The House of the Lord is a House of Sacrifice

Hello,

This week was one to remember! We had the temple dedication of the Mexico City Temple! We are in the temple district, so we were able to see the cultural celebration and the dedication in our stake center. I'll give you the deets here!

The celebration was cool. The sound wasn't that great in the Stake Center, so my comp and I were running around explaining to our investigadores what was going on. It was more like a play but part of it, they acted out scenes from the BoM. It was cool to see the face of the investigators when they recognized parts that we have read, it helped them see the BoM in a new way. 

The dedication has been one of the spiritual highlights of my mission. Thinking about it, I got mad at myself because I went to two dedications before my mission and didn't get anything out of it.. so this time I went prepared. We went to two of the three sessions. I would've gone to the third, but I got a little too excited at the food in between the second and third session and dumped my plate on my shirt... its okay because the shirt was yellow anyway.

Pres. Eyring presided at the dedication. He was there with Elder Holland and Elder Kent F. Richards, also the Mexico Area Presidency was there. All the talks were excellent! They were different talks in every session too. So that meant I got to hear Elder Holland speak two times in one day.... which is a dream come true for just about any missionary. I learned too much from all of the speakers and I'd share it all with you but I don't have that kind of time, and some things are better kept sacred :)

But here are some of my notes...

The House of the Lord is a house of sacrifice... what sacrifices does the lord want?
3 Nehpi 9:15-22

What did the pioneers sacrifice to build temples? Love (sacrifice) is really spelled T-I-M-E

We re-dedicate temples. Shouldn't we also re-dedicate our lives to the Lord in service? Re-dedication means to "clean the inner vessel", make adjustments, and improvements to our lives so that we can live a consecrated life.

Three feelings you will always feel in the temple:  1) gratitude 2) the light of understanding 3) the love of God...what more do we need?

Everything we do in our lives is to prepare us to be sealed in the temple, and to keep that covenant forever (hint hint Whit and Tay) so we must keep our priorities straight to help us make and keep that covenant!  Check your priorities!

Weekly temple attendance isn't a suggestion, its a commandment...especially if you can see three temples from your back yard. (hint hint Zane, Dad and Mom)

More than anything I am extremely grateful to my Father in Heaven for the blessing I have to live in these days. I promised him before I came to this earth that I would be a "Savior on Mount Zion".  I am obligated to save my ancestors, and I have come to know that this is the work of the Lord.

DyC 2... I never understood this before but Elder Holland explained it perfectly. Elijah the Prophet has come...waited for more than two thousand years, and he appeared in 1836!  We now have the sealing power here on this earth, it was restored through the prophet Joseph, and President Monson holds that power now! 

There is just a little bit of what I learned! I love the temple. I know it is the House of the Lord. I know that Jesus is our Savior. I know I am a son of God!

besitos

Elder Minnick