Of All That Can Be Said...

To All Those, Who Call Themselves Disciples of Christ

I say unto you, It is Good, to Be Thy Brother.
How wonderful... that we know Who We Are.
And how wonderful... to know Why We Are.

I Have not much to say this day, save it be concerning Our Sacred Covenant.
As Members of this Church, and as to anyone who is Searching to Become a Disciple of Christ,
the Path always leads to this: 'Thy Will Be Done.'
For truly...when we entered the waters of Baptism, when we were endowed with the Holy Ghost,
and are continually refined by Fire...
we Do Remember... Who We Are.

This Gospel, is a Gospel of Caring.
This is what Sets Us apart from the World.
For We Know...what it means to Love One Another.
And We, Having Become Members, Have Given Up Our Old Lives, to Live As Such.
After the Manner of Love, for One Another.

And the Greatest Example of This, is Our Divine Savior, even Jesus Christ.
Said he, 'I would that ye be perfect, even as I am;' therefore, what manner of men ought we to be? Even as He Is.

And Who Is He?

I Would Explain three...but in truth, it is in One. Love.
Enough Love, for One Another, to actively, openly, and truthfully... express our Love, one with another.
Saying those words, Often: 'I Love You.' Even as He Did... expressing love, always, to each of His Disciples, speaking from his heart, every time...
even to all people He did meet, 'I Love You.' How Ought We To Do as Such, especially within Our Families. And to all those we Hold Dear.
Take the time. Let them Know.

Enough Love, for One Another, to solemnly, spiritually, bear witness of Him, the Father, and this, His Gospel... bear testimony one with another.
For this is how we love one another... by reminding each other of Him who Loved Us first. By taking all that is precious in our Lives, recognizing God and the Savior...
And, in love, sharing this to someone else...so that they too, might sing the song of redeeming love, and feel of His Spirit. To Lift Them. That they might Rejoice.
A Word of Truth, of Promise... That extends beyond the Veil... is one of the Greatest Gifts with which we Have Been Endowed.

And third...Enough Love, to never, ever... stop. Living this Gospel. Even unto the Smallest. For He did so Saith... 'let thy light so shine before men, that they might see your good works, and glorify the Father, which is in Heaven.' Enough Love...to never ever stop believing. Living as a Testament to Him... that in the Smallest Moment...
you changed someone's life. Because You Believed. You Are a Disciple.

Sometimes we forget...just how much that means: To Change Someone's Life. Forever. And we may never know. But they will always remember. And perhaps sometimes we don't even realize... it was our life... that has been changed, forever. Because, for a Moment, we decided to Remember Who We Are.

Thus, I Give Another Tale of Three...pertaining to the Greatest Thing You Can Do, We Can Do, For Our Lives. And it has all to do, with Remembering, always, Who We Are.
First, To Accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ... as was revealed to Joseph Smith, the same Gospel which was established upon the Earth from the time of the Creation, though all prophets even down unto the Savior, who, by His Own Hand, the very Hand of God, Consecrated His Church upon the Earth, yea, the very Church that existed before the beginning and continues to exist today and forever in Heaven, the very Church of God.

Second, To Become a Member of His Sacred Church Upon the Earth, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and in so doing, enter into a Covenant with God, the Eternal Father, that we do Desire to Be Called the Sons and Daughters of God, to take upon ourselves the name of Christ... and truly, become His Children. To Forsake Our Old Lives...in the Pursuit of all that is 'virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.' To Promise, to Love One Another. To Start a New Life...Walking with Christ.

And Third, To Ever After, Live as a Disciple. Enduring to the End. Abounding in Good Works. Always Abiding in the Presence of His Spirit. And, in all things, seeking after Righteousness. After Happiness and Joy. This is the Path...of a Disciple of Christ. To Love...even as He Loves.


Brothers and Sisters...
I would like to share a short excerpt from President Hinckley, a man whom we do hold dear to our Hearts, who has returned to the presence of the Father, to abide in his Love, Eternally. Said he, "Do I know [the gospel is] true? I want everybody in this hall tonight to realize that you each heard me say to you that I know that God our Eternal Father lives. I know that He lives. I know that He is a being of substance. I know that He is the great God of the universe. I know, however, that I am His child and that you are His children and that He will listen to and hear and answer our prayers..."
He goes on...of the things of which he knows...of Jesus, the Christ; The Great Instrument of God, His Very Son, the Creator and Redeemer of the World. Of the Priesthood, the Power of God, the same Power which all things are, the very Essence of the Father... which is Love. He doth Testify.

But mostly...I would like to focus on these few words. Repeated twice, "I know that God our Eternal Father lives. I know that He lives."
My Dear Beloved, my friends and family in this Gospel, of the Fold and Family of God... I think on this man, old, soon to depart from this world, who hath seen so much...
and I think on the weight of those tears he must have wept behind these words, "I know."

Brothers and Sisters...I know. I know. And it is the Greatest of all the words of which I Can Utter.
No - I Have Not Seen God, but so many Have. Yet, I have known God. And He hath testified unto Me.
And I Believe. And Know. And Give My Solemn Testimony of the Words of Joseph Smith:

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!"

And He shall return. And We shall see Him. Every One.

I know. Brothers and Sisters, I know.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

--Elder Christopher A. Lewis

Philippines Bacolod Mission - UPDATE

The work is going WONDERFULLY in the Mission Field in the Philippines.
I have been told that there will be a Temple Built on the Island of Panay and that the Mission will be SPLIT. Elder Lewis will maybe be assigned to one of the MISSIONS. This will all officially happen sometime in JUNE.

