Happy Easter Everybody!!!
I hope you like the Title of the email...it took me a while to come up with lol we all remember that great song by Queen right??!! haha well Easter was great here in Iowa! We got to help hide eggs with some members for their kids. Fun fact: their kids are allergic to dogs, but they wanted a pet so they have a pet pig (see attached picture)...only in Iowa :) haha instead of barking, it squealed! That'll keep the burglars away lol
Well, this week was great! Irene is progressing towards her baptism on Saturday at 10am! We have had some really cool experiences teaching her and I want to share one and make that the topic of my email today. So lets start out with Irene being the oldest of 4 girls with a single mom. She has always had a lot of burdens and responsibility on her as she practically raised her little sisters. She has had a rough life. She is only 15, but because of her circumstances, she has gotten caught up in a couple rough crowds of friends. As a result she has some minor tattoos and a piercing in her lip. We believe our bodies to be sacred creations of God. We have just celebrated Easter, which reminds us all of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This means when His spirit and His glorified, perfect body were restored back together again. We know that because of Christ's resurrection, we will all be resurrected and that our spirits and our bodies will be reunited again as we will stand in front of God to be judged of our works and desires. For Latter-day Saints (Mormons), this means that our bodies are going to be something that we will have forever. Therefore, we try our best to take good care of them, by avoiding unnecessary piercings, tattoos, harmful substances, etc. So with that in mind, my new companion Elder Miranda, was wondering if Irene would have to take out her lip ring before she was baptized. I told him that I wasnt sure, but that as we teach her true doctrine and she feels the Spirit, she will realize on her own that her lip ring isnt necessary or even "cool" so she will take it out. So I never even mentioned anything about her lip ring the whole time that we have been teaching her and neither has anybody else. We don't judge, but rather, we love. Then, this Friday, Irene went on a trip with the youth to go see Chuch history sites in Carthageand Nauvoo, Illinois. Also, they visited the beautiful Nauvoo temple. Irene said she felt loved and peaceful during the whole trip and loved being with the other youth. We helped her realize that what she felt the whole time was God's Spirit. Then the next night, Irene and her sister Karla, went to a meeting for all the Young Women in the Church. We texted her about how it went and she told us this, "I felt even more amazing. I looked in the mirror and I was so happy with who I am...I took out the piercing I had near my lip!" Again, we had not mentioned a thing to her about how the Prophet of God teaches that we should not have body piercings, but rather, the Spirit touched her heart and taught her personally, how God sees us and our bodies as beautiful creations. We are His children and were created in His image! We are sons and daughters of a glorious and beautiful King who is full of light and truth! Our destiny is to become like Him. This is true doctrine and "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. Thestudy of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." (President Boyd K. Packer - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) I literally saw this come true as Irene is continually coming to understand more about who she is, where she came from, why she is here (her purpose on Earth), and what will happen after death. This understanding is changing her behavior in a way that allows her to keep the commandments of God and be a much, much more happier person! She is so stoked for her baptism and wants us to teach her whole family as well! Her three little sisters are preparing to be baptized on May 4th :)
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Joseph Smith was truly a Prophet of God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom on the Earth in these last days. The way we can all know for ourselves is through carefully reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon. It is true! I love you all and hope you can feel God's love for you through me, even though I'm in Iowa:) Love you and keep on keepin' on!
Love Elder Seth McGinn
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