On March 23, 1974 along with my parents and my brother, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Puerto Rico. Today is the 50th anniversary of that beautiful day. Although I was 8, I remember a little bit about that day. There were no chapels in my town so we were baptized in a pool at a country club. We were allowed to use the pool but we had to be there early at 6 in the morning before the club members got there to use the facilities. Because it was March, it was a little cold for me that morning. But that didn’t stop us and we were baptized. That day I received the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. In 2 Nephi chapter 33 verse 1 it says: For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. I am grateful to the missionaries who taught my family and for my parents who felt the influence of the Holy Ghost and believed that the things they were taught were true.
In 2 Nephi chapter 32 verse 5 it says: For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all the things what ye should do.
Right after I was baptized I didn’t understand what the Holy Ghost really was but Heavenly Father has taught me truth line by line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little and has blessed me every time I am obedient and hearken to the counsel of the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father hasn’t given me a big miraculous experience or vision but rather I have felt and heard the whispering of the still small voice of the Holy Ghost.
I remember the very first time I heard the Holy Ghost’s voice, although it may seem small to some this is a most sacred experience to me. I was a child and didn’t really recognize it as the Holy Ghost at the time, that happened later when the experience came to my remembrance and then I recognized it as the Holy Ghost speaking to me and because of that experience I started to recognize how Heavenly Father communicates with me through the Holy Ghost. I remember that day, I was about 9 years old. I was in third grade and in those days we didn’t have substitute teachers so when your teacher wasn’t there they would send the class home. I was sent home. My school was in my grandma’s neighborhood and she took care of me while my parents were at work. I walked to her house and found the house unlocked but she wasn’t there which was not normal. Across the street from her house there was a small store that a neighbor had in his garage. Sometimes I would go there with my brother to buy candy so I figured she probably was there. I stood on the sidewalk but was afraid to cross the street by myself because it was a busy street. As I was standing there I heard a voice say to me “ora” which in English means “pray”. I said a prayer in my head but I think asked Heavenly Father that I would be able to cross the street and find my grandma. When I opened my eyes I could not believe what I was seeing. I looked over to my right and there I saw two missionaries on their bikes riding towards me. They recognized me and stopped. They asked me what I was doing and I told them my dilemma and they helped me cross the street and yes my grandma was at the store. That experience helped me learn that Heavenly Father is aware of me and of my needs even if they are a small little problem for a small child.
About a couple of years later I was traveling down a windy mountain road with my uncle who was driving, my aunt sitting by him in the front, in the back were my little cousin, my grandmother and myself. It was raining and I was worried about the car sliding since next to us was a drop with the river named Rio Loco which means crazy river. I had a thought that I should ask my grandma to say a prayer. Everyone in my family knew that my grandma had a lot of faith in prayers. I asked to say a prayer and she immediately started to pray. When she said Amen the car started to slide, it made complete U and when the car stopped we were facing the traffic coming in the opposite direction we were traveling. We were safe and everyone stopped so that we could turn around and continue our direction. I was scared but thankful that Heavenly Father answered our prayer and kept us safe. I will never forget those two experiences I had as a child. I often think of them as a reminder of how the Holy Ghost helps us in our lives.
In 2 Nephi Chapter 32 verse 5 it says: For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. I know this to be true. I know the Holy Ghost will teach us truths and direct us in the way that we should go when we humble ourselves and are obedient to the covenants that we have made with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
President Joseph F. Smith said: “When I as a boy first started out in the ministry, I would frequently go out and ask the Lord to show me some marvelous thing, in order that I might receive a testimony. But the Lord withheld marvels from me, and showed me the truth, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he made me to know the truth from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and until doubt and fear had been absolutely purged from me. He did not have to send an angel from the heavens to do this, nor did he have to speak with the trump of an archangel. By the whisperings of the still small voice of the Spirit of the living God, he gave to me the testimony I possess. And by this principle and power he will give to all the children of men a knowledge of the truth that will stay with them, and it will make them to know the truth, as God knows it, and to do the will of the Father as Christ does it. And no amount of marvelous manifestations will ever accomplish this. It is obedience, humility, and submission to the requirements of heaven and to the order established in the kingdom of God upon the earth, that will establish men in the truth”
As I have grown older I have learned to recognize how the Holy Ghost speaks to me. I am still working on being more attentive and doing the things that I am asked to do. One morning I woke up thinking about the sisters I am assigned to minister. I set the thought aside and told myself I would reach out to them. That afternoon I still had not reached out and I received a text from our Ward Relief Society Secretary asking me how my sisters were doing and if they needed anything. That text reminded me to reach out to them so I did. I was able to get a hold of both sisters. I texted back to the secretary and thanked her for reminding me to do it, that I had thought about them that morning but had forgotten.
President Nelson said: “Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.” “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
As followers of Jesus Christ the most important truth that the Holy Ghost will reveal to us is, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. We don’t have to wonder what is true, or whom we can safely trust. Through personal revelation we can receive our own witness of the truthfulness of the gospel, that this is the Lord’s church and no one can ever take away a witness borne to our heart and mind about what is true.
No comments:
Post a Comment