March 7, 2011

Hola,

I just want you all to know how much I love you. Yesterday, during sacrament meeting, Bishop shared his testimony. He told us about an experience he had. He had finished lunch and had taken a little rest and walked out the door to go back to work. (Here in Spain there is mediodía, from 2 until about 5 p.m., most people go home for lunch and take a rest then go back to work). He walked out the door, his wife was outside, his children in the house doing their homework, and the thought came to him, "What a blessing to have a family." It was a small moment, very short, but it made such an impression on his mind that he continues to think about it. He bore testimony of Jesus Christ, how the gospel blesses our families, and that through the atonement it will be possible to be with our families forever. "We can never learn enough," he said, as he spoke of the Savior. And that is true.

The past few weeks, in my personal study of the Book of Mormon, I have come to know my Savior in a deeper, more personal way. I know that He lives. I encourage each of you to continue to study, to really ponder and meditate, on the message of the Book of Mormon. It is a message of hope, happiness, and healing. It is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the invitation to come unto Him. It is the mind and will and voice of the Lord, the power of God unto salvation. By accepting its message, we receive the witness of the Holy Ghost that it is true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He did, in reality, see God, the Father, and the Son, Jesus Christ. He sealed his mission, his works, and his testimony, with his own blood. He talked of Christ, he rejoiced in Christ, he preached of Christ, he prophecied of Christ, and he wrote according to his prophecies so that we may know to what source we may look for a remission of our sins. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and we will come closer to our Savior, and to our Father, by abiding by the precepts of that book. This knowledge has come to me through the power of the Holy Ghost. My faith in Jesus Christ strengthens, my love for Him grows, and my appreciation for Him deepens each time I read that sacred record. I add my testimony to that of King Benjamin, that there is "no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Mosiah 3:17). We honor our Savior by accepting his atonement, accepting that infinite and eternal gift. As we accept that gift, we accept Christ, and as we accept Christ, we accept the Father, and as we accept the Father, we obtain the promised blessings that he has in store for each and every one of us.

I love you so much.

Love,
Elder Fagersten