I wrote Kort a letter and I'm planning on sending it today so hopefully it will get to him soon. I wrote it after reading Alma 5 so hopefully it's not too hard for him. I love that kid and I pray that he will look up soon. You are so right about how Satan is working so hard with all of us, but especially the youth and those who are investigating the restored gospel. I still consider myself youth in many ways, and I feel like Satan is always looking over my shoulder whispering things into my ears and being a missionary I feel like there are so many more ways that we can fall and Satan is attacking every single point he can. But the Lord will not allow us to be tempted more than we can handle which is the beauty of it all. As I strive to be more obedient and resist Satan's temtations the Lord strengthens me and gives me the power to conquer.
I haven't gotten the package yet, but I should get it this coming week but I'll let you know. Sometimes we just have to be patient even though my birthday was over a month ago. I really like that quote by Pres. Monson. It will be going up on my white board when I get home today. Wow, I can't believe that Landon is getting released already. Time is just not stopping or slowing down. I have been working a lot harder than I ever have and the days just don't have enough time to be able to get all that we plan done. We are usually contacting people until the last minute to be able to reach our goals and to be able to find new investigators. My companion and I have been working really hard to prepare a family for baptism this General Conference weekend, but when we passed by on Saturday night to our surprise we found the man drunk. It had been over a month since the last time he drank, but Satan got him to fall. I believe that the Lord allowed that to happen to humble the man and his family because they began to lose interest and think that everything was good. We visited them yesterday and he was repented he told us that he knew that he needs to be baptized again and so we will be helping him this week stop drinking so that we can prepare their baptism for the month of April. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Well I'm not sure how humorous you'll take this, but I thought it was pretty funny. So about two weeks ago I was on divisions with the other missionaries in my district and I was in the other missionaries are, San Lucas Tolimán. Me and the missionary were eating lunch in a restaurant and I had ordered more food than I needed, but I want to eat it all because I had ordered it so I decided to make some room and let some gas out. We were the only ones in the restaurant so I felt fine letting go, until one of those farts was no fart. It was followed by everything that I didn't want to let out. Yes, I pooped my pants. I didnt know what to do, so I just started laughing. The missionary that I was with thought it was hilarious because the same thing happened to him a few months earlier when him and I were together on divisions in Patzicia.
The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I love this gospel.
Love,
Elder Turner
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
3.20.12
Thank you for writing me an email and letting me know how the family is doing. I know that families are eternal and that we are an eternal family and we will be able to enjoy the blessings of the celestial kingdom together. Thank you for your example to me. You are the mother that Kya, myself, Kort, Zack, Mackenzy and Brooklyn need to help us get down the straight and narrow. I know that faith is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ for a reason, because without faith we can achieve nothing. That is why Satan is attacking Kortland's faith. If he can get Kortland to be an unbeliever he will feel satisfied. Kortland is a great person and that is why Satan is getting to him. Kortland has great potential and he will reach that potential as we show him the example. I know that Kortland will pull through if we fight for him. Satan is real and he wants us all, but we can't give in and we can't give up. Share your testimony with Kortland often and I know that the Spirit will soften his heart.
It's amazing how Satan can tell us lies and how so many people are falling for them. Sunday night my companion and I were knocking doors and a man let us into his house. We shared the restoration of the gospel with him and in the end he told us that he could see the conviction in our eyes that Joseph was a prophet, and that he had conviction that the Catholic Church was the church of Christ. It was as though he didn't hear the point of our message but we invited him to pray to know if Jesus called Joseph to be a prophet. He said that Joseph was a prophet for us, but to him Joseph isn't a prophet. It was kind of like what Kortland told me that if you believe it enough, that thing becomes real to you, but in regards to the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the only thing that will bring salvation. If we do not believe that The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is the church of Christ here on the earth we will be sent to an eternal place of suffering. Joseph was a prophet for the whole world not just for our church. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith by the gift and power of God. Jesus Christ is the only
way and the only way that we can receive salvation is in and through baptism by someone holding the priesthood authority of God which was restored to the earth to the prophet Joseph Smith by Peter, James and John. If we are not baptized by the authority of God and endure to the end, we will not be saved in the Kingdom of God. For I, Elder Kasey Marshall Turner, speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear (MNI 8:16).
