My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What a wonderful time we live in.
And what beautiful circumstances we've been born into.
For all people who may read this, or who may know you, or see you...or even hear of you...have someway come closer to that step: Discovering Who We Are.

Dear Family, we know who we are.

In particular this week...I have oft been carried to awe...
because of one, simple book, whose words, to quote the scriptures, are "Plain and Precious."

I ponder on those Plain and Precious things we Know.
For a Moment, do so with Me. What do you believe? What do you know? What have you heard? What do you feel? What do you desire? What are your questions?

What Matters Most?
And then...ponder on these few phrases:

There is a God. We are His Children. And He Loves Us.
Families are Forever. And are Central to His Plan.
There is a Plan. We were with God Before the World; Are Here on Earth--for Our Experience. To Find Him. To Choose Him. And We Will Return to Him Again.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is Our Savior--and with Him, We Can Endure & Do All Things.

We Speak to Him through Prayer. And He ~Answers.~ We are Meant to Be Happy Forever.
Our Purpose...is to Love One Another. And to Share What We Know. To Proclaim His Love, Hope, and Light. To All.

What Do You Think Of? Whom Do You Think Of?
And Who do You Know...Who Is Looking for This...
for their Family? For a Child Come and Gone from their World? A Lonely Old Man. Or a Single Mother. Someone seemingly without Love. Or Hope. Who Labors and Still Cannot Support Their Family. Or Whose Family is seemingly being Torn Apart. Children seduced by Drugs, Sex, Alcohol. Parents...too Busy. Who has an addiction; abortion; has loved and lost; a difficult decision; confused; hurt; suffering; tired; searching for a Better Life?

Who needs Help? Maybe even You Yourself...

Remember...
There is Nothing, from Which Ye Cannot Be Cured.
There is Nothing that Can Stop You, From Being Happy.

But All That is Required is Thus: Ask Yourself, in your Heart...what Am I Looking For? What do I Truly Desire?
And perhaps do what seems to be so hard sometimes...
Offer this your Plea: "I Need Help. Please, How Can I Be Happy?"

And the Answer Is, and Always Has Been, and Ever Will Be:
"Come Follow Me."

Brothers and Sisters, My Dear Family, I Invite Us all to take a Moment, and Ponder in Our Hearts, 'What Matters Most'

We Know. And within Every Human Heart...They Know.
This Gospel is Everything. To Prepare to be Eternally Happy...to Live with God Again, as a Family.

And Here We are On Earth...to Prepare Our Family. All. Of Our Family.

This is Our Sacred Duty. In Our Hearts...we Know.
Now, Once Again...as Ever Are the Righteous Called...
We Are Called to Prepare for the Glorious Day.

The Answers to Everything...Lie within this Gospel.
And the Way Ever will Remain: Through Jesus Christ, the Savior.

"Come Unto Me. And I Will Give Thee Rest."

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

--Elder Christopehr A. Lewis

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This has been the topic dominating my Mind for the Past Week...for Truly...It All Starts with that One Small Something...that Caused Us to Believe.

In Lapaz and Lapuz...Our Focus is Retention. Yet I fervently sustain the notion that One of the Greatest Ways to Retain...is in the Simple, Sharing of Testimony...from Those Members. Help Them Remember. And Help Them Give to Someone Else what They Know.

I Love that which President Hinckley mentioned of the three things which all Members Need: A Friend, An Assignment, and to be Nurtured by the Good Word of God.

Absolutely. And How do we do This? Every One of these Items...Requires Love from Someone Else. That Testimony.
Let Us Nurture One Another, As Home Teachers or Presidencies or Ward Missionaries, Relief Society. Let Us Be Their Friends. Let Us Love One Another. And Remind One Another Always...of These Things Which We Know.
And those People Shall Remember...and Come Tearfully Back into the Arms of the Savior...and through Showing Our Love For Others...we will assure Ourselves, that From His Arms we Never Leave.

The Work is Doing Wonderfully Here...I Do Hope I Remain in this Area for another Transfer or So...because Finally...these Members are finally beginning to truly understand what it means to believe: "This Church is True"

Thus...we've begun, all the auxiliaries...to work WITH one another, for the purpose of helping members in need, spiritually and temporally, and encouraging one another to share what they believe to their close friends, for truly, they who are closest to you, shall believe your words. They already love you. And They Shall Love You Forever...for you are about to give them: What Matters Most. And they are preparing...to accommodate all new investigators, fellowshipping.

And not only the auxiliaries...but we've begun visiting every members house, to strengthen their testimonies and love for one another...and help them realize our Purpose as members of this Gospel: To Share. This is What All Our Friends Are Yearning For.

Thus...Lapaz and Lapuz (in particular Lapuz; Lapaz We Shall Continue to Endeavor, but they are progressing) Have Begun to Realize Their Calling: A Ward Family.

And From This, All Things are Possible. The Kingdom to Come.

My first week here, there was a baptism of the daughter of a long time member...(April Joy) (11?) And this past week, the baptism of the daughter (Shane Lentoco (9) ) of a less active member, a 'single' father...now fully active.

We have an expected 6 Baptisms to come in the next 2 weeks... Friends of Members. A Family of Three (Mother: Sister Aguirre, and her two sons); A Related Uncle of a Member: Jonard Loreno (21+). And another daughter within that family tree: Sis. Lalane Loreno (11?). As well as a close friend of a now very active family, Sis. Jonah Caboverde (18)

And a Young Woman, Sis. Mary Joyce Oro (14) from a medyo active, long time grandmother member. And Hopefully, the mother and 3 other children will follow. We do so Hope.

So the Program is as Thus Far Working...and the Ward is Excited...and We Do Hope to Continually Spur them Up to Remember their Cause.

But this is only the beginning for this Ward, and this Program Elder and I have been supporting has only just begun in the last 2 weeks... so I Know the Future Shall Be Bright.

Thus, if I Do Transfer...I Hope the Spirit Carries Onward Here. But I Do Hope to Remain. Nevertheless...perhaps There is A Vineyard That Shall have Need of Me Elsewhere.

Brothers & Sisters. The Gospel is True. These People Believe...with all their Heart, that we Do Teach. And I Find...as I Speak to them, I Speak from My Heart...and I Realize & Remember Anew every time I Testify or Speak of this Gospel...This is True. And I Believe This With all My Soul. Therefore...If We Seek to Be Joyful...and Ever Remember and Keep the Spirit within Us to Abide, the Greatest Way...is to Share from Your Heart. Often. Yea, Always. With Someone.

I Have as of thus decided on Something...
Often...we Think of Those Amazing People...
People in History, Successful Persons Now, Even for Us...Certain Missionaries. And for a Moment the thought Came to Mind: I Want to Be the Best Missionary. The Best.

And While the intent here is good...there is a Greater Way. There is Something Much More Wonderful Than Being 'The Best'... Be it the Best Missionary, or Soccer Player, or Singer, Or Businessman...or Aspiring to Be Like and/or Greater than The Seemingly Great People in this World.

Shall We Not Rather Seek Thus:

"I Want to Be...As God Would Have Me Be."
And thus, we Shall Become the Greatest, of E're We Could Become.

I Want to Be, The Missionary, That God Would Have Me Be.
And For All Our Lives...I Pray We Feel Thus:

"To Be the People...the Sons and Daughters...that God Would Have Us Be."

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

--Elder Christopher A. Lewis