truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Interestingly, the following talk, given by Elder Alan T. Phillips, entitled “God Knows and Loves You,” also referred to being yoked to the Savior. He said:

Our Savior’s mission was to provide both a way to return to Heavenly Father and relief in the journey. The Savior knows through His experience how to support us through life’s challenges. Make no mistake: Christ is our rescuer and the healer of our souls. As we exercise faith, He helps us press forward through hardships. He continues to extend His loving and merciful invitation:

“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; … and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

The metaphor of the yoke is powerful. As President Howard W. Hunter explained: “The yoke was a device … that allowed the strength of a second animal to be linked and coupled with the effort of a single animal, sharing and reducing the heavy labor of the [task in hand]. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one to bear could be equitably and comfortably borne by two bound together with a common yoke.”

As I have continued to ponder the topic of joy, rest, peace, and happiness, it has become clear to me that the true source of all those things is the Savior Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. We access it by being yoked to Him through making and keeping sacred covenants. As we do so, we are enabled to resist temptation, undergo hardships, face adversity, and come out triumphant, obtaining throughout the process the blessing of peace and joy – the joy that comes from Him, and not from our circumstances.

Elder Soares gave us the formula for doing that. First, we must choose to have joy, which requires our willingness to be yoked with Him and keep our covenants. Second, we must forget ourselves and go to work. As we truly place His yoke upon us, voluntarily, and with all our heart, He will enable us to do things and feel things that would be impossible under normal circumstances. In an interview I had this last week, one of you said, it’s what makes us get out of bed every morning, regardless of how we feel or what the day looks like. Finally, as we focus our mission on the Savior Jesus Christ, that joy will radiate in our faces, and we’ll have a greater desire to share that message with others. As Elder Soares shared with us in the devotional last Sunday, in those times that peace or joy we feel, is the power of God manifest in our lives. The power of joy.

What Elder Soares taught us is not just applicable as missionaries. It is a key to a successful life after the mission. That’s why I think it’s so important to really internalize the things he shared with us. It will help you not only now, but the rest of your life. It will also help you to aid others who are going through their own trials. As we bear testimony of this principle and invite to be yoked with Christ, it can help to deliver others from their trials and adversity. It’s the only way. He is the only Way.

We look forward to our tri-zone plus Trinidad zone conference this week. What a group that will be!

Have a great week. We love you President Lamprecht

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2/5/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings again from the Mission Home. We have had a wonderful week in Guyana. We spent a lot of time this week interviewing the missionaries in the three Guyana zones. We also had our tri-zone conference, which included bringing the six Elders from Trinidad to Guyana. It was the largest group we’ve ever had, over half of the mission. It was powerful to be together as we focused on our transfer theme of Teaching the Gospel thru Preach My Gospel. The trainings were excellent, as they have been throughout the mission this transfer. I know the Lord wanted us to improve our ability to help the people we find progress to baptism. I hope it has been a good transfer for you to learn those principles and apply them in your teaching.

Since the tri-zone conference, I’ve been thinking about two things that happened that day. I’m going to briefly share them with you for the first time for those who weren’t there, and reminding those who were. First, as we have done throughout the mission, we were planning to pass out the medium-sized PMG’s to those who had asked for them. We felt bad for those who wouldn’t receive them. On the morning of Zone Conference, Sister Adams had an early-morning visitor from FedEx (which she said never happens) with a delivery. You guessed it – almost all our entire order of PMG’s. What a blessing it was to be able to distribute them to all the missionaries. We’ll be bringing those for the other zones as soon as we can get back to you. I thought afterwards that they could have been delivered at any day, but the Lord wanted to show us a loving reminder that He is in charge and is looking out for us.

Second, due to circumstances, the lunch we had ordered was not being delivered and we could not contact the party doing it. We didn’t know what to do, so we sent Elder and Sister Sellers to Pizza Hut to order pizzas for lunch. We thought we would need about 25-30 pizzas for a group that big. How much pizza dough was prepared for making pizzas? Again, you guessed it – just enough for our order. It was another instance of the Lord looking out for us in advance and showing his love and caring for us.

Both instances reminded me of a talk given by Elder Bednar, which was his first official talk after being called as an apostle, Elder Bednar focused his remarks on the following scripture in 1 Nephi 1:20:

....But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

I felt prompted to share a few parts of his talk with you in my message tonight. I think that ever since that talk, I have been conscious of those moments in my life and in the lives of others when I see those tender mercies, just as these two instances were for all of us at Zone Conference.

He defined tender mercies as follows:

The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.”

He went on to say:

I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence…Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings.

He described some ways the Savior administers tender mercies to us:

…as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord.

I consider those moments when I recognize these tender mercies in my life as little (sometimes not so little) reminders of the care of a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ for me. It’s like getting notes in our lunchbox that tell us how much He loves us and wants us to succeed. It’s what helps us go on in times of difficulty and find joy in the journey.

Elder Bednar also taught us how we qualify for these tender mercies. In the scripture it refers to “those he has chosen because of their faith.” What does it mean to be chosen? Elder Bednar said:

God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen…Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.

This quote brings me back to the topic that continues to press upon my mind. How do we show God we have chosen Him? One obvious way is by making sacred covenants with him and then keeping them. When we do so, we qualify for a covenantal relationship that enables the Lord to bless us with those tender mercies that we need. In his first message to the members of the church after becoming the president of the church, President Nelson said:

Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping these covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere.

That to me is a very simple and powerful statement. As we make and keep covenants, the door will be opened to every spiritual blessing and privilege we need. We will be chosen to receive tender mercies from God.

I invite all of us in the coming week to be aware of, acknowledge, and express gratitude for the tender mercies in our lives. It’s also a powerful way to help your friends and returning members recognize the power of the gospel and the love of God for them if you can point out times you have recognized tender mercies they are receiving.

I’m grateful for the many tender mercies I have received. They strengthen my witness that our Heavenly Father lives, He loves us, He knows us and our needs, and is willing to help us as we choose Him. The greatest tender mercy He offered to us is the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon Himself all our pains, sicknesses, infirmities, sins, transgressions, and our ultimate death, (Alma 7:11-13). Through His tender mercies, the Savior “succors us” and “blots out our transgressions,” through our covenant relationship with Him.

What a great blessing we have access to, and what a great gift we have to offer His children who have not yet made that covenant with Him. You are the gatekeepers of and guides to that covenant. You can give access to God’s tender mercies to your friends.

You have one week left in this transfer. Make it a good one. Let’s finish strong.

We love you. Presuident Lamprect

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2/12/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the mission home on this last day of the January/February 2024 transfer. I hope it was a good transfer for you. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about teaching the Savior’s gospel using Preach My Gospel. I hope you’ve seen improvement in your ability to help the friends you’re working so hard to find progress by having personal spiritual experiences and making/keeping commitments. We’ve been given a lot of ways to do that more effectively. Let’s keep refining our craft as “master teachers,” to help others come unto Christ.

Tomorrow, we start our next transfer. I know many of you are affected by changes. We’re excited to welcome nine new missionaries to the mission, five to Suriname (including four who have been on extended reassignment), two to Guyana, and two to the ABC Islands. On the other hand, we’re sad to say goodbye to Elder Watt and Sister Haws who leave Suriname this week. They are great missionaries who have served well. They will be missed.

As with any other transfer, and any other change in life, our success is dependent upon our choices. We can choose to accept and go forward in faith, or murmur and fall back. It’s up to us. It’s about agency and choice that I’d like to write about in my email this week.

The Book of Mormon chapters covered this last week in “Come Follow Me” were 2 Nephi 1-2. Chapter 2 of 2 Nephi is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. Lehi is teaching his son, Jacob, the key elements of Heavenly Father’s plan. What a great blessing that Nephi recorded it in the small plates. Also this last week in my study of the Doctrine & Covenants, I read Section 29, where I discovered another great discussion of the Fall and agency given by the Savior Himself to Joseph Smith. It was a blessing to tie the two sources together, along with one of the suggested talks from Come Follow Me, given by President Oaks in October1993, entitled “The Great Plan of Happiness.” I’m going to pull from all those sources.

The first principle I wanted to talk about was that as spirit children of Our Heavenly Father, we have had agency long before our earth life. How do we know that? In Doctrine & Covenants 93:29-30 we read:

Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

You and I were intelligences in the beginning with God. To exist, we needed to be able to act for ourselves. We don’t know all that entails, but we can be certain we had the ability to make choices. In both 2 Nephi 2 and Doctrine & Covenants 29, we learn of Satan rebelling against God’s plan and, as a result, being “thrust down.” In D&C 29:36 we read:

…the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;

Those who trusted in God’s plan chose a mortal existence, enabling them to continue progressing. They decided to keep their first estate and welcomed an opportunity for a second estate (Abraham 3:26). That’s why we’re here. We kept our first estate. I really like this quote from President Oaks:

All of the myriads of mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it. Many of us also made covenants with the Father concerning what we would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality.

That teaching is consistent with doctrine taught by living prophets and that found in Alma 13. I invite you to ponder what that might mean for you.

The rolling out of God’s plan was contingent upon a choice. God created Adam and Eve and gave them two conflicting commandments: 1) Don’t eat of the tree, and 2) Multiply and replenish the earth. We know from 2 Nephi 2:22-23 that if Adam and Eve had kept commandment 1, they would have not been able to keep commandment 2. All of us following behind them desperately needed them to keep commandment 2. I really like this description of that choice by President Oaks:

For reasons that have not been revealed, this transition, or “fall,” could not happen without a transgression —an exercise of moral agency amounting to a willful breaking of a law (see Moses 6:59). This would be a planned offense, a formality to serve an eternal purpose….. It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and “Adam fell that men might be” (2 Ne. 2:25).

This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin —inherently wrong —but a transgression —wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.

We know that the Fall brought two consequences to Adam and Eve and their posterity: 1) physical death, or the separation of the body and spirit, and 2) spiritual death, or the separation of us from the presence of God. The prophet Jacob taught in 2 Nephi 9 that man did not have the ability to overcome these two deaths. Our situation was hopeless (2 Nephi 9:8-9). We needed someone to deliver us. We know that was already decided long ago. Our elder brother, Jesus Christ, had already volunteered to take care of that for us. All who chose the mortal option bet their eternity on His doing that. Otherwise, there was no future. Lehi taught it this way (2 Nephi 2:26-27):

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

Through the atonement of Christ, we are free from all the eternal consequences of the Fall. We will be resurrected (overcoming physical death), and we will be brought before God (overcoming spiritual death). As we learn from the 2nd Article of Faith (quoted earlier), we are punished for “our own sins.” As Lehi taught:

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil…

I recently heard or read a quote that said something to the effect that we don’t choose between alternatives – we choose between consequences. Every choice has a consequence. If we decide to not choose Christ, on the day we stand before God to be judged, it will be “as though there was no redemption made…”. (Mosiah 16:5). We will be on our own, to suffer the consequences of those choices, subject to a "second death."

If we choose to follow the Savior, exercise faith, repent, make covenants, and endure to the end, we can be washed from our sins, for He is “mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” (Alma 7:14). Because we are penitent, His mercy can claim us (Alma 42:22-24). The Savior will be our Advocate with the Father (D&C 29:5).

And what is our responsibility as His servants and representatives? I think Lehi said it well:

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. (2 Nephi 2:8)

Christ is mankind’s brightness of hope. We are to hold up His light (3 Nephi 18:24), so all mankind can make an educated choice to come unto Him – to choose life in Him or a second death, which is the result of any choice other than Him.

I invite you as we enter this next transfer to think about choices – yours and your friends', and what consequences they are leading to. We are the masters of our fate. The Savior waits with outstretched arms, but we must choose Him.

I know that He is our Savior and Redeemer. He has already delivered us from the effects of the Fall. He is mighty to save us from the effects of our own mortal choices as we accept the conditions of repentance and qualify for His mercy. Through Him, we can have a fulness of joy.

