So
this week was pretty good! I love our investigators! One of them, Ruben, pulled
out a list he had made while he was reading the Book of Mormon that had all the
people who he had read about so far (like Lehi, Nephi, Laman, Lemuel) and what
they had done. Then he asked us to read some of it with him so that he
could be sure he was understanding it all. He is so great!
Then another one of
our investigators, Roxanna, hasn't been baptized yet (only because she's
waiting on her boyfriend to get baptized too) but she asked us the other day if
she was allowed to pay tithing, even if she wasn't baptized yet. And then
she paid it on Sunday! Her faith is incredible, I love her. Another
one of our investigators I can tell feels that our church is true, but I think
he's afraid to REALLY find out because he knows when he does, he'll have to
make some lifestyle changes. But he's great. Very spiritual.
And all the recent
converts are incredible as well. The people here are so awesome! Sorry
for the short email this week. But the church is true! There is not a
doubt in my mind. This is 100% the true church of Jesus Christ on the
earth today. The only church with the power and authority of God by way
of the priesthood. I'm so grateful to be a part of it, and so grateful
for the knowledge and blessings it has brought to my life.
Yesterday, Hermana
Juarez and I were listening to a talk called "17 Points of the True
Church" by someone named Floyd, or something like that. GOOGLE IT. If he
mentions taking a class from Einstein in it, you'll know you've found the right
talk. It's incredible. He wasn't a member, but him and his friends
searched the scriptures and found 17 points that would make up the true church
of Christ. They went to many different churches and none of them had all
these points.... Until he came across the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. It has EVERY SINGLE POINT. So obviously, he was converted.
THIS CHURCH IS TRUE. I love it.
Anyways, have a great
week!
Mucho amor,
Hermana Horne
Here is the story McKayla was talking about:
Story: Seventeen Points of the True Church
by Floyd Weston
A remarkable story about
finding the true church.
I had an experience as a young man that I
shall never forget. At college one day, some friends and I heard that Albert
Einstein, the great scientist, was speaking to a faculty group. We attended the
lecture and enjoyed his remarks very much. However, I didn't comprehend
everything he said, but I did understand his concluding remark.
He said, "Gentlemen, the deeper that
I delve into the sciences of this universe, the more clearly I believe that
one God or force or influence has organized all of it for our discovery."
We walked quietly back to the dormitory
and commenced discussing religion. There were five of us. Four of us belonged
to different religions, and one was a professed atheist. One of the group was a
brilliant fellow named Jim. He had a photographic mind. He could take a book,
read the words on a page, close the book, and recite verbatim what he had read.
When we started to discuss religion as a
result of having heard Dr. Einstein’s remarks, Jim when to the drawer of the
dormitory and he took out a Bible. Then he went into the hallway where he
found a large chalkboard and maneuvered it into our room. Next, he took the
Bible and went through it page by page. He was convinced that our Heavenly
Father was and Is a just God. He was convinced that in some of the 800 or so
different beliefs and sects listed in the almanac that one represented the
truth and the whole truth. He took a page of the Bible at a time and went to
work on this chalkboard. It took him almost eight weeks; he had both sides of
the chalkboard filled. Then he asked a secretary to come in, write down the Information, summarize it,
and type it on a five-by-seven card. He gave each of us a card and presented
a plan to us. He
said, "I have taken from the Bible all the evidences I could locate that
would help a person identify the true Church. I'm convinced that Jesus
Christ was sent here to organize his Church, and I believe that it is somewhere
on the earth today."
So
every Wednesday night and every Sunday, we went out looking for this Church. We
visited the various churches, but none
of them had what we were searching for. Some of the points that Jim
had written down on our cards were that the true church would accept the
scriptures, it would not have a paid
ministry; it would have the proper authority from God; and it would
claim to be the true church.
Not long after receiving the card, I
decided to check out of school and
train to become a paratrooper. While I was training, I had a wonderful
experience I will share with you. I kept my five-by-seven card in my
footlocker. On Sundays, I would occasionally
attend one of the Protestant churches. As I would ride the bus to the outskirts of town to attend the church
meetings, I noticed a group of fellows on board that I recognized as being in
my class of paratrooper trainees. They would
get off and go into a little brownstone church. They were a
tremendous group. I never saw any of them with a cigarette in his
mouth. I never heard a foul or obscene word or suggestive story from any of them. As I looked
over their records, I noticed that they were all from the West. They
were always laughing, having a tremendous time, and everyone liked them.
