August 19, 2013

Our grandfather passed away on August 15th.  So when she's talking about "finding out", that's what she was finding out.

 

It has been a hard last few days, but everything is working out. I actually didn't find out until Saturday night, because of problems with Sister Tilleman being able to get a hold of us, but that actually ended up being a blessing. Sunday was really hard to get through at first, and I think if I had known any earlier, it would have made Saturday impossible. Heavenly Father really does orchestrate everything.

 

As part of her advice to me, Sister Tilleman recommended that I study Doctrine and Covenants 138, and then share what I learned with you. Some of the things that I learned, I think you already know, because they are very similar, or the same as what you told me in your letters, but it is important, so I think it is worth repeating. 

 

Anyway, D&C 138 is a very beautiful revelation, dealing with the missionary work on the other side of the veil. I probably learned a lot more than I realized, but these are the things that jumped out at me.

Verse 7: This is a quote from 1 Peter 3:18. I love that the Atonement is for all of us. It is not just for the favored few. It is for the living and the dead and everyone who will ever live.

 

Verse 18: the very end of this verse was so powerful to me. Christ came "declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful." Jesus wants nothing more than for us to be free! That is why He has done so much and suffered so much for us. He did it so that we could be free and happy. His goal is for all men to be free from death, free from sin, free from worries and cares and problems. And this is all possible through the combined redeeming and enabling powers that make up the Atonement. All He asks is that we be faithful, that we follow the doctrine of Christ and endure to the end. He wants to bless even those who did not follow Him. But He can't personally visit them because of their choices.

 

So what did He do? Verses 29-32 explain that clearly. He organized His missionary force on the other side. He sent them forth to bring His light into the darkness. He set in action the greatest rescue mission in all of creation. Missionary work here, missionary work on the other side of the veil, and temple work are all to rescue God's children. Is there any greater calling that we could have, then to carry out this work on both sides of the veil, wherever the Lord calls us to go?

 

Verses 33-35 outline what they are to teach to the souls in the Spirit world. They are to teach the same things that we teach as missionaries here. They are to teach the Doctrine of Christ. It is often said that Preach My Gospel was written on the other side of the veil. Sometimes, I feel as if Preach My Gospel was written long long ago, and they were just waiting for us to be ready for it here. I think that they probably use it in the Spirit World as well. If so, Grandpa has a head start. I remember being told that while on his mission, Grandpa was taught to follow the same things that Preach My Gospel teaches, even though it was long before it was written. He was always so good at adapting to the needs of those he was talking to. I remember that while his advice to many of us was similar, it was also always adapted to our own individual circumstances. That is how Christ taught, and it is how we should teach as well. I learned so much of how I teach from watching Grandpa teach.

 

The final verses that I was strongly impressed about were verses 56-57. I can't summarize them properly, so I will just quote them. "Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men. I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead." This is where Grandpa has been called. We are all called to labor in the vineyard of the Lord, but each of us is given a special assignment. Grandpa has just been called to work in another part of the vineyard for now. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel on page 164 from President Spencer W Kimball that says "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!" How true this is! As I was looking at my family history fan chart this morning, I noticed that there were some holes in it, and that some of those holes are Grandpa's ancestors. I am sure that he will go and find them, that he will teach them, and he will help us find them so that we can do their work. If it is our responsibility while on earth to find them and help them, how much greater that responsibility to help them when we are in the spirit world!

 

I know Grandpa is helping me and all of us right now. He loves us to much to leave us alone. How grateful I am for the Atonement right now. We usually focus on the redeeming power of the Atonement, but lately I have been learning quite a bit about the enabling power of the Atonement. The enabling power gives us strength to do things that would normally be beyond us, and that, along with the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation is what allows me to keep pressing forward. It really is true! Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, and all He wants is for us to be happy, and so He provided this for us. How appropriate it is that the Plan of Salvation is also called the Plan of Happiness! How blessed we are to have temples on the earth so that we can be sealed together for all of eternity! We don't ever have to wonder about life after death, or be afraid of what is going to happen. We know! It brings us so much peace to have this knowledge, and it is unbearable to think that there are people suffering without it!

 

I love you all so much. I will probably have some crazy cool things to tell you next week, because this Saturday, Elder Aidukaitis of the First Quorum of the Seventy is coming to speak to us! And it's transfer week, so who knows where I will be or who I will be with next week!

 

Love you,

Sister Peterson