Have a great week. I know it will be a challenge with a lot of you moving around. Choose to be patient, work hard, and follow Him. All will be well.

We love you. President Lamprecht

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2-19-24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings again from the mission home. This is our last weekend here before we start the zone conference/interview tour again. We look forward to being with you as we travel throughout the mission. This next weekend we will be in Trinidad for Stake Conference, which also gives us a great opportunity to be with the wonderful members. This transfer we have Trinidad Stake Conference, ABC District Conference, and Suriname District Conference. It’s going to be busy, but it’s such a great blessing to be able to meet with those we love throughout the mission.

We’ve had a busy week this last week. We started with going to Suriname on Wednesday to attend a special member devotional with two members of the general women organization presidencies and a member of the Area Presidency. Sister Porter, who is president of the primary, was there, along with Sister Yee from the Relief Society Presidency. Elder Cordon, 1^st counselor in the area presidency represented the Area Presidency. All three spoke and gave wonderful talks. It was the first time that members of the women’s organization presidencies had ever visited Suriname. I know the members were blessed by their visit.

That next morning, we flew back with Elder Watt and Sister Haws, who completed their mission with honor and traveled home late Thursday night/early Friday morning. I was impressed by their love of their mission and Suriname. I know it was hard for them to leave. We’ll miss them.

That same night we welcomed nine new missionaries to the mission. Elders Curtis, Hecklinger, Horlacher, and Weech came from their reassignments, awaiting their Suriname visas. Five others came directly from the MTC. Sister Kempenaers is assigned as Dutch speaking, Elders Lowry and Isakson are assigned English speaking, and Elders Corbridge and Winfield are assigned Spanish speaking. We were impressed with their desire to do the work and commitment to the Savior. We know they will be great additions to the mission. All have traveled to their areas except for Elder Corbridge and Elder Winfield, who have the flight at 3:45 AM tomorrow morning to Curacao and Aruba. Upon their arrival, we’ll be set for this transfer.

This afternoon I was part of a meeting called “Coordinating Council,” led by the Area Seventy, Elder Gamiette, and attended by all the District/Stake Presidents in the mission, plus me. It’s a great opportunity to learn what is on the minds of the brethren and what we need to do to establish the church. I was impressed again with the quality of our local leaders. I have great confidence that under their leadership, the church will be established in our mission. They are good men, who are committed to serving the Lord.

In Elder Gamiette’s presentation to us, he quoted from a talk given by President Nelson in April 2017, when he was President of the Quorum of the Twelve, entitled “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives.” This is the quote:

Faith in Jesus Christ propels us to do things we otherwise would not do. Faith that motivates us to action gives us more access to His power.

We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. Our covenants bind us to Him and give us godly power.

The word “power” is used three times in those four sentences. I think President Nelson was trying to teach us something. According to President Nelson, how do we obtain that power? First, we exercise our faith unto action, and second, we “make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision.” What does it mean to do something with precision? I looked up the definition for precision in the dictionary. Precision is defined as: accuracy; exactness:

That definition brought two things to my mind. First, what is our saying in the mission about obedience? “Obedience brings blessings; exact obedience brings miracles.” I think we could make a substitution based on what President Nelson said, and say exact obedience brings power; the power that leads to miracles.

What is perhaps the greatest example of exact obedience resulting in miracles? There are many, but the first one that comes to my mind is the two thousand stripling warriors. What do we learn about their faith and exact obedience? In Alma 57:21 it says:

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;

In Alma 58:40 it says this about them:

But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes and his judgments and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.

And what was the result of their faith and exactness? In Alma 57:26, it says:

And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe – that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and the do put their trust in God continually.

Let’s apply this to us as missionaries. How do we obtain the power of God? First, we exercise faith unto action. We trust in the Lord’s promise that He has people out there for us to find, teach, and baptize. We don’t doubt. We go out the door every day, expecting miracles to happen by the power of God.

Second, we keep our covenants with precision. We “observe to perform every word of command with exactness.” We “observe to keep His statutes and his judgements and his commandments continually.” Our “minds are firm, and (we) put (our) trust in God continually.”

What does that look like for each of us? I think that’s an important question to ask yourself. What things are each of us not doing with exactness or precision? Are there some standards that we’re not fully living or that we could live with more exactness? Is our not living them with exactness getting in the way of our receiving greater power?

What are some examples of things that require precision? I think of athletic events that are judged by their precision (diving, gymnastics, etc.). The smallest miss or mistake is noticeable and can cause the participant to lose the competition. We can apply that to our missionary efforts. Even the slightest variation or lack of exact obedience causes us to lose power and effectiveness.

I know that as we strive to exercise faith unto action and keep our covenants (standards) with precision and exactness, we will experience the power of God in our lives and our missionary efforts. We’ll see the miracles that are necessary to find, teach and baptize.

I hope your transfer is off to a good start. Have a great week.

We love you. President Lamprecht

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2-26-24

Dear Elders and sisters,

I’m writing this as Sister Lamprecht, and I are in transit from Trinidad back to Guyana. It’s been a different week than we thought it would be. Last Sunday we were planning on flying to Trinidad on Thursday night, interviewing the missionaries there on Friday, and participating in Stake Conference this weekend. I think it was Monday we found out that the Area decided to move Stake Conference to May. That was a surprise.

One thing we have always felt like we needed to do was go to Tobago in advance of sending missionaries back there (the other island that makes up “Trinidad & Tobago”). We have not had missionaries there since before Covid. We were able to adjust schedules and make that happen. After having wonderful interviews with the six missionaries in Trinidad, we headed on the ferry to Tobago.

One of the highlights of our trip was attending the small branch this morning in Tobago. We met President George and the eight members there not including us. It was a cool little chapel that has an ocean view and a great sign for the church (one of the better ones in the mission). Even with the small numbers, we felt the spirit as we worshipped with them. I was able to help the branch president give blessings to two members who were in need, and we were able to get to know the members and learn a lot about how missionaries operated on Tobago when they were there. It was extremely helpful.

As I was there, I felt the Spirit say, “you need to get missionaries back here to help this branch.” We’re going to figure out how to do that as soon as we can make it work. The last thing we did was take a picture in front of the building with some of the members who attended. It was a sweet experience.

During the meeting, Sister Lamprecht and I shared messages and then President George concluded (since he was presiding – I have no keys when we attend branches or wards in the stake.). He shared an interesting little parable that I thought would be a good lead-in to my letter this week. He asked this question: “If you tied up two dogs, leaving one in a dark place and one in a light place, which one would survive?” My conclusion was it must be the one in the light, right?

He then gave the answer, one that I didn’t expect: “The one that you feed.” He pointed out that regardless of our circumstances, the desires we feed are the ones that survive, while the ones we starve, regardless of their goodness, die. To me, that was an unexpected and powerful message, one that I’ve been thinking about since then.

What do you think is the most important thing to feed your spirit to keep it alive? I believe it to be the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I invited you to study the talk from this last conference given by Elder John C Pingree, Jr., entitled “Eternal Truth.” I thought it was an excellent connection to our transfer theme of obtaining the word so that we may have the power of the convincing of men. Eternal truths are sources of power.

First, we need to understand what “truth” is. Elder Pingree gave this definition:

The Lord has taught us in scripture that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” It “was not created or made,” and has “no end.”. Truth is absolute, fixed, and immutable. In other words, truth is eternal.

Satan, the Father of Lies, battles, contorts, hides, ridicules, etc. truth at every hand. Elder Pingree said:

We need to remember that Satan works to keep us from truth. He knows that without truth, we cannot gain eternal life. He weaves strands of truth with worldly philosophies to confuse us and distract us from what is communicated by God.

I’m sure we see people every day who have some truths but can’t seem to accept complete eternal truths because of the mix of truth and lies that Satan has fed them. It is only through acceptance of eternal truths, that we can obtain the blessings of exaltation. Elder Pingree shared the importance of these truths:

Truth helps us avoid deception, discern good from evil, receive protection, and find comfort and healing. Truth can also guide our actions, make us free, sanctify us, and lead us to eternal life.

How do we obtain truth? I really liked Elder Pingree’s brief description of the process:

God reveals eternal truth to us through a network of revelatory relationships involving Himself, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, prophets, and us.

All truth comes from Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, transmitted through the medium of the Holy Ghost. We obtain truths given to past prophets through the scriptures, and current prophets through studying the words from General Conference, etc. He then identified our responsibility in the process:

Finally, you and I play a crucial role in this process. God expects us to seek, recognize, and act on truth. Our ability to receive and apply truth is dependent on the strength of our relationship with the Father and the Son, our responsiveness to the influence of the Holy Ghost, and our alignment with latter-day prophets.

And what is our responsibility once we learn these eternal truths? I’ll share two. First, for our own personal growth, Elder Pingree said:

Once the Holy Ghost confirms a specific truth to us, our understanding deepens as we put that principle into practice. Over time, as we consistently live the principle, we gain a sure knowledge of that truth.

This is consistent with what the Savior taught in John 7:17, when He said:

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

Once we obtain that truth, what is our responsibility? Here is what Elder Pingree said:

When we obtain truth from God, He encourages us to share that knowledge with others. We do this when we teach a class, guide a child, or discuss gospel truths with a friend.

Our aim is to teach truth in a way that invites the converting power of the Holy Ghost. Let me share some simple invitations from the Lord and His prophets that can help.

Center on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their fundamental doctrine.
Stay grounded in the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets.
Rely on doctrine established through multiple authoritative witnesses.
Avoid speculation, personal opinions, or worldly ideas.
Teach a point of doctrine within the context of related gospel truths.

I thought each one of these five suggestions had great application for improving our teaching as missionaries.  I invite you to think about which one would help your teaching the most and decide how to incorporate it.  I know that your effectiveness will increase, and the Holy Ghost will be there to confirm the truths you are sharing.

Remember that eternal truths lead to spiritual power.  As President George taught us, let’s keep feeding ourselves with those truths.  They will be “living water,” and the “bread of life.”  They will sustain us whether we are in a dark moment or a light one.  They will enable us to teach with the power and authority of God.

We look forward to starting our zone conference tour this week in Suriname.  We always enjoy meeting with each of you and feeling the Spirit together as we discuss important eternal truths.

God bless you.  Have a wonderful week. We love you.  President Lamprect

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3-11-24

Greetings from the island of Aruba. We are completing a wonderful week in the ABC Islands, interviewing missionaries, holding zone conference, and then presiding over ABC Islands District Conference this weekend. We have loved being with the missionaries and members in this part of the mission. We head back to Guyana tomorrow to interview the three zones there and then hold Zone Conference on Friday. It will be a busy week.

It has been a week of miracles, most of which Sister Lamprecht shared on Israel’s Army, but here is a quick recap. First, we received notice that 15 visas were available to be picked up in the next few days for Elders going to Trinidad. I know that we all have been fasting and praying for that to occur. We are looking forward to having more missionaries join the six there to build up our missionary force in Trinidad. I know the Stake President is overjoyed to hear that news.

We also found out that we have begun getting Elders assigned to replace the Elders going home from Suriname. We have two now assigned, hoping to have more assigned soon. We have sisters assigned to replace the sisters leaving Suriname in the next few transfers. Now we need to get them all visas and here as soon as possible.

Finally, we rejoiced when we found out that Elder McKinnon received his visa to go to the US, so he can go to his assignment in the Florida Orlando Mission. We are so grateful to have had him with us for the first 16 months of his mission while waiting for visa issues to be resolved, but we’re excited for him to have this experience for the last eight months of his mission. He will be leaving us after Guyana Zone Conference. All these things have caused me to be grateful for all the Lord’s blessings in helping the mission.

In the adult session of District Conference, I was prompted to point out the great things happening in the ABC Islands over the last year. Sacrament meeting attendance is up, along with endowed members holding recommends and number of adult full tithe payers, the last two significantly. These are all measures of what the brethren call “real growth.” I then talked about the concept of momentum, which is defined as force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events.