Praise the LORD for Proclaiming His word throughout all the WORLD in these latter days.

Our Sacred Calling

Dear Family and Friends,

Now, once before I have made mention of this, but I Do believe it bears Recognition once more. For The Spirit Doth Testify to Me of This, perhaps Greater than Yet I Have Ever Felt:

This Gospel is Beautiful. As Beautiful as You Dare Believe it to Be. And Ever More So.

And perhaps...some might call myself perhaps somewhat Extravagant, or Unrealistic, or Believe my Words a Stretch.

But to Them I Say, Prepare to Stretch More.

For perhaps it is just this feeling that has been permeating my soul...
Or perhaps it was the exceedingly great lead foot and perilous drive of a jeepnee late just last night...
Or perhaps because of the Words with which President Eyring coined as to our duty: "Man Down!"; in the which...He described the Call of Love to our Comrades amidst a War...of Bravery and Devotion seemingly..."Beyond the Call of Duty."
And perhaps...those Precious Saints...both of and just without the Home of the Fold...of whom I had just be returning...

That Led Me to These Words: We Are Entrusted. With Precious Cargo. Of the Greatest Worth. We Are Saints. And We Are Soldiers.

And We Have Been Entrusted With Those People In Our Lives. Those Friends. Those Families. Even Our Own. Everyone We Know...He Has Entrusted to Us. For We Know that Which No Other Soul on the Earth nor in Heaven Save it Be of God Knoweth, concerning these People.

I considered, perhaps rather fantastically for a moment...if that Jeepnee would crash. If it should so happen. And perhaps that I might die soon after. What would die with me? Of those people who I Had but moments before...but hours before...all those people...members and investigators alike, shared with me some part of their lives, or testimonies. And, through the Spirit, what I had come to know of them, and how I had come to know who they are. And should that die with me... Oh My Greatest Joy...would Be to Leave a Record...sharing those Plain and Precious Truths...which Mattereth All...even to the smallest...unto the Father.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters...My Dear Family.
We Have Been Focusing here in Lapaz & Lapuz on Retention. And to Retain all these Members, strong and perhaps those who have long since forgotten their testimonies...we have been going...to merely tell them Thank You. And We Love Them. To Show them We Still...and Always will Care for Them. To Help them feel the Spirit. Even unto such that it is They, themselves, who bring the Spirit...through Their Own Testimony.

And Help Them See...How Truly Choice they Are in the Eyes of the Lord. For they Have Been Entrusted...by the Very Hand of God, with This Sacred Calling: Their Very Lives. To Carry, to Bear...that Precious...That Sacred Information. Even Until the Time that He Shall Come. For He Will Come. And The Information is Sacred. And We Must Act Now. And We Must Endure...Until He Doth Come.

Not Secret. No, not a Secret Mission. This Hath an Greater Calling: A Sacred Mission.

Brothers and Sisters, My Friends and Family...
The Lord Hath Need of Us...Always. He Needs You. The Ward Needs You. We Need You. No Matter Where You Are, or What Has Happened...if Ye Be of the Church or Without...Ye Are of Him. The Fold of God. His Church. His Family. Remember. We Have Always Been of Him. Be Strong. Complete Thy Mission. It is Vital. Your Cargo...is Too Precious to Be Lost. And it Shall Not Be. This is Our Covenant.

We Are Saints. In His Holy Army. And To Us, He Gives the Sacred Keeping: Of His Children on the Earth.

Priesthood & Love. May We Remember: The Day Shall Come...in Glory the Son of God. When He Shall Say, with Tears...say unto thee: Thank You, My Child. Thank You.
As We Join the Immortal Choruses on High. And All Mankind to Be Saved. All His Children. All Who Shall Believe.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Manifestations of the Power and Gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT....

Elder Lewis is TRUELY being blessed by the Lord in the Mission Field. He is often shy...because the compliments he recieves...pertaining to the Mastry of the language. But wishes it to be known that it is TRULY A Miracle & Gift Of God and of a Desire...to Serve Him with all that he has while serving in the Philippines.

Elder Lewis is currently finishing up an Ilonggo dictionary with Grammar rules, the basic verbs, complex structure, 1500ish words from very common to quite rare or deep words and sentance structures...
all with common expressions and phrases and ways to really differentiate and specialize how 'you' want to speak ilonggo...he is almost done with it...he will keep adding to the original throughout his entire mission...he has given a few unfinished copies out to help my other missionaries as well as others who may need it...

In Elders Lewis's words....

And I say these next words very carefully, again, however I do believe that it would diminish the purpose if i did not bear Witness of God and His great works. All Glory goes to HIM who blesses His servants.

In one month, I had learned to speak & teach in Ilonggo, to testify...and to converse fairly well.

In two months, I have been able to speak fairly fluent, but most importantly, with Passion.

And in the third month to come, I Do Believe I Shall Begin to Master This Language. Only Begin...but nonetheless, Begin that Journey in every Sense of the Word: Mastery.

This is a Miracle. I Do Not Say This at all In and Of Myself...but Rather...Praise be to God...for By His Hand are Miracles Wrought, to those Who Believe on His Glory and Purpose...who Devote their Hearts to Him...and Through Him...Those Men Becometh the Miracle to Fulfill His Righteousness Upon the Earth.

Let this Be Part of the Testament: That I Know. That We Know. That God...Truly...Is the Eternal Father, and the Source of All Light, Miracle, and Joy. And This, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is His Church upon the Earth, the One and Only of the Fullness of the Gospel. And we "prepare the way...and make his pathways straight..." for the Glorious Day...when He Shall Come, Once More, Among the Children of Men.


--Elder Christopher A. Lewis