Semana 27 (Don't Drink the Lemonade... It has Turned!)

Buenas!!!

This week was pretty good! The bucket showers are still going strong, and the stars are still shining brightly! Life in good old San Felix is slow, but it's a good life!

One of the highlights this week was that a lady gave us strawberries! I can't remember the last time I had eaten a strawberry. The frozen ones she gave us were absolutely delicious. Just about what I'd imagine the fruit in Lehi's dream tasted like.

There was also a child selling lemonade. Her mom came up to us, and was giving us this big old story, and we couldn't refuse the little girl. So we ended up buying some lemonade that was given to us in some very sketchy plastic cups. I was pretty sure I was about to be poisoned by an 8 year old, but there was nothing I could do. Did I have some digestion problems after? Yes, yes I did. But I made a little girl 25 cents richer. So worth it.

Also the digestion problems I mentioned occurred on our way back from district counsel. Ya know on the 1.5 hour bus ride. HaHa! I thought about going to the bathroom before we left, like your parents tell you to do before a long trip, but I didn't. I should have learned from all the long car trips I've taken. Anyways, I slept most of the ride, but then I woke up with about 15 minutes left of the ride, and I literally have never had to go to the bathroom so badly. That little girl's lemonade really messed me up. It was probably the longest 15 minutes of my life. Very painful. But, I made it back ok. I couldn't stop laughing about the whole experience. 

Then there was Bonifacio this week. Bonifacio is a recent convert of about 10 months or so. Elder Benitez and I were just chilling in our house at night, and suddenly we just heard a voice, and someone walking very slowly into our house. This was the second time I about crapped my pants this week... it was literally so scary. He just walked into our house. He asked, "I have a little question, can I borrow your phone?" Then he called his "friend." (We are pretty sure it's his girlfriend.) Idk. The whole thing was weird. But I love that guy.

Something exciting this week - we put Clemira on date to be baptized! She will be baptized March 18. She is a pretty old lady, but we've been working hard with her, and she is just a light. I love her a lot. She is the lady that gave us the strawberries! We are also teaching some other pretty promising people! So we'll see what happens in the coming weeks!

On Saturday we had the tarde blanca mission wide! My good old friend Juan got baptized!! The tarde blanca was pretty cool! We went to David with our friend William, who is a member, and just got to watch a ton of people get baptized. It was pretty awesome! We didn't have anyone being baptized, but it's always fun to support! The mission Panama is literally the best mission in the entire world!

As for my spiritual thought, I'd like to share an experience I had on Sunday. The traveling APs came to spend the day with us. So we planned a crazy day. I went with Elder Castillo. He's a pretty awesome guy. We were teaching a man named Daniel. For a good chunk of the beginning of the lesson this man had about a -5 interest. It didn't help that he was a bit old either. However, I started to share and testify about Joseph Smith, and never have I seen such a quick change in anyone. The Spirit truly just took hold of this man. By the end of the lesson he had a date to be baptized, he wanted to come to church,     

Mmm... what's E. Benitez doing?

Our road in San Felix

San Felix

Tarde Blanca in David

Yummy! Frozen strawberries!

Semana 27

Dear Elder Lutze,

We continue to pray for you, your companion, and your area. Another busy week. I was here busy with work and Dad was busy in SG. He met with different contractors and finished a number of the drop down ceilings. He has to go back down this week for the tub. Because of the storm, it was delayed and now won’t be here until at least Tuesday. 

I’ve spent my time with Hannah and Foster at Thanksgiving Point on Monday watching Diver play at the museum of Natural Curiosity and then we ate ice cream. He wore it!!!  

I did a speed friend shipping activity with the YW on Tuesday evening. 

Wednesday through Saturday I was sick. I probably picked something up at Thanksgiving point. I still managed to shovel snow. I had to clear space to park the van. We had a 2 foot drift in the driveway. I also went to the temple with the YW leaders on Saturday. I rested in between all of this and actually watched The Chosen! It’s amazing! You have to watch it when you’re home! It’s truly how I think of Christ!

I love you and pray unceasingly for you!