In April 2022, President Nelson gave a talk entitled “The Power of Spiritual Momentum.” In that talk he described momentum this way:

Momentum is a powerful concept. We all have experienced it in one form or another—for example, in a vehicle that picks up speed or with a disagreement that suddenly turns into an argument.

He then said this:

We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation.

In the remainder of my talk, I shared the five things President Nelson said would increase spiritual momentum. They were 1) Get on the covenant path and stay there, 2) Discover the joy of daily repentance, 3) Learn about God and how He works, 4) Seek and expect miracles, and 5) End conflict in your personal life.

After the meeting I started thinking about positive spiritual momentum as it relates to our mission. I then went back and looked at Key Indicators over the last four weeks of 2024 compared to the comparable weeks in 2023. Here is what I found.

Average number of new friends found in the four weeks in 2023 was 128. The same weeks in 2024 were 291.
Average number of member lessons in 2023 was 90; in 2024 it was 303.
Average number of friends attending church in 2023 was 100; in 2024 it was 167.
Average number of friends on date in 2023 was 48; in 2024 it was 77.
Average number of friends baptized per week in 2023 was 6; in 2024 it was 8.
Average number of new members attending sacrament meeting in 2023 was 97; in 2024 it was 118.

By every measure the mission has improved significantly over the last year. I think you could say we’re experiencing positive spiritual momentum. I’m so grateful for the work each of you are doing. Your faith and diligence show in all that you do.

I then thought about five things we can do to increase the mission’s spiritual momentum. Here’s what I came up with.

First, in accordance with the transfer theme, we need to “obtain the word,” so we can have the “power of God unto the convincing of men.” Ever since the most recent Mission Leader Council meeting, I have felt the importance of improving our ability to teach by the Spirit, identifying needs, helping our friends keep commitments, and encouraging them to have their own spiritual experiences. I know that as we do so, we will see more of our friends progress towards baptism.

Second, we can do as President Nelson said to “discover the joy of daily repentance.” I feel like specific application for our mission is to be exactly obedient to missionary standards and repent each day for those things where we think we could have done better. As we do so, we will more fully qualify to have the Spirit lead us, and it will contribute to our ability to teach with power and authority.

Third, we need to continue to improve in our ability to have multiple lines in the water, consistent with our Mission Finding Plan. We can’t be one dimensional, even if we’re good at it. We need to be finding through the members, using social media, serving, and talking to everyone. As we do so, I know that we will be led to the elect, and we will see strong members added to the branches in which we serve.

Fourth, we need to continue to improve our unity with the members. Remember what President Nelson has said about the importance of uniting with members:

I hope that you will learn to love the local leaders and members. Lift them and inspire them. Your ability to link the enthusiasm of the missionaries with the stability and loving efforts of the members cannot be overemphasized. Your success will be multiplied exponentially.

These are the words of our living prophet. He promises us that our success will be multiplied exponentially. That means double, quadruple, etc. That’s how the church will be established in this part of the world. It will be a key to further our mission spiritual momentum.

Finally, using President Nelson’s #5, we need to end conflict in our personal life. I feel the specific application to our mission is that we need to work on our unity with our companions, our district members, our zone, etc. The prophet Joseph Smith said: “by union of feeling we obtain power with God.” This is another source of spiritual power and will be manifest in our ability to teach together with power and authority. If there is anything that is keeping you from being united, I invite you to address it, forgive, and move on. Seek to obtain a union of feeling.

Seeing the growth and progress of the mission is exciting. I know the Lord is pleased with your efforts. However, as President Hinckley would say, “pleased but never satisfied.” We can continue to do better. We can meet our goal of 50 baptisms in a normal and natural way consistently. I know that it is possible.

Please think about the five things we can work on to increase our spiritual momentum. Make the changes necessary (find the joy of daily repentance!). Let’s push through the next barriers and obtain the Lord’s blessings, to establish the church and bring His children to salvation and exaltation.

Have a great week. We love you.

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3/18

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Suriname! It has been quite a busy week for Sister Lamprecht and me. We returned from the ABC Islands to Guyana at 1:30 AM on Tuesday morning. Beginning on Tuesday, I had interviews with members of all three Guyana zones. Friday the three zones plus the six Trinidad Elders met together for a multi-Zone Conference. It was another great conference. The day following the Zone Conference, six missionaries of the 15 who obtained their Trinidad visas traveled with the six returning elders to Trinidad, re-establishing the Trinidad zone as of Saturday. I’m grateful for that great blessing from our Heavenly Father.

I have very much felt the spirit of revelation as we have discussed the transfer theme of obtaining the word and by doing so, being able to teach with power and authority. I hope you take the things you have felt and apply them in your personal and companion study. I know that as we focus on learning by faith and adding tools to our teaching tool belt, we will teach with greater power, enabling the Holy Ghost to work upon our friends and give them the strength and desire to move forward. Let’s help more of those that we work so hard to find progress towards making their first covenant with the Savior.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about tonight until we had our Mission Presidency meeting. Aldrich, my executive secretary, shared with us an experience he had as he was preparing to give his Sunday School lesson this Sunday. He was looking for inspiration for a question to begin his lesson with. He feels like when he begins his lessons with inspired questions, it sets the tone for the rest of the lesson. I think that is a true principle, one that we should remember as we think about preparing for our lessons.

As he was thinking again about the lesson material and how to introduce it, a scripture came to mind from the lesson chapters. It is in 2 Nephi 26:33:

For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

The question that Aldrich said came to mind was “How did Christ invite you?” He used that to begin the lesson and got amazing responses from many people in the class. I felt like I should write about that topic tonight – How did Christ invite you, and how do we effectively invite others to Him?

Since then, I have asked myself, “How did Christ invite me?” As I think about the answer, He did it in several different ways and at different times in my life. Obviously, since I was born and raised in the church by active parents, the first invitation was from my parents. They taught and lived the gospel in our home and made sure I was at primary and youth activities. That provided the foundation for gospel knowledge and an understanding of what it means to be faithful.

However, one of the first times I really felt an invitation from the Savior was during my first year of college. In my first semester I started feeling lonely and distant from my friends and others around me. I remember feeling like things were pressing in on me, and I felt distanced from God. I decided to go back to our dorm room at a time when I knew I would be alone. I felt a desire to get on my knees and talk to the Lord about the challenges I was having. I was prompted to open up my scriptures to anywhere and start reading. I remember opening to 2 Nephi 32:8-9:

And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

At that moment I realized that I had never really developed good prayer habits, and rarely spent much time in what I would call spiritual devotional each day. I felt the Lord inviting me to approach Him and let Him help me in the challenges I was having. It was a moment that I will always remember.

I’d love to say that I became some great spiritual giant after that, but it was not so. However, I remember trying to improve my prayers and spending more time in the scriptures than I was. That decision coincided with many good things that started to happen in my life. I found new friends who I was close with throughout the remainder of my time before my mission, during my mission, and then back at BYU post-mission. I made decisions about going on a mission and trying to prepare for that. I’m grateful that in my time of need, the Savior invited me through His word, the scriptures.

I invite you to ponder how the Savior has invited you and is still inviting you. What are times that you know that He was reaching out to you? Have you written them down? As you responded to that invitation, have you seen changes in your life? Can you bear testimony of Him and what He has done for you?

That leads me to a second question. How are you inviting others to come unto Christ? Aldrich said many of the people in his class said they were invited through the missionaries. Are you taking the opportunity to be bold and effective inviters? I shared this quote from Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel in Suriname District Conference today:

You invite people to come unto Christ to become converted to Him and His restored gospel. As they accept your invitation, they will have greater happiness, hope, peace, and purpose.

Later in Chapter 1, it says:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all of God’s children. The scriptures teach that “all are alike” unto God. He invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him.”. The gospel blesses us throughout our mortal lives and throughout eternity. We are most likely to be happy—both as individuals and as families—when we live by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Living the gospel deepens our joys, inspires our actions, and enriches our relationships.

Are we inviting all to come unto Him? Can we be better about putting more tools on our toolbelt? As we do so, the Spirit can direct us to invite in a way that sounds familiar to them. The Savior said in Doctrine & Covenants 29:7:

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;

Our responsibility as those who are called to bring to pass the gathering, is to invite in a way so that His elect hear His voice, and harden not their hearts. That is done by obtaining the word, living in a way to qualify for the Spirit, and then in the moment, inviting in a way that is His voice. That is inviting with power. I know that if we continue to improve our ability to invite, and our testimony of the goodness and richness of our invitation, we’ll be led to the elect, and they will not harden their hearts.

We have one week left in this transfer. I invite you to finish strong. I know many of you have people on date for the next two weekends. I pray that those who are on date will be able to overcome the obstacles before them and enter the waters of baptism. What a great gift we can offer the Savior as we prepare to remember His atoning sacrifice in the coming weeks.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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3-25-24

Greetings from the Mission Home, as we complete another transfer today and look forward to starting another one tomorrow. I hope you had a good transfer, with individual growth, companionship unity, and seeing your friends make progress. I know a lot of you have changes ahead of you for this upcoming transfer. I want you to know that we have sought the Lord’s guidance and have felt His direction in these changes. It is now your responsibility to seek for that same confirmation, so that you can go forward in faith.

I’m excited to see how this transfer unfolds, with so many of you in new positions, the largest number of Elders in Trinidad we’ve ever had, and so many good things happening in many areas in the mission. God has been good to us.

Today is Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Easter Week, where we remember the last week of Christ’s mortal ministry, culminating in His atoning sacrifice in Gethsemane on Thursday night, His crucifixion on Calvary’s hill on Friday, and His wondrous resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is an important time for us to remember what Christ has done for us and the covenants we’ve made to follow Him.

This morning, as I was thinking about Palm Sunday, it came to me that this week really began when Christ decided to leave the safety of where He was at and return to Jerusalem, knowing full well what would happen if He did. There were some important things that happened on that trip that I thought I might point out; things that teach us important lessons.

In Luke 18:31-34, we read about Christ telling His disciples about His decision to return to Jerusalem. It says:

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Obviously, Christ was fully aware of what was ahead of Him in returning to Jerusalem. However, I find it so interesting that the twelve had this “hid from them”. From reading the gospels, I’m not sure they were aware of what was happening until after the resurrection. In the scriptures it talks about needing to “give place for a portion of (His) words" (Alma 32:27). Perhaps everything that happened this fateful week was necessary for His disciples to do that.

The next two stories that I want to discuss happened as Christ and His followers were traveling on the road to Jerusalem, specifically traveling through Jericho. Think of the heavy burden Christ was already carrying, realizing what was ahead of Him. Nevertheless, as the next two stories show, He was always looking out for others.

As they were traveling, a blind man called out for Jesus. Matthew says there were two blind men, we learn the name of at least one of them from the account in Mark, and we get another account in Luke. I’ll use Luke’s account.

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Are there times in our lives when we cry out for mercy? I think in those times we can tell ourselves what the multitude told the blind man – hold our peace. We think that it's not going to happen for us. It’s too small for God to pay attention to. But what did the blind man do? He “cried so much the more.” Because of his repeated and fervent cries, the Savior gave him what he desired because “thy faith hath saved thee.” Oftentimes, our faith is exhibited purely by patient persistence in seeking the Lord’s blessings, trusting that at some point they will be given.

I also love the story that happens next in the gospel of Luke. It begins in Chapter 19:

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

When I read this story I envision this rich man, “little of stature,” running along the crowd, and then climbing up a tree to see the Savior. He showed a great desire to “come and see.” The Savior recognized what kind of man he was on the inside, not on the outside, and went so far as to invite Zacchaeus to host Him and His followers. What an honor to Zaccheaus, and an affront to the “covenant people” who were part of the group. Why would the Savior go to a publican?