I may not always have a ton of crazy or funny experiences to write, but that doesn't matter, what matters is that I will go to my grave with the Book of Mormon in my hand testifying that it is the word of God and that only in and through Jesus Christ can we be saved. God is a God of order and we must live His gospel to be saved. There is no loophole in the Gospel. It is a straight course that leads to eternal life. Those who do not obey the commandments of God will be cut off from His presence, and those who live the commandments will be blessed in all things, temporally and spiritually. I do not lie for I know that those who do not live the gospel will suffer endless torment. I will live out my life in fear towards God because I know He lives and I know that He loves me and if I want to be with Him in the Celestial kingdom I must do as He asks. Jesus Christ lives and He is our Saviour.
I love you all. May you all live in obedience to the commandments of God that you might be the means of bringing to pass miracles. The gospel of Christ has changed me. I am not my old self and I am grateful to God for that.
Love,
Elder Turner
Thank you for writing me an email and letting me know how the family is doing. I know that families are eternal and that we are an eternal family and we will be able to enjoy the blessings of the celestial kingdom together. Thank you for your example to me. You are the mother that Kya, myself, Kort, Zack, Mackenzy and Brooklyn need to help us get down the straight and narrow. I know that faith is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ for a reason, because without faith we can achieve nothing. That is why Satan is attacking Kortland's faith. If he can get Kortland to be an unbeliever he will feel satisfied. Kortland is a great person and that is why Satan is getting to him. Kortland has great potential and he will reach that potential as we show him the example. I know that Kortland will pull through if we fight for him. Satan is real and he wants us all, but we can't give in and we can't give up. Share your testimony with Kortland often and I know that the Spirit will soften his heart.
It's amazing how Satan can tell us lies and how so many people are falling for them. Sunday night my companion and I were knocking doors and a man let us into his house. We shared the restoration of the gospel with him and in the end he told us that he could see the conviction in our eyes that Joseph was a prophet, and that he had conviction that the Catholic Church was the church of Christ. It was as though he didn't hear the point of our message but we invited him to pray to know if Jesus called Joseph to be a prophet. He said that Joseph was a prophet for us, but to him Joseph isn't a prophet. It was kind of like what Kortland told me that if you believe it enough, that thing becomes real to you, but in regards to the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the only thing that will bring salvation. If we do not believe that The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is the church of Christ here on the earth we will be sent to an eternal place of suffering. Joseph was a prophet for the whole world not just for our church. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith by the gift and power of God. Jesus Christ is the only
way and the only way that we can receive salvation is in and through baptism by someone holding the priesthood authority of God which was restored to the earth to the prophet Joseph Smith by Peter, James and John. If we are not baptized by the authority of God and endure to the end, we will not be saved in the Kingdom of God. For I, Elder Kasey Marshall Turner, speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear (MNI 8:16).
I may not always have a ton of crazy or funny experiences to write, but that doesn't matter, what matters is that I will go to my grave with the Book of Mormon in my hand testifying that it is the word of God and that only in and through Jesus Christ can we be saved. God is a God of order and we must live His gospel to be saved. There is no loophole in the Gospel. It is a straight course that leads to eternal life. Those who do not obey the commandments of God will be cut off from His presence, and those who live the commandments will be blessed in all things, temporally and spiritually. I do not lie for I know that those who do not live the gospel will suffer endless torment. I will live out my life in fear towards God because I know He lives and I know that He loves me and if I want to be with Him in the Celestial kingdom I must do as He asks. Jesus Christ lives and He is our Saviour.
I love you all. May you all live in obedience to the commandments of God that you might be the means of bringing to pass miracles. The gospel of Christ has changed me. I am not my old self and I am grateful to God for that.
Love,
Elder Turner
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
This week was a great week for my companion and I here in Santiago. We are changing this area for the better and I know that's why the Lord put us here together. The branch is weak and all we can do is work with faith and doubt nothing which is in many times hard, but I know that without faith we can do nothing.