 Mom

I loved these thoughts on being a disciple and keeping our covenants this week.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that being a valiant disciple of the Savior means not just avoiding sin but actively doing good:

“Failing to be valiant in Christian discipleship will leave us without significant happiness. Therefore, our active avoidance of wickedness must be followed by our active engagement in righteousness. Then we can come to know true joy—after all, man is that he ‘might have joy’ (2 Nephi 2:25).

“It is very often the sins of omission that keep us from spiritual wholeness because we still lack certain things. Remember the rich, righteous young man who came to Jesus asking, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’ …

“A customized commandment thus came for that man [see Matthew 19:21–22]. It was something he needed to do, not something he needed to stop doing, that kept him from wholeness” (“The Pathway of Discipleship” [Brigham Young University fireside, Jan. 4, 1998], 4; speeches.byu.edu).

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminded us of the great sacrifices made by the Latter-day Saints who were required to leave their homes and cross the plains, and he taught that their spiritual power came from keeping their gospel covenants:

“We often hear of the suffering and the sacrifice those early Saints endured, and we ask ourselves, How did they do it? … Those early Latter-day Saints had made covenants with God, and those covenants burned like unquenchable fire in their hearts.

“Sometimes we are tempted to let our lives be governed more by convenience than by covenant. It is not always convenient to live gospel standards and stand up for truth and testify of the Restoration. It usually is not convenient to share the gospel with others. It isn’t always convenient to respond to a calling in the Church, especially one that stretches our abilities. Opportunities to serve others in meaningful ways, as we have covenanted to do, rarely come at convenient times. But there is no spiritual power in living by convenience. The power comes as we keep our covenants” (“Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999, 86). 

Semana 26 (Bienvenidos a San Felix)

Buenas!!! Wow, what a crazy week! But, it was super good! Let's just say San Felix is a completely different world!

This week started off with me saying goodbye to all my friends in Samaria. Said, Rosemary, and Angela were all really sad. They were crying, and they all gave me a hug.

Then, early the next day, Elder Buhler and I took all my stuff to Albrook. There we met up with all the missionaries who were being transferred. From there I took a nice 8 hour bus ride to David. It was actually pretty fun. It was one of those super nice fancy buses, so it was a comfy ride. And I got to sit next to my friend Elder Richards. We just talked a lot, and we both slept the majority of the ride. Good times!

Once we got to David, I took a 1.5 hour bus ride to San Felix. It was a lot of travel!

Lots of people bash on San Felix, but I really don't know why. Sure we don't have water. And sure the electricity randomly turns off. But, I actually really, really love it here. It's super tranquilo, and feels kind of like I'm camping. It is just a really big area where there's not much around. It's a mix of jungle, forest, and mountain. Like I said, it feels like I'm camping. This is pretty amazing because camping is one of my favorite things to do. Not to mention that it is absolutely beautiful here, especially the stars. Wow! How breathtaking! My favorite is when the power goes out, because you can see absolutely everything. Truly, what a blessing!

My first day here we went around with a member and established seminary and institute here. It  was so cool. We also ate dinner at La Familia Hohosh one day. They are pretty cool. Basically this old american guy and his Columbian wife moved to Las Lajas which is in our area. They are super funny. They also make really tasty food.

Saturdays are really fun here too.  A little background on me - I really love hiking and enjoy nature. Saturday is what we call Mountain Day. Basically we take a bus to Oma. Then we walk through the jungle to go teach some people. Then we head over to "The Start." It is where we start mountain day. Hence the name "The Start." We literally just hike straight up a mountain. It's the steepest thing. But as I said, I love to hike. Apparently to hike half way takes missionaries about 30 minutes, and for our friend William who hikes it everyday it usually takes 20 minutes. I did it in10 minutes. Unfortunately, when we got to the top, the people we were going to visit were headed down the mountain, so we turned around. But in 2 weeks I'll get some really cool pics for y'all. So, we turned around to go down. We linked arms with each other, and literally ran down the mountain. A dog started chasing us and nearly killed us. Afterwards, my knees and feet were killing me, but it was way fun! Haha! Also, I don't recommend hiking in the jungle and on the mountain in church shoes.

We also celebrated Moroni's birthday (One of the jungle kids). We helped the members cook, and we just had a fun time with them. I was in charge of entertaining the children. Kids have such a wild imagination. They all pretended like I was a giant fish trying to eat them. So I just chased them around for a solid hour and a half. The Nobe culture is pretty cool. And the jungle kids are absolutely crazy. But I love them all.

Then there was Sunday. We had 23 people show, including us! This is actually crazy for San Felix! We also had 3 investigators show up!!! Elder Benitez and I are practically the Bishopric here!  We preside and direct the meetings. And we also bless and pass the sacrament. We take care of everything here!

Also my new comp Elder Benitez is pretty awesome. He is from Ecuador and he speaks fluent English! Sometimes it's really funny to hear him say words in his Latino accent. He is super fun, and we work well together. Hopefully, I'll actually learn Spanish now!

Overall, I am in love with San Felix. The food is not great here and there is no water.  It's a bit rough for sure, and the work is really slow. But, I love the people here, I love how peaceful it is, I love how beautiful it is, and I just love it all so much. So, this is my spiritual thought for the day. There is a lot of bad in this world today. But, we always have the choice on what we focus on. If we focus on the bad, then everything will be miserable. But, if we focus on the good, and on the beauty and blessings around us, that's when we find happiness. That's when we find hope. That's when we find God's hand in all. So, I ask you all to just take a step outside. Take a breath of fresh air. Look around you at a beautiful world. And remember, that God created all of that for you!!!

I love you all so much!! I'm always grateful for the support I have from all of you. Sorry for the very long email. Please pray for San Felix! Pray that we can get this place moving! And also, that we can get some baptisms here!

 Love you all!

 -Elder Lutze

Akuerima!

E. Lutze entertaining the kids

Sunrise, sunset in San Felix

There's some water!

Welcome to the Jungle!

Semana 26

Elder Lutze,

I’ve been anxiously awaiting to hear how this week has gone for you! Tell us about your new area and companion!!! 

I’ve been working of course! I also spent time with the YW on Tuesday. We decorated Valentines cookies and made notes for the girls that weren’t there. I went out to eat with my new ministering sister on Friday.  Rachael and I did some initiatories on Friday as well followed by cookie and cake making for Hunter’s baby blessing today! Saturday dad and I went out for a late Valentines dinner to Edna’s! Delicious! I’ve been living my study of the New Testament! This week I was really impressed with the scriptures about becoming as a little child.

Scriptures record that other desirable qualities of little children include being submissive, meek, patient, full of love, alive in Christ, and without sin (see Mosiah 3:19; Moroni 8:12; D&C 74:7). President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught: “To be like a child is not to be childish. It is to be like the Savior, who prayed to His Father for strength to be able to do His will and then did it. Our natures must be changed to become as a child” (“As a Child,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2006, 15).

President Howard W. Hunter taught that true greatness is a daily process of giving one’s life to the Savior and doing one’s best to live the gospel. It is doing well “the things God has ordained to be the common lot of all mankind”:

“[Such things include] the thousands of little deeds and tasks of service and sacrifice that constitute the giving or losing of one’s life for others and for the Lord. They include gaining a knowledge of our Father in Heaven and his gospel. They include bringing others into the faith and fellowship of his kingdom. … To do one’s best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life, and possibly in the face of failures, and to continue to endure and persevere with the ongoing difficulties of life—when those struggles and tasks contribute to the progress and happiness of others and the eternal salvation of one’s self—this is true greatness. …

“… Let us remember that doing the things that have been ordained by God to be important and needful and necessary, even though the world may view them as unimportant and insignificant, will eventually lead us to true greatness” (“True Greatness,” Ensign, May 1982, 19–20).

I love you! 

Mom

PS Speaking of little children, I got after Diver for touching a picture frame the other day, and he immediately came over to me and gave me a kiss to make things all better. He’s already charming himself out of getting into trouble!!! 

Semana 25 (Farewell Samaria!)

Well, as you can all guess from the title, I'm being transferred. My time here in Samaria was pretty dang good! I love the people here, and for sure will be sad to say goodbye. But I'm pretty excited about transfers!! I've spent all of my time in Panama here in San Miguelito, so I'm ready to go explore! I'll tell everyone about my week first, then I'll explain my new area, because it's pretty interesting.

My last week here was pretty good! We did quite a bit of exploring which was pretty fun. Samaria truly is just a maze. There's side paths everywhere. But I'd say by now I know this area better than the people who actually live here! Haha! We had a lot of lessons this week, and it was a good time!