We learn that this publican was a good, honest, kind man – a true son of Abraham. It is such a great example of the principle that the Savior doesn’t care who we are, what family we come from, how much money we have, or anything like that. He only cares about our heart. He is coming to seek those who in their heart feel lost and desire to do good. We have that same responsibility – to seek out the lost, regardless of what they look like, because all that matters is what is written in their heart. It’s also an opportunity to look inward to see if we qualify to have “salvation come to our house..”

The last story I would like to talk about occurred “six days before the Passover,” and is found in John Chapter 12. Depending on how days are counted this could have happened on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, or the night of Palm Sunday, as we know Bethany was on the way to Jerusalem, and we also know that Christ went out of the city on the night of Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:16) to stay in Bethany.

Bethany is where Christ’s good friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived. On that specific night, we read the following:

There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment…. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Mary offered up something very valuable, a significant sacrifice, “against the day of my burying…”. I have a feeling Mary had a good idea of what was coming and wanted to offer up something to Christ to show her discipleship and empathy for what lay ahead. It was her way of honoring what He was going to do for her.

I was thinking after I read it, “What is the thing I can offer up this week “against the day of His burying?” What can I give to show that I recognize what He did then and continues to do for me? What is “very costly,” to me that He would recognize? Perhaps that thing that is most costly to me is my favorite sin, or the thing that I’m not yet willing to put on the altar.

I think that’s a great question for all of us to ponder this Easter week. The Savior has done so much for us. What is something we can do in return that shows our gratitude? It might be as simple as accepting this transfer and making a commitment to Him to do all we can to make it what the Lord would want it to be.

I invite you to think about these experiences leading up to Palm Sunday. Each was important and placed in the scriptures for us to learn from and to give us a clear picture of what the Savior was thinking about as He approached this crisis in His life. He knew His time had come. I can’t imagine what that would have been like for Him.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter week. Make it a special time in your personal study to focus on what the Savior did and taught, knowing this was the end of His mortal ministry.

Also, I pray that all of you affected by travel and change this week will have all things work out well and by next Sunday, we’ll all be where we need to be.

We love you. --President Lamprecht

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4-8-024

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Happy General Conference weekend to you. I hope that it has been an uplifting, spiritually refreshing, and motivating weekend for you. I’m so grateful to be able to take this time to focus on the words of living prophets, seers, and revelators.

This last week we were able to meet with the newly constituted Trinidad Zone, for interviews and Zone Conference. We’re so excited to have 16 missionaries there now. What a great blessing. We had a wonderful Zone Conference focusing on our theme of Chapter 13 of PMG. We look forward to having similar meetings in Suriname and Guyana this coming week.

It seems to me the most important thing to write about this week is initial thoughts and impressions from General Conference. To introduce that, I’d like to share an experience as I was preparing for this weekend.

In the week or so leading up to General Conference, I search for talks about General Conference, helping me to prepare spiritually for this important time. One of my favorites is a talk given by Elder Holland in October 2006 entitled “Prophets in the Land Again.” I was very much struck by this quote from that talk, speaking of the purposes for the messages shared by our leaders:

First, they declare eagerly and unequivocally that there is again a living prophet on the earth speaking in the name of the Lord. And how we need such guidance! Our times are turbulent and difficult. We see wars inter-nationally and distress domestically. Neighbors all around us face personal heartaches and family sorrows. Legions know fear and troubles of a hundred kinds.

This reminds us that when those mists of darkness enveloped the travelers in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, it enveloped all of the participants—the righteous as well as the unrighteous, the young along with the elderly, the new convert and seasoned member alike. In that allegory all face opposition and travail, and only the rod of iron —the declared word of God —can bring them safely through. We all need that rod. We all need that word. No one is safe without it, for in its absence any can “[fall] away into forbidden paths and [be] lost,” as the record says. How grateful we are to have heard God’s voice and felt the strength of that iron rod in this conference these past two days.

I had that quote on my mind as conference began this weekend. Our times are even more challenging now than 18 years ago when the talk was given, let alone what could be ahead of us. What guidance will the Lord give us through His prophets to help us now?

I think we received our answer. I can’t remember a conference weekend that had so many talks focused on a specific theme – the importance of covenants and temples to help us through our lives. It is very clear that the Lord is trying to tell us something that we need to enable us to navigate the time we’re in, and perhaps even more importantly, the time ahead of us. I am very much looking forward to being able to read the talks to gain even more insight on the topic. It gives me comfort that the focus we’ve had as a mission to help people make and keep covenants is in line with the brethren and the Lord.

Let me share a few parts of different talks that stood out to me. First, I loved the ongoing theme of trusting in the power of your covenants in times of adversity. One of my favorite talks was from Elder Soares, where he talked about “covenant confidence.” What an amazing way to describe the way we can live our lives when we trust in the Lord and His promises as we keep our covenants. He said the best thing that we can pass on to our family is confidence in the covenants of God. This tied in directly with what President Eyring shared about the experience he and his wife had as they were in that hotel in Idaho Falls during the Teton Dam disaster. I wrote this down and underlined it:

No matter the outcome – all will be well because of the temple. We have made covenants with God and have been sealed as an eternal family. We have no need to fear.

He went on to quote President Nelson, who said that the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.

This will not surprise you, but another of my favorite talks of the weekend was from Elder Bednar. Being a guy who has built a lot of buildings, I was especially enlightened by his analogy of the rock and the foundation, based on Helaman 5:12. I had never really had someone point out that the “rock” is Jesus Christ, and it is “our” foundation that we’re building.

Speaking from experience, what he said about the importance of connecting the foundation to the bedrock is 100% true. It is one of the most important parts of building plans – to know how to have the concrete foundation appropriately connected to the ground underneath so it can appropriately bear the weight of the building. His analogy of ordinances and covenants being the connecting rods between our foundation and the rock of Christ was powerful for me. The more connecting rods we have, the surer our foundation will be. Ultimately, this sure foundation enables us to stand against the challenges of the day.

Second, I was very impressed with the focus on, and specific direction given about the purpose and importance of the temple garment. I told Sister Lamprecht that I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard more specific discussion and clear direction on that topic given in a conference talk than was given by Sister Dennis in the first session. I look forward to getting her specific quotes, but I was struck by her talking about the garment is a symbol of our covenants with God. She pointed out that it is symbolic of the Savior’s atonement covering us throughout our lives. It’s a way that we symbolically “put on Christ.” She said, “My willingness to wear the garment is a sign to God.”

President Oaks also spent a significant part of his talk speaking about the importance of the temple garment. It hit me hard when he said that when we take off our temple garments, we make a disclaimer as to the covenants and blessings related to the temple. In other words, we show the Lord that we either don’t want or don’t believe in those promises. We’re ok to go it alone. Honestly, there is no way in this world that we live in now that I want to go it alone. I hope you all received a greater witness as to the importance of the temple garment as a symbol of your covenants and temple blessings.

For tonight, I need to finish with the words of our prophet. I loved how he took this great event of reacquiring the Kirtland temple to teach us the importance of what happened there. Please accept his invitation to ponder the question: “How would your life be different without the restoration of the priesthood keys through Moses, Elias, and. Elijah?” One of his quotes that I wrote down was:

No other organization can influence your life after death.

I was struck hard by that statement. It made me realize again the importance of what we’re all doing here. We are offering something that no one else can offer. I also wrote down these quotes:

The gathering of Israel is evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere.

The Abraham covenant is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere.

The sealing power is superlative evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere, and wants each of them to choose to return to Him.

I invite you to join me in accepting his invitation to study the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland temple, found in Doctrine & Covenants 109. He said it is a tutorial for how the temple will help us. I’m looking forward to being able to read his complete promise about worshipping in the temple. I was able to write down that it will help us to hold fast to the iron rod and soothe our spirits in times of pain. I know there were many others that I couldn't get down. He finished with, “Nothing will open the heavens more – nothing.”

There was so much more that I could write about from so many different speakers. I also thought the music was fantastic. I especially loved hearing “Amazing Grace” sung in our conference. What a powerful hymn that unites all Christendom.

I look forward to being able to read these talks. I felt like there was so much more in many of them that I want to read and ponder. I invite you to do the same.

As I said earlier, I feel the Lord is giving us a place in which we can place our confidence in the times ahead – the safety and power of our covenants. As you discuss making the first covenant with your friends, and as you visit members who have already made some covenants, please bear testimony of the message of this conference. We invite all to come unto the Savior through making covenants with Him, capped off by the covenants we make in His holy house. As we do so, we can have confidence in the face of life’s challenges, and we can have access to power and help to get through them. What an incredible blessing we have to offer all of God’s children in our mission. I testify that those principles are true.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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4/22/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Good night from Guyana. We were able to spend this last week in the ABC Islands interviewing missionaries and meeting in Zone Conference. It was great being with the wonderful missionaries there and feeling the spirit together in the conference. I have felt a powerful spirit in all four of our zone conferences this transfer. It seems clear to me that the Lord wants us to take all the good things that the mission is doing and unite those efforts with the members. That will be the next big step the mission needs to make. I’m grateful for all that each of you are doing to make progress in that area.

Tonight, I had a call with Elder Gamiette, our Area Authority, and President Nathoo, the Georgetown Branch president. We were meeting to plan the upcoming Georgetown District Conference. As part of that conversation, Elder Gamiette was sharing with us some of the things he learned at the training for General Authorities at the most recent General Conference. He said there was a continued focus on the importance of covenants. He quoted President Nelson on something that I felt was powerful and I immediately was prompted to talk about it in our email tonight.

He said that President Nelson was teaching about covenants, and he said something to the effect that when we teach people about covenants, we need to begin with helping them understand what it means to keep a simple promise. He went on to say that we teach people about the blessings of covenants but sometimes we neglect to help them understand the importance of making commitments and keeping them. If we as members don’t understand what it means to keep a promise, we’ll have a very difficult time reaping the blessings of those covenants. As I was thinking about that, a word came to my mind – integrity. Integrity is all about our commitment to keeping our promises. I wanted to share a few thoughts on that tonight from Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6, and the talk given in the most recent General Conference by Elder Jack N. Gerard, of the First Quorum of Seventy, entitled “Integrity: A Christlike Attribute.”

Let’s first start with Preach My Gospel. From Chapter 6, we read the following about integrity:

When you have integrity, you understand that there is right and wrong and that there is absolute truth—God’s truth. You use your agency to choose according to God’s truth, and you promptly repent when you do not. What you choose to think—and what you do when you believe no one is watching—is a strong measure of your integrity.

Integrity means you do not lower your standards or behavior so you can impress or be accepted by others. You do what is right even when others scoff at your desire to be true to God…

When you have integrity, you keep your covenants with God as well as your righteous commitments to others.

Integrity includes being honest with God, yourself, your leaders, and others. You do not lie, steal, cheat, or deceive. When you do something wrong, you accept responsibility and repent instead of trying to justify or rationalize it....

In his talk, Elder Gerard added some other interesting points about integrity. He said:

Living a life of integrity requires us to be true to God, to each other, and to our divine identity.

I’d like to share a quote he gave on each one of those three aspects of integrity.

As it relates to our being true to God, I like this quote:

The oppositional pull of this world is an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. How we respond to the pull is the essence of who we are—a measure of our integrity. The worldly pull can be as direct as to destroy fidelity in marriage or as subtle as posting anonymous comments critical of Church doctrine or culture. Exercising integrity in our choices is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.

I found that last line powerful. Living a life of integrity is one of the great outward symbols of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. As it relates to being true to each other, he said:

Our focus is on the Savior, and we are careful to avoid actions that may be perceived as serving our own interests, benefiting our family, or favoring someone at the expense of another. We go out of our way to avoid any perception that our actions may be influenced by the honors of men, to receive personal recognition, generate more likes, be quoted or published.

And finally, as it relates to being true to our divine identity, Elder Gerard used some examples, such as Korihor as a negative example, and Joseph and Hyrum Smith as positive examples. Of Joseph and Hyrum, Elder Gerard said:

Joseph’s brother Hyrum was loved by the Lord “because of the integrity of his heart.” He and Joseph remained true to the end—true to their divine identity, the light and knowledge they received, and true to the person they knew they could become.

Elders and Sisters, the best way for you to be at peace about your life and receive the Lord’s greatest blessings is to keep your promises and live a life of integrity. I decided early in my career that for me to be not only at peace with myself but also successful, I needed to be someone that others could trust. That when I said something, I would do it. I needed to have that integrity with people in business transactions, people who worked for and with me, and as we worked with city officials and staff members to get projects approved. I knew that the minute I couldn’t be trusted, it would be a problem for me personally and for the things I was trying to accomplish. I have very much tried to make that a part of my life.

I invite you to decide now to live a life of integrity. Make a commitment to be the kind of person people can trust – who will do what they say they are going to do, keep confidences, be trustworthy. Make a commitment to keep your covenants with God, and in doing so, reap the blessings of a covenant relationship with Him. Remember that the Lord is a God of perfect integrity. He said He is bound when we do what He says. (D&C 82:10). The only way we lose His help and commitment is if we don’t’ keep our promises to Him. In that case, “we have no promise.” That’s not a place I want to be.

We’ll be at Mission Leader Seminar in Puerto Rico this week, so I’ll probably not be able to respond as quickly as I would like to your requests. I’ll do the best that I can, but I’m sure the Assistants or senior couples can help if needed immediately.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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.4-29-24

Greetings again from Guyana. Sister Lamprecht and I are back after having a wonderful opportunity this last week to meet with the Area Presidency and other Mission Leaders from the Caribbean Area in our Mission Leaders Seminar. It is a great blessing to come together to be taught by our leaders and share best practices with one another. We were taught several important topics for the mission that we plan on sharing in the future.

One of the great blessings of this last week was the opportunity to attend the temple in Puerto Rico. The House of the Lord has provided the setting for me to have sacred spiritual experiences in my life. This time was no different. I had some special experiences in answer to some personal desires of mine that I will take forward with me the rest of my life. I’m grateful for the Lord’s love for me and for waiting to answer those prayers until I was in a place and frame of mind to receive them properly. That’s what the temple provides. I invite you to make the decision now to make the temple a central focus for the rest of your lives. It will make all the difference.

One experience I had in the temple provides the topic for my email tonight. During the endowment session as we were making the different covenants, I was especially struck by the importance of the last covenant – living the law of consecration -- and what that really means. I’d like to share a few thoughts on that.

First, I found these two quotes from two of our leaders on what it means to live the law of consecration. I thought they were both excellent and thought-provoking. The first quote is from President Ezra Taft Benson:

We covenant to live the law of consecration. This law is that we consecrate our time, talents, strength, property, and money for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God on this earth and the establishment of Zion. Until one abides by the laws of obedience, sacrifice, the gospel, and chastity, he cannot abide the law of consecration, which is the law pertaining to the celestial kingdom. “For if you will that I give you place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you (D&C 78:7)."

Elder Bednar has continually taught that order is important. That clearly applies to the order of the covenants we make. We begin with obedience and sacrifice, then covenant to live the gospel and doctrine of Christ, be virtuous and true, leading up to making a covenant to live the law of consecration, or the law of the celestial kingdom. Elder Bednar teaches the following about living the law of consecration:

Consecration is related to and builds upon sacrifice. The word consecrate means to develop and ‘dedicate to a sacred purpose.’ Sacrifice is what we will offer, surrender, yield, or give up. Consecration, on the other hand, is to fully develop and dedicate to a sacred purpose. … As we live the law of consecration, we are willing not only to offer anything and everything that we possess for the sake of the gospel—but we also promise to develop and devote our best selves—our time, our talents, and our ever-increasing capacity—to the building of the kingdom of God on the earth. Our pledge is: I will give me and all that I can become, and I will live for the gospel of Jesus Christ. The principle of sacrifice is a lesser-law preparation for the principle of consecration. Consecration includes and encompasses sacrifice and much more. … True consecration is motivated by charity and produces an increased desire to serve. In these latter days, more is required of us as children of the covenant than our money, substance, and time. We need to consecrate unto the Lord our whole souls.

I bolded two sentences that really stood out to me. First, it is so important that we get a grasp of what we are covenanting to do to live the law of consecration. As Elder Bednar says, we pledge “to give me and all that I can become...” That concept is what hit me in the temple – that the Lord wants me to be willing to put Him first at any time and in any place in my life. Second, Elder Bednar taught that we are consecrating more than things – we are consecrating us – our whole souls.

It reminded me of something President Eyring has taught several times. I want to share that with you as an example of what it means to live the law of consecration. He shared this experience:

When Kathy and I were married and sealed in the Logan Utah Temple, then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball performed our sealing. In the few words he spoke, he gave this counsel: “Hal and Kathy, live so that when the call comes, you can walk away easily.”

Initially, we did not understand what that counsel meant for us, but we did our best to live our lives in such a way that we would be prepared to leave to serve the Lord when the call came. After we had been married nearly 10 years, an unanticipated call did come from the Commissioner of Church Education, Neal A. Maxwell.

The loving counsel given by President Kimball in the temple to be able to “walk away easily” became a reality. Kathy and I received a call to leave what seemed an idyllic family situation in California to serve in an assignment and in a place that I knew nothing about. However, our family was ready to leave because a prophet, in a holy temple, a place of revelation, saw a future event for which we were then prepared.

I don’t think we can ever know how hard that was for President and Sister Eyring to leave the notoriety and environment of Stanford to go to Ricks College. However, because they had made a covenant, they could “walk away easily” when the call came.

In some small way, Sister Lamprecht and I had a similar experience. I was having success in my business, and I was serving in the Stake Presidency. We were in a time in our life when we could travel, be with our kids, and enjoy the blessings of life. Then I started getting a strong prompting that when I got released from the Stake Presidency, we needed to be prepared to walk away from my business and go on a senior mission. We had planned to do a senior mission, but not at that time, as I was not even 60 yet.

As time passed, that prompting got stronger, and things started to happen that made it clear that it’s what the Lord wanted us to do. Consequently, a year or so before I knew we would be released, I told my partners that I would be retiring by the end of 2018. That was a difficult discussion to have with my partners, as I enjoyed working with them and we were good at what we did and were respected in the industry. I was grateful that they respected my decision and the reason for it.

When the time came for my release, we were greatly blessed to see things wind up in a way that was good for all concerned, and within about six months, we had a call to go to Singapore as senior missionaries. As I look back, I see the hand of the Lord blessing us, but we first had to make the decision to “walk away” when the call came. I’m so grateful we did, because I know it’s what prepared us for and perhaps even qualified us to receive the great blessing of working with all of you in this mission. I think of what I would have missed if we wouldn’t have made the decision to walk away when we did.

Right now, each one of you has decided to live your covenant of consecration. You have “walked away” from your lives to spend this time serving the Lord. Just as He has done with us, I know the Lord has blessed you and will bless you going forward because of that decision. I also testify that as you continue to make that decision, not only in future “moments of truth,” but also in your decisions each day to put God first, the Lord will bless you in ways that you can’t even imagine. Ultimately, as Elder Bednar said, if we are willing to “give (us) and all that (we) can become” for the building up of the kingdom of God and to establish Zion, we qualify for all the blessings of the celestial kingdom, for, as President Benson taught, that is the law of that kingdom.

I’m grateful for the knowledge of temple blessings and covenants restored in these latter days. We have the great privilege and responsibility to let others know of and obtain access to those blessings. It can bless them now and in eternity. Let’s invite others to participate in those blessings.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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5/5/24

Good evening from Guyana. On this “Cinco de Mayo” (especially for those who celebrate that holiday) we say goodbye to another transfer. Your efforts and diligence have been amazing. I’m proud of all the good things that have been done. I thought you might be interested to know that if you take the six weekends in this transfer, there has been a total of 63 people baptized in the mission. In the last three weeks alone, we have had 43 baptisms. I'm pleased that you’re all doing it without any big fanfare or mission-wide specific focus. You’re doing it in normal and natural ways. That’s how the Lord wants it done – with your consistent efforts and faith, day by day, as you set goals and make plans in each of your areas. I’m honored to serve with you, and excited to see what the future holds.

I know that many of you are excited/scared/anxious/happy/sad, etc. as you look forward to this next transfer. We’ll be sad to say goodbye this week to seven stellar missionaries, Elders Olsen, Adams, and Stinson from the ABC Zone, Elders Tauraa and Padron from Guyana, and Sister Vakautakakala and Elder Pierson from Suriname. It will be hard for us to see them go, but we know that they have all served faithfully. We’ll also welcome four new missionaries, three to Guyana (two from reassignment and one new from the MTC), and Sister Holman, who will be returning to Suriname on reassignment awaiting her visa to The Netherlands. We’re excited to have them join us. I pray that each one of you will seek for spiritual assurance that you are where you need to be and with whom the Lord wants you to serve this next transfer. Let’s keep the good momentum going and push to the next level.

This weekend we had the unique opportunity of having an in-person Coordinating Council. Coordinating Councils consist of the Area Authority Seventy, Mission President, and Stake/District Presidents in a specific area. Our coordinating council is our mission, with Elder Gamiette as our Area Authority Seventy.

The Area Presidency asked that we have an in-person meeting, so we flew in Elder Gamiette, President Perez from the ABC Islands District, President Verwey from the Suriname district, and President Danzell from the Trinidad Stake to Guyana. On Saturday this group plus President Nathoo of the Georgetown District, President Hussain of the Berbice District, and me were able to have a four-hour meeting. It was a unique opportunity to have us all in the same room to be taught what the Brethren focused on at the leadership training meetings held in Salt Lake around the April General Conference. I’ll share one thing from that training with you tonight.

As we were concluding, Elder Gamiette asked me to give my “departing testimony,” since that would be my last Coordinating Council meeting. One thing I shared is something important for you to know. I told them I have served in a lot of different callings, with a lot of different leaders in the church. The leaders that the Lord has called to lead the stake and districts in our mission are among the most qualified, dedicated leaders that I have served with. I have confidence they can lead these districts in accordance with God’s plan. I think it’s important that you know that, and trust/sustain these leaders in what they are trying to accomplish. They have consistently complimented the missionaries in the mission for your diligence, love, and desire to establish the church. They realize your value and appreciate what you are doing to help them.

Tonight, I wanted to share with you one thing that Elder Gamiette taught from the General Authority training that to me was enlightening and powerful. (For those in the Georgetown District, if he teaches it next week in district conference, you’ll need to act surprised.). He began with the following scripture, found in Genesis 28. The story begins with Jacob leaving his home to look for a wife that is of the covenant seed. In other words, he was seeking to be obedient to what the Lord asked of him. On his way, he had the following experience, starting in verse 10:

And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:…And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Elder Gamiette asked us what we think the symbolism is of a ladder from earth to heaven? What do you think? As you ponder that, think of what the most important pieces of a ladder are. Obviously, the rungs (the different steps) are essential for the ladder to fulfill its purpose of aiding one to go up and down. If the ladder represents the way or process for us to progress towards Our Heavenly Father, what are the rungs? The rungs are the covenants we make in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each one leads to another, until we ultimately climb to the top of the ladder.

When climbing a ladder, you must go from rung to rung. To do that you must put forth effort to get one foot on the next rung, then push to raise your body so that you can get the other foot up. After making that effort and climbing another rung, you steady yourself and prepare to take the next step. As you keep repeating this process, you eventually get to the place you wanted to go at the top of the ladder.