This week we had a mini Zone conference with the Mission President and we were instructed about how we need to have better faith and how we need to be perfectly obedient so that we can have the success that we deserve, so that the Lord can bless us without reservations. My companion and I sat down that night and made a list of everything thing that we needed to change so that we can be perfectly obedient and as we did so we were led by the Spirit and guided according to our needs so that we could be honest with ourselves and change what was neccesary. I'm grateful that we did so because I can say now that I am consecrated to the Lord and His work. Consecration is a celestial law and as we learn to live celestial laws we become closer to our Father in Heaven. As my companion and I raised the bar, so did Satan. Our investigators began to bring up a lot of doubts as to why they can't get baptised and I began to get really frustrated. My pride had grown a lot and I began to think more of myself. I crawled to the Lord and repented. We can get no where when we are prideful. I feel that pride is a lifelong battle, a challenge that is conquerable but extremely difficult. The only way that we can really apply faith into our life is through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
I pray for you and know that the Lord loves you and desires to bless you. Continue in obedience and you will be blessed more than you can imagine. We must show our faith in the Lord and rely on Godly wisdom over our own wisdom. 2Ne 9:28-29
This week I was advised that a family that got baptized while I was in Ciudad Vieja is planning to get sealed on the 24th of August 2012, two days after my release date. I know that it might be difficult but I would love to be there with that family and with you and dad. Please take some thought into that.
Love,
Elder Turner
This week we had a mini Zone conference with the Mission President and we were instructed about how we need to have better faith and how we need to be perfectly obedient so that we can have the success that we deserve, so that the Lord can bless us without reservations. My companion and I sat down that night and made a list of everything thing that we needed to change so that we can be perfectly obedient and as we did so we were led by the Spirit and guided according to our needs so that we could be honest with ourselves and change what was neccesary. I'm grateful that we did so because I can say now that I am consecrated to the Lord and His work. Consecration is a celestial law and as we learn to live celestial laws we become closer to our Father in Heaven. As my companion and I raised the bar, so did Satan. Our investigators began to bring up a lot of doubts as to why they can't get baptised and I began to get really frustrated. My pride had grown a lot and I began to think more of myself. I crawled to the Lord and repented. We can get no where when we are prideful. I feel that pride is a lifelong battle, a challenge that is conquerable but extremely difficult. The only way that we can really apply faith into our life is through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
I pray for you and know that the Lord loves you and desires to bless you. Continue in obedience and you will be blessed more than you can imagine. We must show our faith in the Lord and rely on Godly wisdom over our own wisdom. 2Ne 9:28-29
This week I was advised that a family that got baptized while I was in Ciudad Vieja is planning to get sealed on the 24th of August 2012, two days after my release date. I know that it might be difficult but I would love to be there with that family and with you and dad. Please take some thought into that.
Love,
Elder Turner
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I finished reading the New testament a few weeks ago and I really like the scripture in Hebrews 13:17-18. I know that prayers are important and that we need to pray more for our leaders so that they will guide us in righteousness. I asked the district to pray for me and it was a pretty humbling experience because I feel like sometimes they see me as the big bad wolf because I'm always asking them for more but I hope that this scripture helped them and that they will pray for me to be what the Lord needs me to be.
I love the analogy with CTR and the baptismal covenant but it's a bummer that it doesn't translate over to Spanish and much less to Tzutujil. I like the current temple recommend, that one I had never heard and speaking of that I almost have to get mine renewed. That's pretty crazy to think that it's been almost 2 years since I got my recommend and started going to the temple endowed. I love the temple. I'm so excited to go more often when I get home. Not to focus on the future, but this number is pretty crazy. I only have 24 weeks left. That is a pretty small number, and that also means that only 24 more of these emails. I promise I'm still focused, and I will be until the day I die.
