Training

(Anziano Wilkinson)

So last Saturday I got a very interesting transfer call. I was called to train a new incoming missionary! As of right now I still don't know who it is, but I'll find out on Thursday. That's a big deal because it means that for the next three months I will be helping this new missionary learn the ropes of missionary work. I will also have a great impact on his first impressions of being a full-time missionary. And of course, to top it all off, if he is not from Italy then I will have to also teach him how to speak Italian, or if he is from Italy, then I won't be speaking much English for a while! So no matter how I cut this cake, I'm going to be having a pretty big change in my life soon. In fact, as I am writing this I have less than 24 hours before I will be in Milan meeting my new companion. Wish me luck!

In other news, the church's biannual worldwide General Conference was held this past weekend and it was amazing as usual! I noticed a big emphasis this year on the Book of Mormon and the power of it's messages. I was really impacted by this because I feel that at times we fail to recognize the incredible value of the book. It was prepared over the course of more than a thousand years and was the work of tons of inspired people. And it was written exactly for us! The Book of Mormon is one of the greatest demonstrations of God's power and care ever, and yet we can hold it in our hands and read it in whatever language we speak. He has given us this amazing tool so that we can know with surety that God really has restored His church on the earth. We can read the book, we can ponder its message, and we can pray about it, and when we do, God will fulfill His promise and confirm the truth of it in our hearts. Every time! As it says in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

That diction is by no means wishy-washy: "let him ask... and it shall be give him." Our Father in Heaven yearns to answer our sincere prayers. He does not beat around the bush when He speaks through His servant James, or any of His other prophets, about this topic. I remember the first time that I asked Him whether or not the Book of Mormon was true. The answer came to me as a powerful, yet gentle, feeling of warmth  and peace. And even now, each time I open the Book of Mormon and read it I am filled with these feelings that come from nowhere else but God. The Book of Mormon is true! It's amazing! Our Heavenly Father answers prayers! He doesn't enjoy seeing us confused or lost. He doesn't want us to go through life in the dark, without answers to our spiritual questions. After all, He's a God of light, not of darkness!

Treasure the Book of Mormon, read it, and ask God if it is not true and He will give you the answer! Have a great week and wish me luck as I pick up my new missionary Thursday morning!

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson