Email sesenta y nueve, pienso...

December 11, 2017

Hey folks! Once again I have been very irresponsible with my time and am writing my email way too late. Next week my goal is to have it all typed and send it right at 8. We'll see how hat goes.

 I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but Elder Toomer is my new Zone Leader! He replaced Elder Murdoch. Boy has it been fun being around him again! I've missed that guy. He's such a good missionary and he taught me so much when we served together.

 We actually went on an exchange this week and I went with Elder Garn and Elder Díaz went with Elder Toomer. Elder Toomer showed him the ropes and they talked to a ton of people! Elder Garn and I went and knocked doors in a neighborhood were they had never gone to before, and it was all white people, which is not common in this part of Memphis! It was kind of weird to be honest, but also we had lots of fun. We talked to this one guy who was working on a house, and he was the kindest man I've ever met. He was interested but said he's never at home.

 We spent a lot of the week working to set up a Nativity festival at the church. Basically it was like a nativity set show, with all different kinds of nativities all over the place. Some of you might have seen pictures on Facebook.

 Don't have much time, but I'd like to share something I learned from studying first Nephi chapter 11 that really built my testimony of Jesus Christ: In verse 31 it says:

 "And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out."

Of all the stories of the New Testament, all the diseases that Christ healed, all the devils cast out, all the mighty miracles worked, are we supposed to believe that all that is meant to teach us that if we follow Christ we will be able to do the same? That is such mighty miracles do not happen in our day, it is because we are not good enough Priesthood holders, or our faith is not strong enough?

Each and every one of those miracles was recorded and preserved throughout history to emphatically testify that there is not a single thing in this world that cannot be overcome by Jesus Christ. If he can raise a man from the dead, he can awaken our spiritual deadness. If he can restore a man's sight, he can take away our spiritual blindness. If he can cast out devils, he can cast out our demons of the past. Only He can do this. There is none other means by which man should look for their Salvation and spiritual healing. If a miracle is worked through a man by the power of the Priesthood, it is because that is His power. He is the great healer.

I testify that there is absolutely nothing in this world that Christ cannot overcome. He "descended below them all" and therefore has risen above all.

 I love all y'all! Have a wonderful week! Sorry no pictures this week!
 Elder Jonathan Spencer Smalley Arkansas Little Rock Mission