Our members now absolutely love us. One of them keeps sending us anime clips and videos. It's pretty funny, except for the fact we can't watch it. She loves Demon Slayer and that's all she sends us which has my respect. It's a pretty fire anime!

We saw a dog on a roof. Not sure how it got up there, but it just about sums up the dogs here. They either try to murder us, or they just be straight chillin.

We saw some pretty cool decorations made from cans! All made from beer cans though. Haha! Which just about sums up Samaria!

We made Salchipapas this week because someone we are teaching gave us a massive bag of fries. Salchipapas are literally just French fries with meat and then sauce on top. It's super, super yummy. Definitely one of my favorite "Panamanian foods."  Also this guy Christian is pretty funny. He's just straight from the hood. He's been to jail 3 times, and somehow got out all 3 times. We aren't sure how. But, he has changed his life quite a bit, and we'll see how things go with him.

We got a picture in a bar and a chicken fight arena. Chicken fights go crazy here! 

The highlight this week is for sure Juan! I absolutely love this guy. He has already read over 100 pages of the Book of Mormon. He quit drinking coffee in like 4 days. And he walked to church by himself this week!! I'm so excited for him to be baptized! He's so amazing. I'm sad I won't get to be there with him, but I'm beyond happy. There are also some other pretty promising people that we are teaching!

Some other interesting things happened this week. Let's just say Samaria is Ghetto and we'll leave it at that.

Now of course, the moment everyone has been waiting for... I'm headed off to San Felix in David!! It's gonna be quite the wild adventure. It's a 10 hour bus ride to get there. Then I'll be 2 hours from the real world. But it's a really unique experience! It's an indigenous reserve. The people are called Nobes. It's just the jungle and mountain. The area is huge! And it's just kinda all over the place. But, I'll let you all know what it's like! Just pray for the area lots!! I'm really excited! But this is for sure gonna be rough! It do be in survival mode now.

Thanks for all your support! I love you all! I'll miss Samaria, but San Felix here I come!!!

-Elder Lutze

Samarian Dog on the Roof?

Samarian Chicken Fights

Samarian Bar

Demon Slayer Anime

E. Lutze...

Samarian Beer Bottle Decorations

E. Lutze & E. Buhler eating Salchipapas!

E. Buhler & E. Lutze in Samaria

Semana 25

Dear Elder Lutze,

We continue to pray for you and those you are teaching. We pray they will attend and feel the Spirit.So grateful you are also learning and growing in the gospel! I love the scriptures! I’m just finishing the entire Old Testament. It was an amazing experience!

Of course another busy week. I spent a lot of time at work and then worked on various projects at home. I met with the tree company to review tree work. I went out with the youth to deliver fliers for flag fundraiser. I’ve been working on putting all my recipes together in Recipe Keeper. Lots of communication about the house in SG. It rented again this week for a year and we’ll be paid for all of February. Nice blessing!  So only three months without rent. I met with Lauren and Michelle about our trip to Boston and Israel. We confirmed details for that. I helped with our Advanced Neuro Trauma Graduation Party on Friday night. Rachael was there! The temple is always wonderful each week. I was able to do 7 initiatories this week for Dad’s ancestors. They’ve changed some more wording in the initiatory and endowment. Dad and I finally were able to do our floats yesterday. They are salt water floats. It was amazing!!! So relaxing! Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at Great Harvest!

My thoughts surround the end of the Old Testament this week, specifically Malachi. 

Malachi 3:2 

The only ones who survive will be those who have kept their covenants with the Lord or who are worthy of at least a paradisiacal, or terrestrial, glory. All wickedness will be destroyed from the earth.

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “When Christ comes the second time it will be in the clouds of heaven, and it shall be the day of vengeance against the ungodly, when those who have loved wickedness and have been guilty of transgression and rebellion against the laws of God will be destroyed. All during the ministry of Christ wickedness ruled and seemed to prevail, but when he comes in the clouds of glory as it is declared in this message of Malachi to the world, and which was said by Moroni to be near at hand, then Christ will appear as the refiner and purifier of both man and beast and all that pertains to this earth, for the earth itself shall undergo a change and receive its former paradisiacal glory.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:11.)

