Don´t Forget Where You´re From

This week has been pretty interesting. First of all, we had Christmas here. Christmas... It´s actually really sad here, because only about 30 percent of the people here actually understand the true meaning of Christmas. Since nobody really understands how holy it really is and how important the significance of the holiday, at 12 oclock on the 24th, everyone sends off a ton of fireworks. Even though it looks really cool and normally I would really enjoy it, it made me sad to know that so many people don´t have the background that we have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So many people have a limited knowledge of their Lord and Savior´s birth, let alone the knowledge of His atonement and eternal sacrifice. Which brings me to the story of the week. We ate lunch with a less active family from our ward on Saturday and they were telling us about how a family member invited them to another church one Friday night. Well, they were standing in the meeting and the loud, evangelist, rock music was playing. The dad (who lacks a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration) started dancing right along with everyone and the wife told me the he looked as though he was possessed. Haha well, she felt in that moment what we should all feel in every moment. She said, Stop, stop, Don´t forget where we are from! We´re from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Even though the family is less active and doesn´t go to church, the mom had the courage to remind everyone in the family where they came from. I know where come from. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God and that it has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I hope that everyone can always remember where they come from in every moment. It´s like the primary song that goes,¨I´m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I know who I am, I know God´s plan, I´ll follow Him in faith.¨ Don´t forget where you come from. Don´t forget that God has a plan for you. If you don´t know God´s plan for you, I know two guys with white shirts and a nametag that can stop by your house to tell you :) I´m a Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot