My area now is called Geumchon ward, Seoul Book(North) Stake. It
really reminds me of Bamban. Members here are great and they really
help us in doing missionary work so don't worry about me. Clinton
Christensen sent me a package again!!!! I just got it yesterday in our
mission conference. He sent me lots of candies, long sleeved shirt, 3
ties, stickers, christmas card, CTR RING!!!, and a shocking pen. I
didn't expected that package because I'm not really expecting a
package from him again and for the last christmas. HIs christmas is
great and cool, So please say thank you to him. I'll send him a letter
too. What happened is one of the missionary in our zopne called me and
he told me that I have package, so I wondered who's that from. SO when
I saw it, it was from him... That's my 2nd package from him so
far....
DMZ is closer that Capas to Tarlac...Maybe from our house up to
Downtown Capas. We can go there because its not really dangerous. Lots
of foreigners there and its pretty quite in my area coz not a lot of
people.
Wapin eh malapit nakung muli. Anam a bulan naku mu keni kaya ayni meju
meging seryosu ku keng work kasi I need to be better. I will not do
this work anymore when I go home. I just want to share a talk from
ELDER Holland. I read it this morning in my study:
THE ATONEMENT AND THE MISSIONARY
Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask,
Why is this so hard? Why can't our success be more rapid? Why aren't
there more people joining the Church? Why isn't the only risk in
missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and
all night in the baptismal font?
I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal
feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because
salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are
The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great
Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was
never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission
leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane.
Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two
toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about anything
anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and
sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to
come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this
price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don't believe missionary work has ever been easy,
nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued
faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort,
something from the depths of our soul.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face,
bleed from every pore, and cry, "Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can
pass, let it pass," 11 then little wonder that salvation is not an
easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn't an easier way, you
should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot
greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn't an
easier way.
When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and
cast out, you are standing with the best life this world has ever
known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to
stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows
all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is
through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is
through Him--the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I testify that the living God is our Eternal Father and that Jesus
Christ is His living and Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I testify
that this Jesus, who was slain and hanged on a tree, 12 lives. The
whole triumph of the gospel is that He lives, and because He does, so
will we.
On that first Resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene first thought she
saw a gardener. Well, she did--the Gardener who cultivated Eden and who
endured Gethsemane. The Gardener who gave us the tree of life.
I declare Him to be the Savior of the world. I know that we are lifted
up unto life because He was lifted up unto death. I bear witness that
He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities,
that He was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief because upon Him
were laid the transgressions of us all. 13
I bear witness that He came from God as a God to bind up the
brokenhearted, to dry the tears from every eye, to proclaim liberty to
the captive and open the prison doors to them that are bound. 14 I
promise that because of your faithful response to the call to spread
the gospel, He will bind up your broken hearts, dry your tears, and
set you and your families free. That is my missionary promise to you
and your missionary message to the world.
I know this work is true and I'm really grateful to be a
representative of Jesus Christ, to share this gospel to the Korean
people. I love this work. This work has changed my life. I can't
believe who am I now. I don't know...I don't know... I know this
gospel is true, it is true. Joseph Smith said to his wife Emma :
" Emma, if you are faithful, all of your losses will be made out again."
If we are faithful in keeping the commandments, OUR FAMILY CAN BE
TOGETHER FOREVER...Again I know this gospel is true. I know it and God
know what do I feel. He knows what did I feel when I read the Book of
Mormon. I know he Lives!
ELDER KENNETH EDWARD BACARRO
