New Years/ Goals

Dear Family and Friends, This past week has been full of anticipation and excitement and joy. I love the days leading up to Holidays, mostly because they remind me of how I hope to feel all the time. Excitement should carry from day to day because we are truly blessed to have each day as an opportunity to improve and learn. I often get discouraged and forget to look at that perspective though and staying in that place is what leads to deeper longer lasting problems that I am trying so hard to help people overcome. We have the choice, each and every day, to be Happy and experience joy. That doesn't mean that sorrows won't come and circumstances are going to arise that set us back, but the perspective should never change. Keeping an eye single to Happiness is possible because Circumstances Never come to Stay, they Come to Pass. Why else do you think it says that so many times in the scriptures? So to build off of last week if there is one thing to remember it is that. :) Christmas was So wonderful. We had so much love and support and as a result of overcoming doubts and fears of talking to one man, we got another new investigator, Lester. We went back on Saturday and he invited us in to bless his home. Many miracles are so simple but just as beautiful and majestic as all the others. This marks the fourth week in a row that we have had three new investigators. That's 12 this month! How do you keep up with that? Well, the Lord knows, and I'm still trying to figure it out but we are loving the challenges and the accomplishments that are part of our lives. (I noticed this week I always refer to us, being Elder Christensen and I, as we. On the phone in letters, in e-mails. I guess that means we're getting along great and that I consider him to be my other half right now.) The thing that stands out to me most this week is a question that has come up a lot. What do we have to do to gain salvation? Well the the answer is simple right? Have Faith, Repent, be Baptized and covenant with the Lord, Receive the Gift of The Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End. Well that is where the interesting part comes in. Enduring to the end is a different path for me than for anyone else, and it is not the same for any one of us. So what do we do to know? Well the scriptures teach us that we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We have to sell all that we have and give to the poor and follow Christ, or at least have the perfect knowledge that we would be willing to do so if He asked us to even though he may not. So I can't answer this question exactly for anyone but me. For me though I know that I have to want it. I have to want it as much as the King of the Lamanites wanted it, saying "I will [forsake my kingdom and] give away all my sins to receive this great joy" of which Arron had taught him. The Lord asks for a very simple thing, a broken heart (willing to be lead and guided just as we think of a broken horse), and a contrite spirit. The Lord has so much to teach us!! He Can't Do It Though! Unless, we accomplish the things that he has asked us to do right now. Mosiah 4 tells us that we cannot obtain Knowledge unless we repent and ACT on the knowledge we already have. The Lord wants us to be happy, that's why he gives us baby steps. As we act and master our current state then he blesses us with more knowledge and understanding, grace for grace, just like the Savior (our perfect example) and every other person that has come to this earth. I know that the Lord blesses me with great understanding, and I know that there is so much to learn still. Now let us remember, to remember him always and act as he would have us act. Mosiah 4: Whole chapter but in particular verse 30. I love you all very much and I hope that this new year (2015 Already! What?!) will be the best yet. Keep the Perspective of joy and happiness and the Love of the Savior we have felt this season for the whole year through. Happy New Year! Elder McGarry

Christmas Spirit

Dear Family and Friends,

The Lord is good. Elder Christensen and I have been so blessed this week. I don't even know where to start. The Sage Ward is full of excitement. There are miracles and people are really reaching out and sharing the Love of Christ in abundance. We have had the best week of our Mission along with some of the most spiritual days of my life. Hopefully I can put into words my feelings and thoughts.

First of all, I know that the power of the priesthood is real. I have seen many miracles brought to pass, people have been healed, minds have been cleansed, hearts have been changed. It is such a great blessing to be able to serve and bring about the Lord's work in all aspects of life.

The thing that really stands out to me this week, and I've had a inclination to this idea for a while now. The word Remember is used in the scriptures fairly often. I have made a point to highlight it every time I see it and here is why. Remember when we lived in the spirit world with our father in heaven? Wait no we can't because the veil was placed over us so we would have to rely on the spirit and Faith to gain a Hope of Salvation. So every time we are told to remember it is an invitation to bring things to the front of our mind. These things are the most important for us to do, else why would they be preceded with the word remember? So we must remember, to keep ourselves in the world but not of the world we must have thoughts of holiness and virtue. Then we can gain confidence in the presence of God. (D&C 121:45)

By remembrance I want to pose a similar question to the one in Alma chapter 5. Have we sufficiently retained in remembrance the sacrifices that have gone in to the bringing forth of this last dispensation of the fulness of the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ? Each of us will have a different idea of what those sacrifices might be and which ones mean the most to us individually. But the important thing is that we remember them. Now if you were called at this time to die, would you be able to stand before our Savior and say that you have been sufficiently humble? Things to ponder. I know that life is busy at this time of year: there is excitement, there is recollection, there is joy, there is peace, and most importantly I surely Hope that each of us can feel that there is Love. For Perfect Love casteth out All fear. (Moroni 7) Through perfect love we are brought to sing the song of redemption and that Christ has risen. We are so frail and simple, but with a touch of the master's hand we can become just like him. Only through his great love. I Love this work.

We have exciting news for the coming month! Four baptisms are coming up, Andrew (Date pending for his father's work schedule), Michelle (Jan 10), Nelly (Jan 24), and Lisa (Jan 31). I can't wait to share the experiences as the time progresses. More will come because the Lord is hastening his work day by day just as it says in Isaiah. Trials are still abundant, but I look at them only with great excitement because I personally Know that the lord giveth no commandment save he shall prepare a way for us to accomplish the things which he does command us. This I testify to be true and I have gain this through diligence and prayer and studying. I hope that we all can take this spirit with us into the coming months and years as we draw closer to the day when our Savior will come again.

I love you all,

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Elder McGarry

P.S. For those of you who want to receive my e-mails directly to your inbox please let me know. I have the blog set up for ease of access but I also want to hear your preference. I'll be making a list of the people that I send this directly to their e-mail every week. Other will still be able to access it at the blog where my messages are uploaded. (Big thanks to My sister Rachel!!)