Our Redeemer Lives

(Elder Cummings)

It has been another amazing week!  The time has flown by.  We had a Zone Conference conducted by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the First Quorum of the Seventy on Tuesday.  That was really a treat.  He taught us about effective planning, effective teaching, and how to work with members of the Church better to move the work of the Lord forward.  He had a lot to teach us.

During the lunch we had at the meeting Elder Arnold received a phone call from Salt Lake City to inform him that Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had passed away.  Elder Arnold had a close relationship with Richard G. Scott and it was a tender moment to listen to him share the news with us.  I do not know any of the senior leaders in our Church personally, but from what I saw on Tuesday it is clear that their love for eachother and for the Lord is strong.  They are men called of God.  I can bear witness of that.  Following his announcement we listed to a soloist perform "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."  It was a very peaceful rendition and gave me time to think about what that means.  Do I know that my Redeemer lives?  I can say the words, but do I know what they mean?

As I have thought about that I have been taught many things by the Spirit.  If Christ lives then he is indeed the Great Jehovah, the Messiah, the immortal son of God.  If he lives then my faith is in a true and living God who has power over death.  If he lives then, as the song puts it "I shall conquer death" just as he has through his glorious Resurrection.  Through his Atonement and his Resurrection he prepared the way for us to return to live with God, clean and glorified in immortal bodies of flesh and bone.

That is something I have faith in.  To quote another hymn, I believe in Christ!  I "believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth" (Mosiah 4:9).  I know he is the only way for peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.  I know that the message of his gospel and his sacrifice will bless all mankind.

I have seen it bless those we have taught this week.  There was one family that came over from Laos just shy of a year ago.  They speak beautiful Hmong, much better than the broken noise I crank out.  We taught them the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We bore testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Over the course of a forty five minute visit they were changed by what we taught and are eager to learn more.

There is the man Txhooj Lwm, TV for short, who teaches himself the truth of the gospel when we visit.  We confirm his growing testimony with ours as he reads verses from the Book of Mormon and teaches us the doctrinal implication of the statements.  This man had no Christian background prior to meeting with the LDS missionaries.

God loves his children and blesses them.  He does not let them slip through His fingers.  We went to an appointment yesterday which ended up falling through.  As we turned to leave we were invited to join a birthday party by a sister who had been less active in the Church for several years.  God did not let her slip through his fingers and sent us, two unsuspecting young men, to go and find her.

God lives.  Christ lives.  They love us and desire to bless us.  They are reaching out in love again through living prophets.  All that they ask of us is that we have the faith and patience to listen.  I encourage you all to open your ears and hearts to the great things our Father and Brother seek to teach you.  I know the blessings are real.

And now it is on to another glorious sunny day in Fresno!

With love,

Elder A. Jared Cummings