Our climbing the spiritual ladder through making and keeping covenants is a similar process. We identify the next rung (covenant) and we put forth effort to make that covenant. We then take some time to steady ourselves and prepare for the next step. As we do so, we get higher and higher and ultimately are changed in the way God intends us to be. Speaking of the process, I found the following quote from the training given by Elder Stevenson and others at the General Authority training:

The unique and sacred love God has for us is not just transactional; it’s transformational. In the scriptures this transformation is described as “a mighty change of heart,” as someone being “born again” or “born of God,” or even as a changing of a person’s disposition. Covenants we make with the Lord transform our lives. They transform how we feel and recognize His love and mercy for us.

Just as on a physical ladder, our circumstances and vision change as we get higher up on the rungs of the ladder. We are transformed. We also obtain power from God to continue, as President Nelson noted in a quote from that same session:

The moral and spiritual power that our people need right now and for the days ahead is the power of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We gain access to Their power by making and keeping covenants with Them.

Let’s help our friends and members understand the importance of each of the rungs on the ladder to heaven. Let’s try to understand them better ourselves. I know that our vision will change, and we’ll receive the power to move forward if we better understand how covenants raise us to the Father. I invite you to think about how you’re doing on climbing your own ladder to heaven.

I’m grateful for each of you. It’s an honor to serve with you. Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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5-13-24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings again from the Mission Home in Guyana. First, Happy Mother’s Day to all your mothers. Hopefully, if appropriate and possible, you’ve shared with them your love and appreciation. We’ve loved seeing what some of you have done. I’m sure your moms really loved it.

It’s been quite a first week of the transfer for us. At the beginning of the week, we welcomed the departing missionaries to Guyana. We had a wonderful Tuesday evening/Wednesday with them. It’s always a sweet experience for me to talk with them in their departing interviews and hear expressions of faith in Jesus Christ and gratitude for the privilege of serving Him. Early Thursday morning we said goodbye to them, wishing them the best in the next phase of their lives.

That same night we started receiving new missionaries to the mission. Elder Figueroa arrived from Honduras at 2 AM Thursday morning (thanks to Elder Pedersen for doubling up taking Elder Padron to the airport, leaving our house at 12:30 AM, and picking up Elder Figureroa!). Elder Trinidad was to arrive on Thursday afternoon, but due to some issues with his travel, he ended up not arriving until around 2 PM today. Three missionaries, Elder Manning (English-speaking), Sister Holman (from Suriname; on reassignment awaiting her visa), and Sister Atkinson (Dutch-speaking) arrived from the Provo MTC at around 11:30 PM Thursday night. We’re so excited to have all these missionaries join our mission. I know they will be great additions.

We were also blessed to have Georgetown Guyana District Conference this weekend. The conference was presided over by Elder Gamiette, our Area Authority Seventy. All sessions were filled with the spirit. The attendance at the General Session today was 487, which is the highest attendance we’ve had at district conference since we got here. President Nathoo told us the next time they want to have it in a conference center. They feel they’ve grown out of the district building.

The theme of the General Session was preparing to go to the temple. President Nathoo invited everyone to prepare to either go to the temple the first time or return by the end of the year. Both Sister Lamprecht and I felt a powerful confirmation that if the members did that, it would be the key for their becoming a stake. The new District Presidency did a great job leading the conference. It felt very much like a Stake Conference. We’re getting close!

My message for this week comes from my reading of the Doctrine & Covenants. I have had a rich experience supplementing my personal study by reading this great book, which contains the voice of the Savior to His covenant children who are restoring the true church. It is especially relevant because of its heavy emphasis on missionary work.

The section I want to focus on tonight is Section 100. The introduction to the section says:

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon, at Perrysburg, New York, October 12, 1833. The two brethren, having been absent from their families for several days, felt some concern about them.

Those feelings hit home to me – how about you? I know there are times when I feel like I’ve been gone for a long time and have concern for my family. I think it’s a natural part of this assignment. I want to share a few verses with some comments, in how the Lord answers them. First, in verse 1, He says:

Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my friends Sidney and Joseph, your families are well; they are in mine hands, and I will do with them as seemeth me good; for in me there is all power.

Two things I see in this verse that I found very powerful and comforting. First, look at how the Savior refers to Sidney and Joseph – as His friends. What a great compliment and a source of comfort for them. I feel like He would say the same about you. You are part of a very small group of God’s children throughout the world who have decided to sacrifice some period of your life to serve God full-time. To me, I think it’s because you are His friends and fellow laborers, with relationships that go before your mortal life began. I love this quote from President Oaks:

I feel strongly, that includes each of you. You are His friends, with deep relationships upon which He could trust to send you at this time in the world’s history, to do some of His greatest, but most difficult work.

Second, I love how the Lord comforts them about their families. He says they are well, and they are in His hands, and He will do with them what seems good, since He has all power. I can’t imagine receiving a greater promise. Remember that He is also promising that to you. Even if there are apparent challenges at home, because of who you are and what you are doing, He is doing with them what is best, and He has all power to do it. You can put your trust in that promise.

Then the Savior has a little interview with them, helping them refocus on their purpose. He said:

Therefore, follow me, and listen to the counsel which I shall give unto you. Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this eastern land. Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvation of souls.

Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

First, I invite you to read verses 2-4, envisioning that the Lord is talking to you, because He is. That is a message to each one of us, with the following key points:

The Savior invites us to follow Him and listen to His counsel. We can’t do it on our own.
He has much people in this place. I know that He has much people in your place. Do you have faith that this is true, and that He will open the doors for you to find them? That will be a key to your success as a missionary.
Why has the Lord sent you to this mission, and for this transfer, to your area? Because it was expedient in me (Him) for the salvation of souls. Do you feel in your heart that for this transfer, that is true? Has the Lord sent you to where you are because there are souls to save, and you can save them?

How do you find them?

Verse 5-6 – Lift up your voices…speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts…it shall be given you in the very hour., yea, in the very moment what ye shall say.
Verse 7 cautions us that we must share that message in His name, in solemnity of heart, and in the spirit of meekness. Is that a good description of how we’re sharing His message? Do we need to make some changes to get there?

In verse 8, the Savior models for us the principle of inviting, in verses 5-7, and if we act, He promises us blessings. What is the promise? That the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say. What an amazing, promised blessing. If we have faith to go out each day that there are much people for us to find, and we do it in the correct way, we know the Lord will keep His side of the promise in having the Holy Ghost bear witness to things we say. This is the only way that true conversion takes place. It’s the only way our friends can climb the wall of faith and objections and desire to make their first covenant with God in the waters of baptism. They must receive the Holy Ghost and have Him bear witness of the truth.

Elders and Sisters, I know these principles are true. The Lord has made the same promise to us as missionaries here that He made to Joseph and Sidney. Our families will be watched over, there are much souls in our areas, and we must lift up our voices to harvest them. If we do, the Spirit will do the rest. Let’s go out and find “much people” this transfer, wherever we’re serving. I know the Lord has placed them there.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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5/20/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Suriname. Sister Lamprecht and I are starting to have this weird experience of realizing that the “lasts” are starting to come quickly. Tonight, could likely be our last night in Suriname for a very long time. We’ve had a great week of interviews and zone conference, focusing on our transfer theme of establishing the church. I’m grateful for the wonderful trainings we received.

One of the hardest things for us is realizing this was the last time in person we’re going to be with many of the great missionaries in this zone until we meet again in another setting. Lots of hugs and a few tears. Unfortunately, that’s what we’re facing in the next three weeks. We realize how much our lives our intertwined with yours, the privilege of serving with you, and the love we have for you. Next week the experience will be in Trinidad.

As you know, the “Come Follow Me” chapters this week have been Mosiah 11-17, focusing on Abinadi and his teachings to King Noah and the wicked priests, ultimately resulting in Abinadi’s giving his life for his testimony. I was thinking tonight that I might talk about three topics that I have thought a lot about this week.

The first topic I wanted to talk about was courage – courage to stand alone, courage to stand up for what we believe in regardless of what’s going on around us, and courage to do what’s right in the face of all kinds of obstacles. Abinadi was such an incredible example of that. We have no idea of what Abinadi’s life was before he was called to deliver this message. Did he have a family? Did he have a job? What are the things that he sacrificed even before this last experience in front of King Noah? What an incredible example of courage and willingness to do whatever the Lord required of him to do.

In Come Follow Me there was a reference to a chapter in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Thomas S. Monson on courage. I was inspired as I read that chapter. Let me share three quotes:

Every day of our lives courage is needed—not just for the momentous events but more often as we make decisions or respond to circumstances around us. Said Scottish poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson: “Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name”

Courage comes in many forms. Wrote the Christian author Charles Swindoll: “Courage is not limited to the battlefield … or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are … much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, … like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.” I would add that this inner courage also includes doing the right thing even though we may be afraid, defending our beliefs at the risk of being ridiculed, and maintaining those beliefs even when threatened with a loss of friends or of social status. He who stands steadfastly for that which is right must risk becoming at times disapproved and unpopular.

We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us—all of us—have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently. As we move forward, striving to live as we should, we will surely receive help from the Lord and can find comfort in His words.

It takes great courage to be a full-time missionary – courage to talk to strangers about something as personal as religion, courage to ask people to change, and courage to stand for truth and righteousness. I think of each of you every day doing those things that require great courage. I’m so proud of you and amazed at what you do.

However, perhaps our biggest challenges are the things that require courage when we’re in private. Are we willing to do what’s right when no one is watching, including living the Safeguards? Do we have the courage to put something that is holding us back on God’s altar, sacrificing it to Him? Those are the things that take inner courage.

Second, in the Sunday School lesson I was in today, the teacher was talking about Abinadi and the results of his experience with King Noah and the wicked priests. If we just focus on the obvious results, we could assume that Abinadi felt like a failure, as he didn’t cause the people to repent (with one known exception). However, as I read those chapters, I feel like Abinadi understood the section in Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel on being a successful missionary, especially the following:

Your success does not depend on how others choose to respond to you, to your invitations, or to your sincere acts of kindness. People have agency to choose whether to accept the gospel message or not. Your responsibility is to teach clearly and powerfully so they can make an informed choice that will bless them.

This, to me, is a perfect description of what Abinadi did. He taught clearly and powerfully so they could make an informed choice. Unfortunately, for the most part, they made a bad choice, except for one of the wicked priests. I’m sure that Abinadi had no idea of the chain of events that were put in process by one person who heard his teachings and believed – the future prophet Alma the Elder.

During the Sunday School lesson I pondered about the difference that one convert made. Here’s a quick list: 1) He wrote down the profound words of Abinadi, 2) He taught and baptized hundreds of people, 3) He ultimately was led, with his people, to join with King Mosiah, and became his chief priest, blessing the lives of many others, and 4) He had a son, Alma the Younger, whose conversion and resulting missionary work blessed thousands of lives. I’m sure there are more. I then thought of the millions of modern-day people who, by reading of Abinadi, Alma the Elder, and Alma the Younger, in the Book of Mormon, have been converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Quite a result from one convert. I think that should encourage us to realize that no effort is wasted, and the power that one changed person can have.

Finally, I wanted to share a personal experience that flowed from the words of Abinadi. About eight years ago I got a call from my sister that my mother had experienced a massive stroke, and it looked like she was going to pass away. We gathered as a family as quickly as we could, but within about three days she was gone. Right after she passed, my dad, brother, sister, and I sat together. I don’t remember how we got there, but we read the following words of Abinadi out loud together:

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.

As we read those words, I received a witness more powerful than ever before, as to the truth that there is a resurrection, the grave has no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. It came as great comfort to me. I knew I would see my mother again, and I would be with her if I lived my life according to the covenants I had made. It’s a moment I will never forget, thanks in large part to the power of Abinadi’s testimony and the blessing of Alma the Elder recording his words.

So, in summary, let’s have courage to do the Lord’s work, in public and in private. Take comfort that no effort is wasted and realize the difference one changed person can make. Finally, take comfort in the gift of the Savior’s atonement and help others to do the same.