I'm glad to hear that Kort went to the wrestling tournament. They aren't always the funnest things in all honesty, but it's usually the things that we don't enjoy that we need to do more often to be able to see the success. We have been commanded by our mission president to open our mouth more and it is bringing much more success. We have a family that is preparing for baptism the first of April and we are going to be holding the service the Sunday in between the sessions of general conference. I am super excited for the weekend of spiritual overload! This week was a pretty crazy week and I feel like my patience was tried as I was doing all I could to share the gospel but no one wanted to hear. Satan is the father of contention and he was working his way into my feelings as we talked with people who didn't want to hear, who just wanted to contend with us. I started to become like them, contentious and irritated at what they said. I prayed to be more humble and more patient and it seemed that the people got more contentious and more irritable. The blessing is that I know what I'm doing is true and no one nor anything can change that. This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ of which I am not ashamed. This week I began reading the Book of Mormon and I read a scripture in 1 Ne 17:50. Nephi is a stud.
Funny moment of the week: my companion and I knocked a door where we saw a man and his wife sitting outside and they let us in to share a message with them. We entered into the patio area and they brough out some stools and invited us to sit down. We prayed and I began to talk and as I was talking I heard something small hit my shoulder and I looked over to my companion to see him look at me and then look up to the sky. I thought to myself "you have got to be kidding me." we were sitting right under a tree and a bird was sitting right above me. I didn't want to look at my shirt for fear of losing composure, but the moment we left that lesson I couldn't help but bust up laughing. What were the odds that I would get pooped on.
I love you guys. Tsakichuq´a
Love,
Elder Turner
I love the analogy with CTR and the baptismal covenant but it's a bummer that it doesn't translate over to Spanish and much less to Tzutujil. I like the current temple recommend, that one I had never heard and speaking of that I almost have to get mine renewed. That's pretty crazy to think that it's been almost 2 years since I got my recommend and started going to the temple endowed. I love the temple. I'm so excited to go more often when I get home. Not to focus on the future, but this number is pretty crazy. I only have 24 weeks left. That is a pretty small number, and that also means that only 24 more of these emails. I promise I'm still focused, and I will be until the day I die.
I'm glad to hear that Kort went to the wrestling tournament. They aren't always the funnest things in all honesty, but it's usually the things that we don't enjoy that we need to do more often to be able to see the success. We have been commanded by our mission president to open our mouth more and it is bringing much more success. We have a family that is preparing for baptism the first of April and we are going to be holding the service the Sunday in between the sessions of general conference. I am super excited for the weekend of spiritual overload! This week was a pretty crazy week and I feel like my patience was tried as I was doing all I could to share the gospel but no one wanted to hear. Satan is the father of contention and he was working his way into my feelings as we talked with people who didn't want to hear, who just wanted to contend with us. I started to become like them, contentious and irritated at what they said. I prayed to be more humble and more patient and it seemed that the people got more contentious and more irritable. The blessing is that I know what I'm doing is true and no one nor anything can change that. This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ of which I am not ashamed. This week I began reading the Book of Mormon and I read a scripture in 1 Ne 17:50. Nephi is a stud.
Funny moment of the week: my companion and I knocked a door where we saw a man and his wife sitting outside and they let us in to share a message with them. We entered into the patio area and they brough out some stools and invited us to sit down. We prayed and I began to talk and as I was talking I heard something small hit my shoulder and I looked over to my companion to see him look at me and then look up to the sky. I thought to myself "you have got to be kidding me." we were sitting right under a tree and a bird was sitting right above me. I didn't want to look at my shirt for fear of losing composure, but the moment we left that lesson I couldn't help but bust up laughing. What were the odds that I would get pooped on.
I love you guys. Tsakichuq´a
Love,
Elder Turner
Thursday, March 1, 2012
It seems like life is great and that there are a lot of things going on at home, but the best thing is that you all are still centered on the Lord. I'm jealous that they get to go to the temple and do baptisms. The temple is something that I miss so much but I made it a goal for when I get home to go at least once a week for the first month and then go at least every other week after that. I know that the temple is the House of the Lord and that we truly perform sacred ordinances there which bless us for time and all eternity. Thank you for teaching me the importance of temples and for encouraging me to go with Dad as often as possible while he was working there. I think it would be so great to serve as a temple worker when I get home, I just don't know if my schedule wil allow me to do that.
I haven't gotten my package yet but I bet it is here in Guatemala.
