A Message of Hope and Healing......

On Friday, November 20th at 1 PM EST, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will share a 15-minute video message of HOPE and HEALING.  We are looking forward to hearing from the Prophet, and we invite you to join in at churchofjesuschrist.org or YouTube.com  - "President Russell M. Nelson shares a message of hope and healing."

President Russell M. Nelson - Prophet, Seer & Revelator of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It's OFFICIAL.....our son Ethan is engaged to be married (sealed for time and all eternity), to the lovely Veronica Aragon on February 6, 2021 in the Provo City Center Temple.  We are thrilled to have Veronica join our family, and we are looking forward to this sacred event when we return from our mission.

Ethan & Veronica in September 2020.

Speaking of temples, on November 12th, Elder Lewis and I had the privilege of accompanying four sister missionaries to the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple.  Due to the closing of temples from COVID, forty-two missionaries entered the Ecuador Quito Mission without having received their temple endowments.  In our faith, making temple covenants through sacred ordinances is an essential and important part of missionary work.  We believe that sacred temple covenants and ordinances endow missionaries and members with power from on high to learn, live, teach, and testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Angel Moroni atop the spire of the Guayaquil Temple.

The Guayaquil Temple is an 8 hour drive from Quito or a one hour flight.  At this time, the cost of travel is about the same whether you drive or fly; so the mission opted to fly.  President and Sister Winters were at the temple with missionaries on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Elder Lewis and I were there on Thursday.  

Thanks to the office elders - Elder Chaparro and Elder Valencia, our travel arrangements were similar to an executive trip.  At 6 AM on Thursday morning, we boarded a transport shuttle outside of our apartment complex that took us directly to the Quito airport.  At the airport, a Latam airline agent was there to help us process our electronic tickets.  We went through security without any difficulty, waited for about 30 minutes at our assigned gate, and then boarded our flight to Guayaquil.

The airport's plant wall was too beautiful to pass by without taking a photo.  

We have a similar wall in the lobby of our apartment complex.

When we arrived in Guayaquil, Elder Chaparro and Elder Valencia were waiting with another transport shuttle to drive us and the sisters to the temple.  It was a 10 minute drive from the airport.  We went to the office/housing complex next to the temple where three of the sisters' parents were waiting to greet their daughters and go through the temple with them.  It was a sweet reunion to see these young women embrace their parents.  One sister's mother was unable to join her and I was honored to be her escort.

Our transport shuttle in Guayaquil.  It is a licensed school bus, but owner/operators also accept other work.

After the sister missionaries visited briefly with their parents, the Elders escorted us into another room where breakfast was waiting. We ate, and then walked across the road to the temple.  

Breakfast at the office/housing complex next to the Guayaquil Temple.  Missionaries (clockwise): Elder Valencia, Elder Chaparro, Hermana Guaman, Hermana Minga, Hermana Reyes, and Hermana Tuapanta.

The Guayaquil Temple is beautiful, and the feeling of peace and love were present from the moment we entered.  Temple personnel were prepared for us and our session went very smoothly. Following the session and photos outside the temple, we were transported to a nearby chapel for lunch.

Elder & Sister Lewis outside the Guayaquil Temple.

Sister Lewis and Sister Tuapanta at the Guayaquil Temple on November 12, 2020.  

It was an honor to be Sister Tuapanta's escort 

Standing at the front doors of the beautiful Guayaquil Temple on November 12, 2020.

While in Guayaquil, we also had the opportunity to walk the river boardwalk - Malecon 2000, ride the ferris wheel, and visit Iguana Park.  

Malecón 2000 is a promenade that overlooks the Guayas River in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  

It is a modern urban park composed of playgrounds, sculptures, gardens, a cinema, and a shopping center.  

Under normal conditions, it attracts hundreds of people every day.  It was quiet on Thursday and many of the ride

or exhibits were shut down due to COVID.

Christmas displays were being set-up on the boardwalk of Malecon 2000.

Standing in front of the Hemiciclo de la Rotonda.  This impressive monument celebrates the historical July 26, 1822 meeting between two giants of a South American quest for independence, Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar. While the two considered forming a grand South American nation based in Guayaquil, the project did not prosper. The monument consists of statues of the two “libertadores” backed by a colonnade of flags from the countries they liberated.

Standing at the base of the ferris wheel for our 25 minute ride through the sky.

A view from the top of the ferris wheel.

Iguanas were everywhere.  I touched one for the record while Elder Lewis opted for a proxy touch.

Large, small, and in-between sizes.

We will see more of these lazy lizards when we go to Galapagos Islands in December.

We returned to the airport around 5:30 PM for our evening flight back to Quito.  We were back to our apartment by 8:30 PM.  It was an amazing day!  

One great blessing of being a senior missionary couple is meeting and interacting with the missionaries.  We are impressed with their faith, obedience, and dedication.  They inspire us to do better and be better.

On Saturday, we said farewell to Hermana Chancay.  Hermana Chancay and I spent a lot of time together on the phone as she practiced English, passed off her 24 English modules, and took her final online exam.  She's is a dedicated learner and a sweetheart.  She's also a dentist by profession, who took an 18-month leave of absence to serve a mission.  She plans to continue learning English and hopes to study orthodontics in the future.

