Message—28 October 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

Monday after our mission office staff meeting we had lunch together with President & Sister Christianson, the President’s mother who came to visit him for a few days along with Misha (I am not sure of the spelling) who is a niece of the President’s.  We also had the Servoss’s and the Ellis’s; and Sister Christianson’s sister Tina and her new husband Jim Archibald.  Tina was the financial secretary and was single, a widow, in the mission office when we first arrived on our mission in 2011.  Jim is a very fine person.  The President’s mother, who is 91 years old, wanted to come and see the President one more time before he gets released next June just in case she does not live to see him return.  We had a good visit together.

Monday and Tuesday evenings we spent working on the Institute lesson for Thursday evening.  Wednesday and Thursday were both Specialized Training days; with the President doing most of the instruction.  The Rochester and Buffalo zones met together in the church in Batavia.  The meetings went from 9am to 3:30pm with a 10 minute break in the morning and a break for lunch.  Thursday the two Palmyra zones met in the church in Canandaigua.  Sister Jensen and Sister Servoss prepared the food for the lunch and Elder Servoss and I and some other senior couples also helped with setting up and cleaning up and anything else we were assigned.  The Ellis’s helped a lot on Wednesday and other couples helped on Thursday.  President Christianson provided some instruction before lunch time concerning the Abrahamic Covenant and the scattering and gathering of Israel.  He also included some great teachings about the symbolism of many of the events in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and his 12 sons who are the origin of the 12 tribes of Israel.  The President also related how the Book of Mormon was written, recorded, and later translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith so that there would be a book of scripture which would not only testify of the truth of the Bible, but it would also clarify and provide additional scripture to help with convincing the descendants of the House of Israel of their connection to the 12 tribes of Israel and help gather them back into the covering of the Abrahamic Covenant so the Lord’s promise to Abraham can be fulfilled.  Once we understand that the purpose of our missionary efforts is to help Heavenly Father gather Israel and restore the promised priesthood blessings to them it will enable us to better understand what our missionary purpose is.  On Thursday evening in the Institute lesson it turned out that the parables in Matthew chapter 13 are also related to the gathering of Israel.  The first parable in Matthew 13 refers to the Savior’s efforts to establish his church and gospel to begin the gathering of Israel.  The parable of the wheat and the tares refers to our day and the missionary effort to gather the wheat first, which is more clearly explained in Doctrine and Covenants section 86, then the tares can be put in bundles and burned.  The tares are a weed with the name of Bearded Darnel; which looks exactly like wheat when it is young and growing.  You cannot tell wheat from the darnel until the plants begin to grow their seeds.  While the two plants are young and growing, their roots intertwine together; so if you could identify the darnel, which you cannot, and tried to pull it out of the wheat, you would also pull up the wheat and it would also be destroyed.  That is why the Savior told his servants to let them grow to maturity so you could tell by the seeds which was bearded darnel and which was wheat, “ye shall know them by their fruit…”.  At this stage you could then remove the wheat and save it; then the rest of the wheat plant and the darnel could be put in bundles and burned and no wheat would be lost.  That is what missionary work is about is gathering in the wheat, the House of Israel, from wherever in the world they are now scattered.  The parable of the mustard seed is included to provide some instruction to tell us that the small mustard seed grows a large tree which provides a place for the birds of the air to land.  The birds of the air represent the angels of heaven who are participating with us to help in the gathering of Israel; not only by missionary work as given in Doctrine & Covenants 84:88, but they also help in family history efforts to also save our dead including the house of Israel.  For we with out them and they without us cannot be saved, see Doctrine and Covenants 128:18.  The Prophet Joseph Smith in his “Teachings” on page 98, refers to the mustard seed as representing the Book of Mormon.  It came forth out of the ground and is accounted by most as being the least of all seeds (books); but “…behold it branching forth, yea, even towering, with lofty branches…until it, like the mustard seed, becomes the greatest of all herbs.  And it is truth, and it has sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and righteous ness begins to look down from heaven, and God is sending down His powers, gifts and angels, to lodge in the branches thereof.”  The Prophet Joseph Smith also explains on page 100 of his “Teachings” that the leaven in Mathew 13:33 refers to the “…three witnesses. Behold, how much this is like the parable!  It is fast leavening the lump, and will soon leaven the whole.”  Chapter 5 in the book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon also is relevant to this discussion.  Now add the announcement by President Monson about lowering the age at which missionaries may apply for missions and then read in Doctrine and Covenants 88:70-73 where we are told by the Lord that He will send laborers and elders to care for the flocks and “Behold I will hasten my work in its time.”  Also in Isaiah 60:22, read the whole verse, but notice the footnote in 22c which would read “…I the Lord will hasten it in my time.”   We are now living to see prophecy fulfilled right before our eyes.  We were greatly blessed with two days of learning about gathering Israel, both from the training and from the institute lesson.

Friday Sister Jensen did not feel well so she stayed home and I went to the mission office to try and make up for being out of the office for two days.  I was blessed by the Lord to have a man come with his mother and decide to purchase one of our vehicles that is for sale; so now I only have three more to sell.  Friday evening we rested up a bit.  Saturday I did some shopping and vacuumed and mopped and did a few other things.

Today in our church meetings the primary children and their wonderful leaders presented their annual primary presentation on the topic of “Choose the Right”.  They did very well and they taught us good lessons and the Spirit was very much present.  The other lessons were also very helpful and lifted everyone.

Since next Sunday will be in November, we extend today, our best wishes for wonderful birthdays during the month for each of the following.  Adrianne’s birthday is November 11^th, Braden on November 12^th, Caulter on November 15^th, and Kendra on November 18^th; we hope each of you have a wonderful day and are blessed in any way needed.  We love each of you and pray for you every time we pray and trust that Heavenly Father will answer your own prayers as well as our prayers.  Our testimony and knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement and resurrection is increased every day.  We know the Savior lives and directs his Prophet Thomas S. Monson and the quorum of 12 apostles in guiding the church according to His will and wisdom and timing.  We are so greatly blessed to be here and have the marvelous experiences we have.

Love forever,

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Maxine & Richard