Letter from President Alba
Our commission – under the direction of the Savior
Dear fellow missionaries,
I want to testify to each one of you that the work we are
involved in is the work of God. He has
commissioned each of us to unitedly serve Him at this time here in the California
Santa Rosa Mission. What a great joy it
is for Kathie and I to be serving along side each of you. I can testify that the Lord is serving right
along side with us as well.
The Lord Jesus Christ has sacrificed all for the welfare of
all of Father’s children and He would invite all of us to return to live with
Him and enjoy the blessings of exaltation at His side. There is nothing better that we could be
doing with our lives than serving Him at this time right here.
He has declared that this gospel be taught to all
nations. In Matthew 29:18-20, He
commanded His disciples and charged them with this calling: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.”
In the Doctrine and Covenants he declares the
following: “And your whole labor shall
be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your
mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen.
(D&C 30:11.
Is there any doubt that if we labor with all our soul and
open our mouths in his cause that He would ever leave us by ourselves?
Later in section 31:13 He states: “Be faithful unto the end,
and lo, I am with you. These words are
not of man nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will
of the Father. Amen”
We must also exercise great faith unto the end – What He has
spoken is truth and we must have the necessary faith that He will never abandon
us – specially at the hour of our need.
In regards to our faithfulness, later in D&C 61:10 He declares: “And in as much as they are faithful they
shall be preserved, and I, the Lord, will be with them.” Again, we must be faithful!
What does that mean?
The dictionary offers this description:
1. strict or thorough in the performance of
duty: a
faithful worker.
3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.
4. reliable, trusted, or believed.
5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original;
accurate: a
faithful account; a faithful copy.
Can we be strict and thorough in our performance as
we represent He whose name we carry in our hearts?
Can we be true to our word and the promises
(covenants) and vows we have made with Him?
Can we be steady in our allegiance or
affection? Can we be constant and
steady?
Can the Lord count on our loyalty and can he count
us to be reliable, trusted and believed?
Are we also adhering or true to the standard that
we bear? Can we be accurate in our
teaching His children?
If we are to remain faithful we must have these
characteristics as true believers and followers of Christ – then He promises
that if we are – faithful – He will be with us.
There is no denying this – of this I am sure.
Then comes a great promise to those of us who are
faithful – “Behold, the kingdom is yours.
And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so.
Amen.” (D&C 62:9)
Again that word – faithful! Can we do this even though we may be turned
away by almost everyone we meet? Can we
do this even though we may face opposition, discouragement, home sickness,
rejection, etc.?
We must, we must and we will.
“Brethren (and sisters are included), shall we not
go on in so great a cause? Go forward
and not backward. Courage, brethren; and
on, on to the victory! Let your hearts
rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let
the earth break forth into singing. Let
the dead speak forth anthem of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath
ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out
of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.”
“Let the amountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas
and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks,
and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the
field praise the Lord; and ye solid brocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the cmorning stars sing together, and
let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare
his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear
from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and dimmortality, and eternal life;
kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
“Behold, the great aday of the Lord is at hand; and
who can babide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For
he is like a crefiner’s dfire,
and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a erefiner and purifier of silver, and
he shall purify the sons of fLevi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto
the Lord an goffering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people,
and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and
let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the hrecords of our dead, which shall be
worthy of all acceptation.” (D&C 128
22-24)
Let
us remain faithful – the Lord is aware of our offering and when it’s offered in
righteousness – He will honor those who honor Him and He will bless those
faithful followers of Christ – after all we can do.
Believe
in the Miracle!
Love
to all,
President
Alba
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