Malachi 3:8-10

To Israel, ancient and modern, the Lord promised to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (v. 10). All material and spiritual things are His to give as He sees fit. Included in His “blessings from heaven” are revelations from Him in one’s personal life. All blessings are, of course, conditional (see D&C 82:10; 130:21; 132:5). He desires to bless His faithful children abundantly (see 1 Corinthians 2:9).

“The devourer” may mean locusts and other pests to agriculture, but it may refer to Satan as well. The Lord promised that the fruits of the ground and vine will not come forth ahead of their time when they would be of little or no value. The implication is that our efforts to provide for ourselves would be blessed and bear fruit in their season.

Because of the blessings that will come to the faithful, they will be recognized by the world around them, both individually and as a people.

Malachi 3:16-18

Is my name, my husband’s name and my children’s names in His book of remembrance?

Those who devote themselves to the Lord earn for themselves the privilege of having their names recorded in the Lamb’s book of life. This sacred “book of remembrance” (v. 16) is kept in heaven and contains the names of the faithful children of Father in Heaven, or, in other words, those who are His precious jewels. (see D&C 128:6–7; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5; 21:27.) They are those who will inherit eternal life, for this book contains “the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world” (D&C 88:2). Those whose names are written there and who afterwards return to sinful ways will have their names blotted from the book (see Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 22:19).

The book of life is the Lord’s book of remembrance, not unlike records that He has commanded the Saints to keep in all ages of the world. Elder McConkie explained:

“Adam kept a written account of his faithful descendants in which he recorded their faith and works, their righteousness and devotion, their revelations and visions, and their adherence to the revealed plan of salvation. To signify the importance of honoring our worthy ancestors and of hearkening to the great truths revealed to them, Adam called his record a book of remembrance. It was prepared ‘according to the pattern given by the finger of God.’ (Moses 6:4–6, 46.)

“Similar records have been kept by the saints in all ages. (Mal. 3:16–17; 3 Ne. 24:15–16.) Many of our present scriptures have come down to us because they were first written by prophets who were following Adam’s pattern of keeping a book of remembrance. The Church keeps similar records today (D. & C. 85) and urges its members to keep their own personal and family books of remembrance.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 100.)

Malachi 4:1

Malachi stated that “the day cometh” when there would be great destruction of the wicked (v. 1). Elder Theodore M. Burton said:

“When Malachi prophesied of the second coming of Christ, he spoke of ‘the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly.’ Of whom was he speaking? First, of those who rejected Christ because of the pride of their hearts, and second, of those who, having accepted Jesus, were not valiant in keeping his commandments.

“Malachi went on to say they ‘shall burn as stubble.’ This means that they shall be destroyed. By whom? Malachi explains, ‘They that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts.’” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1967, p. 81.)

Every corruptible and impure thing, including human and animal, fish and fowl, will be cleansed from the earth (see D&C 64:24, 101:24–25).

Each person belongs to a family tree. Our “roots” are the ancestors from whom we descend, and our “branches” are those who descend from us. To be “left with neither root nor branch” is to be cut off from one’s ancestry and posterity eternally. That is precisely the condition of those for whom the sealing blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood have not been performed or for those who, having had the ordinances performed, fail to live worthy of claiming their blessings. To prevent this great catastrophe, Elijah was sent to earth in the latter days with the sealing powers (see D&C 110:13–16).

I testify that as we are obedient, we are blessed. The blessings are not always the things of this world.  My greatest desire and blessing would be to have my entire family with me in the eternities ~ a noble posterity!

I love you!

 Mom

Happy Valentine’s Day on Tuesday! I hope you receive your package soon!

I may not be able to talk long tmr! I’ll be in between meetings!

Semana 24 (Juan Walks!)

Buenas!!!

Another great week here in Samaria! I hope everyone is doing well and not frozen to death quite yet! Panama is the complete opposite, if it snowed here that would mean the world is ending. This email will probably be pretty short!

Most of the week is just a blur honestly. It went by super fast! But it was a good week!! We got some more fechas, and now there is only one week left of this transfer! I'll probably be transferred out of Samaria and off to a distant land.

Two highlights of the week would be watermelon and cosecha money.

We walked a lot one day, and this random guy gave us some watermelon for free. It was the best thing I've ever tasted! It was super sweet, and the juiciest watermelon I've ever tasted!!