That is way cool that Mack is going to go to camp this year. I'm sure she is excited and it will be a great testimony strengthener for her. She definitely should enjoy it because not all the members of the church get to go to Girls' Camp or Scout Camp or EFY. Here in Central America EFY goes around to a different country every year and so the youth don't have that blessing and Scout Camp and Girls' Camp don't really exist here in Guatemala. We are blessed to be members of the church and to live in the country where the gospel was restored because there are so many blessings we receive having the gospel in a mature state. The gospel is just so new here that many people are still in a state of "apostasy" even though they are members and have been members their whole life. The church has only been in Santiago for maybe 30 years so there are many habits that as missionaries we have to help correct so that the gospel is truly lived the way that it is intended to be lived.
Well this week was a great week here in my area. My companion and I are having a lot of success that is all coming from the Lord as we trust in Him. There are some great scriptures that we read today in the district meeting in Ether 12:6-19 which really help me understand faith and the neccesity of having such great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I still don't quite grasp the whole concept of faith because when you really begin to think about it, it is complicated and
mysterious, but being a principle of the gospel it is simple - just believe in Christ and ANYTHING is possible with faith. This week the Lord blessed us according to our faith and we were able to have 8 investigators in church which is something that hasn't happened here in a long time. The Lord has blessed me with a desire to work hard and for that I am so grateful, and He is giving the success that we desire as we put forth our faith and contact 25 people daily. It's difficult but doable and the Lord blesses us for our efforts. On Sunday we passed by a family to bring them to church, but they said that they weren't ready and that they would meet us there. When church began we had 1 person in church. After Sacrament Meeting we had 4. The family that said they were going to come hadn't showed up and so my companion and I went by their house again to bring them but they weren't there and my only hope was that they went to church a different way than we did to get to their house. I was praying with all my might and when we got to the church the family was sitting there with smiles on their faces. I haven't felt happier than I did in that moment in my entire life. The mission is in a way unreal yet it is the most real thing that I have ever done.
Love,
Elder Turner
I haven't gotten my package yet but I bet it is here in Guatemala.
That is way cool that Mack is going to go to camp this year. I'm sure she is excited and it will be a great testimony strengthener for her. She definitely should enjoy it because not all the members of the church get to go to Girls' Camp or Scout Camp or EFY. Here in Central America EFY goes around to a different country every year and so the youth don't have that blessing and Scout Camp and Girls' Camp don't really exist here in Guatemala. We are blessed to be members of the church and to live in the country where the gospel was restored because there are so many blessings we receive having the gospel in a mature state. The gospel is just so new here that many people are still in a state of "apostasy" even though they are members and have been members their whole life. The church has only been in Santiago for maybe 30 years so there are many habits that as missionaries we have to help correct so that the gospel is truly lived the way that it is intended to be lived.
Well this week was a great week here in my area. My companion and I are having a lot of success that is all coming from the Lord as we trust in Him. There are some great scriptures that we read today in the district meeting in Ether 12:6-19 which really help me understand faith and the neccesity of having such great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I still don't quite grasp the whole concept of faith because when you really begin to think about it, it is complicated and
mysterious, but being a principle of the gospel it is simple - just believe in Christ and ANYTHING is possible with faith. This week the Lord blessed us according to our faith and we were able to have 8 investigators in church which is something that hasn't happened here in a long time. The Lord has blessed me with a desire to work hard and for that I am so grateful, and He is giving the success that we desire as we put forth our faith and contact 25 people daily. It's difficult but doable and the Lord blesses us for our efforts. On Sunday we passed by a family to bring them to church, but they said that they weren't ready and that they would meet us there. When church began we had 1 person in church. After Sacrament Meeting we had 4. The family that said they were going to come hadn't showed up and so my companion and I went by their house again to bring them but they weren't there and my only hope was that they went to church a different way than we did to get to their house. I was praying with all my might and when we got to the church the family was sitting there with smiles on their faces. I haven't felt happier than I did in that moment in my entire life. The mission is in a way unreal yet it is the most real thing that I have ever done.
Love,
Elder Turner
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