Saying "good-bye" to Hermana Chancay in our apartment complex.  

We send our love and blessings to all.  Thank you for your wonderful examples and your influence in our loves.  Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!  

Elder & Sister Lewis

 

The Book of Mormon....A Gift that Keeps on Giving!

As I continue to reread the talks from October's 2020 General Conference, I am grateful for the messages and counsel we received from latter-day prophets and apostles.  Their words bring peace and optimism to my mind and heart. 

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

Seated: President Russell M. Nelson.  Left: 1st Counselor Dallin H. Oaks.  Right:  2nd Counselor Henry B. Eyring.

 

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Seated (L-R): Acting President M. Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, 

Quentin L. Cook.  Standing (L-R) D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Anderson,  Ronald A. Rasband, 

Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, Garrett W. Gong, Ulisses Soares.

In the Women's broadcast on Saturday evening, President Nelson (President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) counseled the women of the church, and I might add, the world, to "embrace the future with faith."  ( See - https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/37nelson?lang=eng).

In President Nelson's talk he said, ".... few things build faith more than does regular immersion in the Book of Mormon.  No other book testifies of Jesus Christ with such power and clarity.  Its prophets, as inspired by the Lord, saw our day and selected the doctrine and truths that would help us most.  The Book of Mormon is our latter-day survival guide."

With this post, I feel impressed to share my own experience and testimony of the Book of Mormon.  My first real encounter with the Book of Mormon was in high school, as an early morning seminary student.  It was my senior year and John Abraham, a busy hard-working farmer, was our seminary teacher.  No doubt, it was a sacrifice for him to take time out of his daily work schedule to prepare, and then teach a one-hour gospel lesson to a class of tired and usually inattentive teenagers.  But, he was there, and we would talk about the great teachings of the Book of Mormon, and life.

After graduating from high school, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.  BYU freshmen were strongly encouraged, required, to take two Book of Mormon classes their first year.  My older sister Patti, recommended that I take my two Book of Mormon classes from Cleon Skousen.  What a blessing that was!  Brother Skousen was a scholar of the Book of Mormon and an incredible teacher.  Not only did we learn Book of Mormon facts and doctrine, but his ability to invite the Spirit (the true teacher) into the classroom was remarkable.  Through my Book of Mormon classes, I gained a much greater understanding of the doctrine of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the attending doctrines of faith, obedience, repentance, forgiveness, and endurance.  And though Wikipedia might have a different perspective of Cleon Skousen, his class left me with spiritual impressions that I still cherish today.  

The Book of Mormon is a companion to the Bible, and a 2nd witness of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel.  It is tangible evidence that "the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land" (see Book of Mormon, Ether 5:17).  What work, you might ask? The great work of the gathering of Israel, and of preparing the world for the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.  

The Bible - a testament of Christ's dealings with the people in the Old World.

The Book of Mormon - a testament of Christ's dealings with His children in the Americas.

See Ezekiel 37:15-17.

The Book of Mormon witnesses to all that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  But, it has provided for me a personal witness that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. A testimony which has sustained me through the challenges and blessings of life, and continues to grow.  Yes, the Book of Mormon is a gift that keeps on giving.  No matter how many times I have read and studied its pages, the Book of Mormon continues to open the windows of personal revelation.  In that sacred text I find  comfort and direction for my life.

In addition to being a witness of Jesus Christ, a survival guide, and tangible evidence that God's work of gathering Israel and preparing for His return have begun; I have also found the Book of Mormon to be:

1- An instructional manual for repentance.  As I have studied how those in the Book of Mormon (from Lehi to Moroni) responded to the invitation to repent, I have been blessed with a greater understanding of how to access the power of Christ's atonement in the repentance process - how to repent, how to forgive, how to recognize God's forgiveness for me and others, and the resulting joy and peace that comes because of Him.  

"And My Soul Hungered" (Enos praying) by Al R. Young.  See Enos, Book of Mormon

2- A parenting/relationship handbook.  On numerous occasions, I have found answers to my parental concerns in the Book of Mormon.  Answers to questions that range from simple concerns of managing a toddler, maintaining harmony in a large family, and teen-age dating to more complex issues of covenant keeping, overcoming adversity, and the reality of "eternal" life.  

A painting by Jerry Thompson depicting Lehi reaching for the fruit of the Tree of Life.  See 1 Nephi 8, Book of Mormon.

3- A preparatory guide for the 2nd Coming.  The Book of Mormon was written for our day.  It's doctrine and teachings are there to prepare us for the Savior's return.  As I read about the events leading up to and including the Savior's visit to the Nephites, I see a type and shadow of what we are experiencing today.  I find great promise and optimism in knowing that Christ will return.  Like the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11, I want to be there, with my family, united in our testimony of Christ.  The Book of Mormon provides me with a powerful visual of future blessings IF I faithfully meet the challenges of today's world. I know that someday I will stand/kneel before Him and know that He is!  

"Jesus Christ Visits the Americas" by John Scott.  See 3 Nephi 11, Book of Mormon.

My humble testimony is that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that God knows that I know that it is true.  His promise at the close of the Book of Mormon, penned by the ancient prophet Moroni, is for all:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  (See Moroni 10:4-5)

Love and blessings to all!

Sister Lewis