Have a great week. We love you. President Lamprecht

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Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings this week from Trinidad. We have just completed our visit here, interviewing the members of this Zone, having an excellent Zone Conference, and participating in the Trinidad Stake Conference this weekend. It has been a Spirit-filled visit. We were again sad to say goodbye in person to another group of our beloved fellow missionaries. We know Trinidad is in good hands.

This week we are looking forward to being in Guyana, doing interviews and having our multi-zone conference there. We’ll be in the ABC Zone starting Sunday in Bonaire to visit the branch and say goodbye to the members there. We’ll be in the three islands during the following week.

Presiding at the Stake Conference in Trinidad was Elder Cordon, from our Area Presidency. He did a wonderful job, and it was a conference that was edifying, motivating, and filled with the Spirit. It was also good to see that just as in several of our other preceding District Conferences, the attendance on Sunday was the best that we have seen in our entire three years. It’s a confirmation that progress is being made in the mission. We’re grateful for that.

At the risk of repetition for the Trinidad missionaries, I’d like to share some things that I found to be inspiring and important from the conference.

First, in the leadership session, Elder Cordon began his presentation with the story of the rich young man, found in Matthew 19:16-22:

1And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Elder Cordon pointed out that most of the time when we read this story, we believe it’s about obedience and not being attached to earthy possessions, which is right. However, he said it’s also about something else. It’s about a call extended, and willingness and availability to accept it, which has relevance to all of us, regardless of how much worldly possessions we have.

When the Savior gives us a specific invitation to “follow Him,” are we available and willing to accept that invitation or is there something that is holding us back. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, although sometimes it is. It could be little decisions every day, about our diligence in doing God’s work and our willingness to do it His way. At the end of our mission (or our life), are we going to go away sorrowful? I think of these words from a poem quoted often by President Monson:

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.”

I hope that at the end of our missions, and our lives, we can know in our hearts that we have done all that we can, and not regret what we have missed or could have done.

The second thing I wanted to share was something Elder Cordon shared after one of the meetings as he was talking with the missionaries from the Zone. He was talking to them about the importance of staying disciples when they go home. He said in his mission he had a question for departing missionaries that was something like, “Will it be 10 or 2?” He then explained what he meant.

He said that many missionaries don’t use the years preparing for their mission very effectively. Prayer, scripture study, obedience, sacrifice, discipline, were not key parts of their lives. He said when that’s the case the habits and lifestyle of those ten years (“10” -- age 8 to 18) become a serious weight on the missionary when they return home. The real question is if the change that took place in the two years of the mission will be strong enough to offset the pull of the ten years before the mission. He was applying it to things like, what our Sabbath Day habits were before our mission, what media we took into our lives, etc. The answer to that is going to be a key to each of our ongoing discipleship.

The third thing I wanted to write about that he shared was something in his talk on Sunday. One of the topics of the Sunday session that was addressed several times was establishing the church (including in my talk) and the blessings of it. Elder Cordon made a very interesting point on that topic. He said that before we can establish the church, each of us as members must have the Savior Jesus Christ established in our hearts. We must have a clear understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice, and our need for the redemptive and enabling power of His atonement. If that isn’t burning in our lives, we will have no desire to establish the church.

Elder Cordon shared two of my favorite quotes from President Benson about making the Savior the center of our lives:

When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.

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 can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, and pour out peace.

It made me think about a scripture that is becoming perhaps one of my favorites, found in Matthew 16:24-26:

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

It made me realize that for each of us to be effective in fulfilling our invitation to establish the church, we must first establish Christ in our hearts and minds. As we do so, we have the desire, passion, and motivation to do His work. It’s also important, as we seek to unite with members, to help them to make those same choices to put Christ in the center of their lives. As we teach doctrine and make invitations to that end, we’ll see a greater movement by each ward or branch to establish the church. That’s when the Lord’s power and blessings will be poured out to enable that to happen.

All three of those principles taught by Elder Cordon made a big impression on me and I think many others. I hope they were helpful to you. I invite you to ponder them and think about your willingness and availability to do what the Lord asks you to do, choose the 2 versus the 10 now and in the future, and put the Lord as the center of your life as the first step to establishing the church.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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6/2/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from Bonaire. We’re grateful to be in the ABC Islands to start our visits to all three islands. We’re beginning in Bonaire, where we were able to visit the branch and say goodbye to many good friends there and interview the Bonaire missionaries. We then go to Aruba tomorrow for interviews and Zone Conference, then to Curacao for their interviews and visiting the branch on Sunday to say goodbye. After that, it’s back to Guyana to complete everything that is left to do to finish this transfer, prepare for the next one, and get ready for the arrival of President and Sister Van Gils at the end of the month.

We’re grateful to have been able to have Zone Conference with the missionaries in Guyana this week. Unfortunately, due to something I took home from Trinidad, I felt quite sick on Monday to Wednesday, so we pushed interviews for many missionaries back until we get back from ABC. One good thing about that is that we will be able to see them one more time in interviews and to say goodbye.

Tonight, I felt prompted to talk about a subject that I know that we all get asked about regularly. What led me to this topic was a message I received this morning from a priesthood leader, telling me that a family under his stewardship had a tragic thing happen to them this week. I was heartbroken when I heard about it, and reflected on how this family has been working hard to help their branch and serve the Lord and have this happen to them. It reminds me of the question that so many people in the world use to justify not believing in God: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “If God were really there, and He loved us, how could He let such unfairness, injustice, cruelty, etc. happen to His children?” I’d like to share a few thoughts on that tonight.

First, we must understand that these questions come from a mortal perspective. They are based solely on knowledge of this world and its history. One of my favorite analogies to help us arrive at some answers is to realize there is much more to our existence and God’s plan than mortality. President Boyd K Packer spoke to church educators and gave an analogy that when I heard it has stuck with me and helped me put these questions in perspective. Here is, in part, what he said:

The plan of redemption, with its three divisions, might be likened to a grand three-act play. Act 1 is entitled ‘Premortal Life.’ The scriptures describe it as our first estate. Act 2, from birth to the time of resurrection, is the ‘Second Estate.’ And act 3 is called ‘Life After Death’ or ‘Eternal Life.’

In mortality, we are like actors who enter a theater just as the curtain goes up on the second act. We have missed act 1. The production has many plots and subplots that interweave, making it difficult to figure out who relates to whom and what relates to what, who are the heroes and who are the villains. It is further complicated because we are not just spectators; we are members of the cast, on stage, in the middle of it all!

I like this quote from Preach My Gospel:

Agency, or the freedom and ability to choose, is an essential part of God’s plan for us. In our premortal life, each of us chose to follow God’s plan and come to earth so we could take the next step in our eternal progression. We understood that while we were here, we would have many new opportunities to grow and experience joy. We also understood that we would face opposition. We would experience temptation, trials, sorrow, and death. In choosing to come to earth, we trusted in God’s love and help. We trusted in His plan for our salvation.

For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, we gladly accepted whatever life would have to offer to us because of the potential for what we can become through our experience here. Because we don’t remember what happened in Act 1, and don’t understand clearly how Act 3 is going to resolve all those questions, Act 2 can be difficult. We are asked to live by faith in His plan, revealed to living prophets throughout the ages, the center of which is Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer.

I believe that we knew the risk when we decided to support God’s plan for us. But I also believe we knew the outcome if we were able to do it successfully, and we were able to make an evaluation of risk vs reward. One of the keys to that evaluation was our elder brother, Jesus Christ. We trusted in His character, in His love for us, and in His ability to do what He volunteered to do. We bet our eternal life on it, and we know that He delivered for all mankind. Our task is to choose Him again, this time through learning by study and by faith.

For some reason that was clear in Act 1, and not so clear in Act 2, God would allow the agency of man, for good or for evil, to override all other principles. In addition, the Stake President I served with would talk often about the effects of a fallen world – disease, disorder, bad decisions, natural disasters, etc. and how we must undergo those things, regardless of who we are or what we are doing. All are part of life’s tests, that in some way, perhaps not clearly understood until Act 3, will prepare us to experience a happy ending if we remain faithful to the end.

The remaining faithful part is the challenge, even for those who believe. I’ll never forget a talk given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in October 2008, entitled “Come What May, and Love It.” I’d like to share some quotes from it on this topic to close. He said:

Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.

He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.

I know that God’s plan is perfect, and it’s what we agreed to with joy and great anticipation. Jesus Christ has fulfilled His part, and continues to offer to help us through, especially as we enter a covenant relationship with Him. He is our Advocate with the Father.

Our understanding of God’s plan for all His children will give us hope in times of trial, but it will never provide an answer to the question of why. We can never adequately answer the question of why specific bad things happen. It may have been anticipated in Act 1, and perhaps will be more fully understood in Act 3, but during Act 2, our mortal life, those questions will most likely be left unanswered. We must live by faith, trust in the Lord and His plan, and move forward, step by step, trusting that someday we will. We can rely on this promise, given by Elder Wirthlin:

The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

What a great source of comfort and hope. To the honest in heart, a knowledge of God’s plan for them, especially in the face of mortal trials, is like cool water to a burning soul. It can provide the relief they are looking for. It’s one of the greatest gifts we can offer. Many will not accept it because of bitterness and skepticism, but we must continually offer it. It’s why we’re here.

Have a great week. We love you.

President Lamprecht

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6/17/24

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from the Mission Home in Guyana. We’re done traveling, so my last two emails will be coming from here. We’ve had a busy week, interviewing the Berbice and Diamond Zones (did you note the name change?) and preparing this transfer. We have sought the Lord’s direction, as we had to put together a transfer with 12 missionaries departing (over 10% of the mission) and seven missionaries arriving.

We also had to send back the four ABC Island Spanish-speaking missionaries from Guyana to ABC because in this transfer and the last one we’ll send home seven ABC missionaries and receive no new ones. Thank goodness the mission will receive five new Spanish-speaking missionaries in the next two transfers.

Also, in this and the May transfers, we’ll send home five Elders from Suriname, and will only receive one Dutch-speaking Elder this transfer, with more on the way, assuming they get their visas relatively on time. Because of this temporary loss, we have had to close two areas in Guyana and one for the Elders in Suriname. Happily, however, we’re reopening a Sister’s area in Suriname, as we will also receive two new Dutch-speaking sisters this week.

We sent this transfer document to President and Sister Van Gils, so they would know what the mission will look like when they arrive. They shared with us their excitement to get here and meet you. I know that the Spirit has led us to place all of you where you are in preparation for them to come, and in accordance with God’s plan for you. I pray that you have or will receive that confirmation, and that you can go forward in faith.

I was thinking about what I might write about tonight and decided to scan the most recent General Conference talks. I was attracted to the talk given by Elder Nielson, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, who is going emeritus this year. His talk was entitled “A Record of What I Have Both Seen and Heard.” I’d like to share a paragraph from his talk:

Brothers and sisters, today I declare my witness and make a record of what I have both seen and heard during my sacred ministry as a Seventy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In doing so, I testify to you of a loving Heavenly Father and His benevolent Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, and rose again to offer eternal life to God’s children. I testify of “a marvelous work and a wonder” and that the Lord has set His hand once again to restore His gospel on the earth through His living prophets and apostles. I testify that based upon what I have both seen and heard, there has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today. I know this of my own knowledge, independent of any other source, because of what I have both seen and heard.

I felt prompted to follow that pattern, and tonight share with you a few things that I have seen and heard in my ministry as President of the Trinidad Port of Spain/Guyana Georgetown Mission. I hope that you will find some benefit in that.