As far as cosecha money goes, I am officially paid as a missionary. This lady gave me and Elder Buhler each one dollar after I offered a prayer for her. We tried giving it back, but she refused to take it. And then she started getting mad, so we just took it. I'm rich now!

The biggest highlight is also the spiritual thought for the week! We have my favorite man Juan who has a baptismal date. He is progressing super well! We invited him to church last week and he couldn't go because he can't really walk. But this week we invited him again, and he was like "I. Will. Go. To. Church.". We went to get him, and he wasn't in his hammock. So we were a bit worried. But then, he walked out of the house fully dressed in pants and a shirt. And he started walking to church with us. Now it's a very steep slope to get down, and a pretty decent walk to get to the church for an old man like this. And he literally could barely walk. But the Lord gave him strength that's for sure. He was walking to the church and he was so happy! He was like "I'm walking! I'm walking!". And he had a good time at church, and is going to be baptized on the 25th of February. I seriously love this guy so much. The spiritual thought is that God always provides a way for us to keep his commandments. Always. We just have to be faithful, say prayers, and act. And God will give us strength.

Love you all so much! Pray for the people of Panama please! Bless them with a desire to change their lives!! I'm praying for all of you! Until next week!

-Elder Lutze

E. Lutze & E. Buhler Samaria is Dope!

E. Lutze & E. Buhler with Daniel the blind man

E. Lutze & E. Buhler with Marcos. He's hilarious!

E. Buhler & E. Lutze with their cosecha money

E. Lutze's amazing drawing on his Etch-a-Sketch

The new Antman movie "Quantumania"

Semana 24

Dear Elder Lutze,

I can’t believe your mission is almost one quarter done! This makes your use of your time there that much more important. 

This week was crazy! We finally met with Mark to do our taxes. He felt so bad for missing our appointment on Monday that he brought us a Nothing Bundt Cake on Thursday. We really like him. It’s nice to have that figured out. 

I enjoyed our YW activity on Tuesday. We came up with ideas for activities for the new year. Wednesday Dad and I were asked to do Trek again. I also met with the ladies from my Emotional Resiliency Group. We talked for 2 1/2 hours and set some physical goals! I love these women and the support they are to me.

Friday I made food and ran errands for Becca’s baby shower. We had a great time. I loved seeing Anita again. 

Happy Birthday to me! Saturday I slept in and then stayed in bed reading scriptures. Diver came in to visit and play and then Hunter. Then Dad and I attended a sealing session with the Howells Sudweeks Sis Callister and Sis Miller. We did two sealings like we did the one with you and your friends with multiple siblings. It was amazing to see the hands joined and piled on top of each other on the altar. We did one with three sisters.

The sealer said two things that have stayed with me. One it’s better to sense the presence of those from the other side than to see them. I’ve sensed my parents presence a few times and it’s been very meaningful to me. He was telling us they are present in the room when we’re doing their work. He also remarked on what a small percentage we are of the world’s population that has the privilege of doing the Lord’s work in His temples. He talked about how that endears us to Him. 

My thought goes along with this. I’m almost done with the Old Testament. 

Zechariah 9:11-12

11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

This gives me great hope for Natalie through our covenants. He is so merciful!!! He is a God of multiple chances followed by double the blessings!!!

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “It was of these that Zechariah prophesied when as part of a longer Messianic utterance, he spoke of ‘prisoners of hope’; it was of these that he gave assurance that ‘the Lord their God shall save them.’ He gives the Messianic message in these words: ‘By the blood of the covenant’—that is, because of the gospel covenant, which is efficacious because of the shedding of the blood of Christ—’I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.’ (Zech. 9:11–16.) ‘Wherein is no water’—how aptly and succinctly this crystallizes the thought that the saving water, which is baptism, is an earthly ordinance and cannot be performed by spirit beings while they dwell in the spirit world. Did not Paul say in this same connection, ‘What shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?’ (1 Cor. 15:29.)” (The Promised Messiah, p. 241.)

Love you!

 Mom

Feliz Cumpleanos Mama!

Hey mom!! Just wanted to wish you happy birthday! I hope you had fun! Can't wait to hear about it! I love you so much! Thank you so much for everything! And thanks for all your support over the years, especially now! Love you so so much! Talk to ya Monday!