They
had one young fellow, a little short farm boy from Utah, who seemed to be their
leader. I was talking with him one day just as he was preparing to jump
from their plane. There had been a rather serious accident that
morning with one of the trainees
and I asked this farm boy how he felt about it.
"Oh, I don't
mind," he said. "I know the answers to the three questions."
I thought, What's he talking
about? I said, "What questions?"
And
he said, "Unless you can answer three questions before you leave the earth, in great measure you
have wasted your life."
About that time, the red
light came on, and the little buzzer started sounding. I had to get ready to
send him on his jump. All the time, I was wondering what on earth he was
talking about.
The
next evening I found out where he lived. As I walked into the barracks, he saw me coming and passed
the word around. He was shining his
boots. I walked up and said, "Hey, listen."
And he said, "What is it, Sarge?"
I said, "Tell me, what are these three
questions?"
"Oh, don't you know?
Well, number one, where did you come from before you came to earth?"
I thought, How silly can you be!
"Number two, why are you here? And number
three, where are you going after you leave here?"
I said, "Anyone can answer. Wait a minute.
I don't know. I don't know!"
Subsequently, I had other conversations
with this young man and his companions.
I had my five-by-seven card, and I asked
them all the questions. As I progressed down through all the classifications of the true church, my
heart beat harder. The church described by these men agreed with every
single point on the card. I came to know for a surety that they were teaching
me the truth and I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A while later, I went
through California on a furlough. The Church was having a conference at a stake center. As I walked in, I saw an Air
Force captain. I looked again. It was Jim. He said,
“What are you doing here?”
I
said, “Well, this is my church too!"
The
thing I want to tell you is that all four of us who were left (one was killed
in the war) armed with our five-by-seven cards found the same church. There
might be some who would call this coincidental, but I know it wasn't.
While I was investigating the church, the
young trainees pointed out from the scriptures that there would be another
record that would be joined with the Bible. They showed me this other record.
I learned that gaining an understanding of
the gospel was not a problem, only a process. The trainees said, "Don't
take our word for it," when they handed me the new record, The Book of
Mormon. They showed me a verse of scripture I will never forget: "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" (Moron]
10:4).
This impressed me. I didn't have to take
anybody's word for it. I asked, and I received an answer. I know
that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I testify to you that the gospel
is here upon the earth. I was looking for a church that had apostles,
teachers, deacons and prophets. I found it. There's only one Church on the
earth that has a Quorum of Twelve Apostles and that follows the Bible. I
bear you my testimony that it is the truth and will bring you joy and that you
will be able to bring this joy to other men. If you accept this truth, your
entire family and posterity will rise up and call you blessed. I bear my
testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
The Seventeen Points of
the true Church written on the 3X5 cards are listed below.
1. Will recognize the Holy Trinity as separate
Persons.
A. Will Know the identity of God (Father), Jesus
Christ (Son) and the Holy Ghost (Spirit).
B. Jesus Christ will be recognized as Head of
the Church.
2. Will accept the Holy Bible in its entirety of
which some parts of the record are missing.
3. Will contain the same offices.
A. Twelve apostles are mandatory.
B. Prophets, teachers,
elders, evangelists, bishops, deacons, high priests, saints.
4. Officers will be "Called of God."
A. College degree or
license insufficient.
B. Royal Priesthood.
C. Can be married.
5. Will have an unpaid Ministry.
6. Members will be workers
in the Church. Women included in activities.
7. Baptism will be mandatory.
A. Probably
by immersion.
B. Must be authorized.
8. Will believe in the Virgin Birth.
9. Will believe in literal resurrection.
10. Will honor Sunday as
the Sabbath.
11. Will receive
continuous revelation.
12. Will be payer of tithes.
13. Will partake of
the Sacrament of the Lord.
14. Will believe in
immortality and a heaven and a hell.
15. Will have miraculous occurrences,
healings, visions, tongues, prophecies.
16. Will teach that Jesus Christ will come
again.
17. Will be persecuted
for beliefs.
Source: Weston,
Floyd, Seventeen Evidences of the True Church, audio tape by Covenant
Communications, Inc., American Fork, Utah, 1996
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