Temple Day

Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday was Missionary Monday at the New Mexico Albuquerque Temple. That was an amazing experience. It is so refreshing to let go of the world as many of you know already. Even as a missionary it gets hard to be so caught up in the day to day ins and outs of missionary work. It is exhausting but exhilarating. I love this calling. One thing that stood out to me was the individual identity that we each have. Only our father in Heaven knows truly who we are. Or at least for me I find that to be true. I have a hard time understanding myself sometimes. Another thing that we were invited to focus on I truly feeling joy. I know that the Love of our Savior is real. It pierces to the center of a ready heart. I know for me I have to be in the right state to allow it to enter in and when I do I can't even think about anything but doing his will. I feel like I can conquer the World!

The things we learn in the temple are so simple yet so complex. Like the gospel in general. It is all encompassed in the Savior's love yet there is so much that we have to learn, so much to change and refine about ourselves that it takes finite and constant laborious work from day to day. Like Joseph in Egypt, I was reading his story this morning. He was being sought after by Potifer's wife continually. He said no and she didn't let up. It says day to day. then she set a trap and he ran. We all know the story but it is a lot more than just a story. Like all scripture and all God's word it is a path for us to follow. A pattern that we must emulate if we hope to reach the tree of life.

I look at the laws we have been given. The Law of Obedience, of Sacrifice, of Chastity, of Consecration. Any and all of God's commands are of eternal origin. The scriptures say that never at any time has god given a command that is temporal. So we are trying to make decisions that have sway for an eternity from now, of course that can be hard. It's no wonder the Lord wants us to follow his path. We are so silly not to take his advice. I know that he loves all of us. He knows you by name. That is more than just saying that. I know he is there for us. His plan is perfect. Obedience is a joy. Sacrifice is a blessing. Chastity is the virtue of eternity and the only way to have confidence before God. Consecration is recognizing that God created all and we are simply stewards put here for a period of time to prove to ourselves that we can overcome whatever it is God has in store for us. I know this to be true and I have yet much to learn.  

 

Have a great week! I love you all!

 

Elder McGarry

 

Temple Day!

Hot Air balloon on the way to the temple!​