"Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question - Unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth."
-D&C 50:13-14

Monday, October 25, 2010

President Summerhays' Letter

24 October 2010

Dear Sisters and Elders,

It has been a fabulous week, visiting with so many of you. I look forward to next week and the opportunity to visit with the rest of you. You are truly the cream of the crop and I am so blessed to serve with you. You lift me with your enthusiasm and love for your missionary service. I see the light in most of your eyes.

The tool for the harvest in this dispensation is the Book of Mormon. Without the Book of Mormon there is no missionary work. It should be the center, the key stone, the arch, the epicenter, the quarter back, and the heart of our coming and goings. There is no other book on the earth that will bring the spirit into your life as strongly and as quickly as the Book of Mormon. The missionary who does not read/study the Book of Mormon daily cannot be the instrument that the Lord wants him to be!!!

You can be perfect in scripture study as a missionary. A returned missionary wrote, ‘I can honestly say that I never missed one day of studying the scriptures on my mission (and I cannot think of any companion that missed a day either), frankly I cannot see anyway this could happen other than deliberate disobedience.”

Another missionary shared with me the quote from Elder Packer in Preach My Gospel, “In a world ever more dangerous…the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ has the nourishing power to heal starving spirits of the world.” When he read the word, “starving” he recognized that he needed to feast upon the words of Christ-especially the Book of Mormon.

And yet , another missionary shared, “I have found that when I have studied the Book of Mormon daily, the Holy Ghost ‘shows me all things I should do.’ We are to teach people, not lessons. When I encounter an investigator that is struggling with smoking, I cannot use the same lesson I used for another investigator who struggled with smoking. I need to know what the Spirit wants me to teach each individual. When I read the Book of Mormon, my understanding is increased and the right words at the right time are brought to my heart and mind to share.”

Elder Bednar in his conference talk,”Watching With All Perserverence,” stated, “regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon, invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families (missionaries) . And discussions about the doctrines and principles in the Book of Mormon provide opportunities for parents (missionaries) to observe their children (investigators), to listen to them, to learn from them, and to teach them.”

When we are immersed in the Book of Mormon, we are immersed in the Holy Ghost. The Lord can then work miracles through us because we are being “shown” His will in all things and when we follow the promptings of the Spirit, the Lord’s wok is accomplished in the manner that He would have it done.

As I will always say, your happiness now and in the future is my deep desire. Making perfect scripture study part of your perfect mornings will help you be happy. I love you and I believe in you with all of my heart.

President Summerhays
Florida Tampa Mission

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