The first thing I would like to testify of is that God lives, He is our loving Heavenly Father, He knows us, and He has a plan for us, not only as a church and kingdom, and as mankind, but for each of us individually. I have felt repeatedly that our missions are part of that plan, and that He has prepared them for us as this incredible opportunity in a short amount of time to learn of Him, His kingdom, and the path to exaltation. I once had a Stake President who had not served a mission. He told me that in his opinion, it took him 30 years to learn what I learned in two years as a full-time missionary. I also have thought a lot about this quote from President Oaks, as it relates to our missions:

Years ago, I heard Elder Bednar tell a group of youth that young men who were born or baptized into families where the gospel was present, already made a covenant before they came to this earth to serve a mission. I’m assuming young women in that same circumstance may have also done so, but since it’s not a priesthood obligation, it’s a little different. Each of you are fulfilling a covenant you made with your Heavenly Father before you were born. You will be blessed for fulfilling that covenant throughout all eternity, as you continue to stay on the covenant path. It’s part of His plan for you.

The second thing that I have witnessed and testify of is found in Doctrine & Covenants 90:24:

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

I have seen this promise fulfilled repeatedly throughout the three years of our service. I love this thought from Elder Gong in his most recent General Conference talk entitled “All Things for Our Good:”

Jesus Christ’s Atonement can deliver and redeem us from sin. But Jesus Christ also intimately understands our every pain, affliction, sickness, sorrow, separation. In time and eternity, His triumph over death and hell can make all things right. He helps heal the broken and disparaged, reconcile the angry and divided, comfort the lonely and isolated, encourage the uncertain and imperfect, and bring forth miracles possible only with God.

There have been many times over the last three years that I have felt a great need for the Savior and His mercy and grace. I have also watched many of you go through those same experiences. I kind of got a front row seat to witness the miracles in the lives of virtually every missionary in one way or another.

Our God is a God of miracles. I have watched His hand do things that I couldn’t do and in ways that are miraculous. He has caused countries to provide us visas and admit missionaries in miraculous ways. He has revealed to us 26 times where He wants each missionary, who their companion should be, who should train, who should lead, etc.. Many times, I had great doubts and concerns about how some of those placements would work out, and in virtually every case, it has been exactly what the Lord wanted to have happen, and it was best for all involved. He has revealed who should lead the districts and branches, and I have seen His hand in those calls as they have blessed the people they are leading and continue to establish the church.

Most importantly, I have seen lives change through spiritual rebirth, as people repent, come unto Him, and be healed. One of the greatest privileges of my mission was to sit down with departing missionaries and have them tell me in words and in their eyes how their lives have been changed by their missionary service. That’s probably the greatest miracle of all.

The third thing I would like to testify of is the power of obedience. One of the great lessons of my time here is found in Mosiah 2:41:

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;

I have witnessed so many times how missionaries and members are blessed and receive miracles out of being obedient to God’s commandments. They are kept safe and see the Lord’s hand in their lives. I have also, unfortunately, seen the opposite to be true, as we learn from Doctrine & Covenants 82:10:

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

I have seen many sad consequences in the lives of missionaries that resulted from a disregard for Safeguards, Standards of Discipleship, driving rules, or specific GGM mission standards. It has become so clear to me that we lose the protection of the Spirit when we are disobedient to the laws related to what we are doing. I’m a big believer in consequences – that God can’t protect us from unfortunate consequences when we break His laws.

Finally, I have gained a deep and abiding testimony of the power of covenants in our lives. I have seen the impact in the lives of many friends who accepted that first covenant with God and felt the power of that covenant change them. I have seen what happens to members when they go to the temple for the first time – how it changes their outlook, their desire to establish the church, and their own spiritual power. I have seen, in my own little way, the fulfillment of the vision of Nephi, found in 1 Nephi 14:14:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

One of the great truths that has sunk deep into my heart is that the church is established one person at a time, as each one makes and keeps sacred covenants. Each person who makes a covenant with God in His church adds power to God’s kingdom. It’s how the church will be established here, and how stakes and temples will ultimately come. The most important thing we can first know in our own hearts and then teach to others is the power of those sacred covenants. It’s what makes God’s kingdom different than anyone or anything else. It reminds me again of what President Nelson said in the last General Conference:

Consider how your life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth. Without priesthood keys, you could not be endowed with the power of God. Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more. Without priesthood keys, none of us would have access to essential ordinances and covenants that bind us to our loved ones eternally and allow us eventually to live with God.

Priesthood keys distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth. Many other organizations can and do make your life better here in mortality. But no other organization can and will influence your life after death.

Elders and Sisters, these are a few of the many important things I have witnessed and of which I can testify. I add my witness to Elder Nielson’s, who said:

Under the direction of the Lord and the leadership of His prophets and apostles, we will continue to prepare missionaries, make and keep sacred covenants, establish Christ’s Church across the world, and receive the blessings that come as we keep the commandments of God. We are united. We are God’s children. We know Him and we love Him.

God’s kingdom will roll on. It will fill the whole earth. The only question is if we want to be a part of it. I pray that each of you have that desire, and that you help your friends and fellow members feel the same.

Have a great week. I know this week will be filled with challenges due to transfers. Travel safe. Do your best. Be diligent. Follow Him, and “all things shall work together for your good.”

We love you.

President Lamprecht

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President Lamprects Final email before being released July 2024

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Greetings from an apartment close to the Guyana Mission Home. Yesterday was a big day for Sister Lamprecht and me. We gave up our car to be serviced and cleaned, and we moved out of the Mission Home, so all can be prepared for the arrival of President and Sister Van Gils onThursday. We know they are having an amazing and Spirit-filled weekend at the Mission Leader Seminar, spending time with the other new Mission Leaders, and learning from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. I’m sure that a lot of what you will hear from them in the coming weeks will be gained from this past weekend.

For us, it was a week of awesome experiences. On Tuesday we started welcoming to the Mission Home our final 12 departing missionaries, three from Guyana, one from Trinidad, four from ABC, and four from Suriname. It was an incredible privilege to interview each one of them. They all had served faithfully and were returning home with honor. I know that many of you were impacted by these wonderful missionaries. We were able to watch some of their welcome home talks today via Zoom. I was impressed with their spiritual maturity and confidence, which comes from spending two years serving the Lord.

We were also blessed to welcome a great group of seven new missionaries to the mission this week. The group was comprised of four English-speaking missionaries, two from reassignments and two directly from the MTC, and three Dutch-speaking missionaries (one Elder and two Sisters), one from reassignment and two from the MTC. I was impressed with their enthusiasm and desire to serve. They will be a great addition to the mission. We were a little sad that we could only spend a short time with them.

As you can probably guess, this is my last weekly email to you. I realized this is my 156^th weekly email. It has been remarkable how every time I sit down on Sunday to write it, things just come, sometimes out of nowhere, and sometimes from thoughts and feelings I have had throughout the week. The Lord has been kind in helping me to do that. I hope that somewhere along the way, you’ve found something that was helpful to you.

As I mentioned to many of you during this last transfer, now that I’ve met with the last group of departing missionaries and shared with them some of my thoughts about what’s ahead of them, I would like to share some of those thoughts with you. I know that it will be more relevant to some of you (those with not much time left) than others, but I hope that perhaps for all of you it might be something that can help you in the future.

Before Sister Lamprecht and I started our term as Mission Leaders, we wrote a letter that we wanted to send home with each departing missionary. It has some thoughts about their service and what’s ahead. Provided below is that letter.

Congratulations on successfully completing your service in the Guyana Georgetown Mission! We are grateful for the privilege we have had to serve with you in this part of the Lord’s vineyard. We know that the Lord has beheld your sacrifice on behalf of all those you have served and has accepted your offering. You should rejoice in that knowledge. You will never regret your time spent in His service and will come to realize that it will continue to be a blessing to you throughout your life. You will find that the experiences you have had will benefit you in your family, church callings, education, and career.

As you know from Preach My Gospel, your success as a missionary is not judged by the number of baptisms you’ve had, but by your commitment to your Missionary Purpose. Your success after your mission will largely be determined by how committed you continue to be to the Lord and His gospel. As you remain consistent in doing the little things that made you a successful missionary, the light of the Savior will continue to shine brightly within you and will guide you in all your endeavors.

As you go forward, we’d like to share with you one of our favorite quotes about life from Elder Richard G. Scott:

I have come to know that there are currents of divine influence in our life that will lead each of us along the individual plan the Lord would have us follow while on earth. They are identified through the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Seek through that Spirit to identify that plan and carefully follow the direction the Lord will provide. It will come through answers to prayers and pondering or the counsel of others who are worthy mentors. Align yourself with it. Choose, willingly, to exercise your agency to follow it.

Do not be overcome by concentrating solely on today, its challenges, difficulties, and opportunities. Those things are the relatively insignificant surface winds and waves of today. Such preoccupations must not totally capture your interest and attention so as to consume your life. The more closely you follow the current of divine guidance, the greater will be your happiness here and for eternity.

We pray that the Lord’s choicest blessings will be upon you and your posterity. We hope to hear of and rejoice with you in the major events in your future. We will always love you as one of those with whom we served in this beautiful part of the world. God be with you until we meet again.

These are my parting thoughts for you. When I first read that quote from Elder Scott, I felt it fit perfectly with my feelings and experiences in my life. I know that God has a plan, not just for all mankind, but for each of you, individually. It’s a perfect plan, to enable you to have the experiences you need to have to become like Him, and to receive peace in this life and a fulness of joy in the world to come. Your job isn’t to make the plan; instead, it’s to discern the plan and follow it.

The key, as Elder Scott says, is to live your life so that you can always recognize the Spirit, whatever source it’s coming from, so that you can make choices in accordance with that plan. We all wish the plan would be given to us in big chunks, with a lot of advance notice. However, that’s not the purpose of mortality.

We are to live by faith, which means moving forward, and seeking confirmation from the Lord as to those choices. Sometimes those answers will be very clear; doors will close, and others will open. Sometimes you will experience “forced change” where unexpected things happen that change your life’s course. This is the Lord's way to get you to go in a direction you wouldnt have chosen on your own. Other times, it may take some time of acting on what you think is right, and at that moment that you really need to know, you’ll either get a “Stop” sign or a confirmation that what you’re doing is right. One of the great principles that I have learned over my life, and observing it in the lives of others, is that God wants us keep going until He tells us to stop. He’ll tell us to stop before we go too far. If not, then it’s part of His plan for us.

I testify that God will answer your prayers, and lead you, as He did with Lehi’s family, to the “fertile parts of the wilderness.” They had the Liahona. You have all the sources of inspiration available to you today. Most importantly, you are a covenant daughter or son. Your relationship with the Father and the Son are changed because of your covenant status. They want you to be happy. They want you to succeed. Most importantly, They want you to grow in your discipleship, and ultimately return with your family to live an exalted life.

We are excited for what is ahead for each of you. This will be an exciting and growing time for the mission. We know that the Van Gils are called of God and will bring exactly what the mission needs. Pray for them. Love them. Most importantly, follow them.

As I close, I think of the great story of when Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball departed from their families to go to England. Both were sick, and both of their families were in poor situations. Here is what happened next, in the words of Heber C. Kimball:

It was with difficulty we got into the wagon, and started down the hill about ten rods; it appeared to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me at leaving my family in such a condition, as it were almost in the arms of death. I felt as though I could not endure it. I asked the teamster to stop, and said to Brother Brigham, “This is pretty tough, isn’t it; let’s rise up and give them a cheer.” We arose, and swinging our hats three times over our heads, shouted: “Hurrah, hurrah for Israel.” Vilate, hearing the noise, arose from her bed and came to the door. She had a smile on her face. Vilate and Mary Ann Young cried out to us: “Goodbye, God bless you!” We returned the compliment, and then told the driver to go ahead. After this I felt a spirit of joy and gratitude, having had the satisfaction of seeing my wife standing upon her feet, instead of leaving her in bed, knowing well that I should not see them again for two or three years’”

Elders and Sisters, we have some of those same emotions. We love you. We love the members here. We have loved serving here. We know it will be some time before we see you again. However, the work moves on. “Hurrah for Israel!” God be with you until we meet again.

With Love—

President Lamprecht

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My heart is in the Trinadad Port of Spain Mission/Georgetown Guyana : a blog for Elder Miles Miller