The Book of Mormon

Hellooooooo Everyone!!!!!!!!

I hope you all have been having a great week. 

Well, I owe you all a longer email, so here it is. 

First things first, this week is transfers otra vez, and tomorrow I will be moving again. My new area will be Joyas. I´ll tell you all about it next week when I know a little more. 

I´ll just say that when I left Mira Azul and came here to la Aurora, I didn´t think it would be possible to come to love this area as much as my first. But I was wrong. I love this place a lot. I love all of the people here. My heart really grew a lot here. I´ll be pretty sad to leave it all, but I know there´s a lot waiting for me in Joyas too, and that I´ll learn a lot there too.

Just a quick thought, the Mexico Mexico City North mission has recently had to close a lot of areas. The main reason is that every transfer, a lot more missionaries return home than come to the mission. The majority of the missionaries that are coming are Latina sister missionaries. Every district and zone has a lot more sisters than elders right now, I believe. So, if you know any young men who are capable of serving a mission, get on them to go out and serve. Not only will it be one of the best decisions they will ever make in their life, the Lord needs more elders. 

Also, fun fact, of the many many many sister missionaries in my mission, I believe there are only 5 Americanas.  And 3 of them will be going home in the coming months. Which means the chances of me ever having a compañera who speaks English are going down and down. But that´s ok, the Latinas are a lot of fun. 

Ok, last thought, though it´s a long one. This month, our mission is focusing on the Book of Mormon, and so this week I was studying about it a bit in my personal study. 

For those of you who know little or nothing about the Book of Mormon or the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I´ll summarize really quickly. The church was organized in modern times through the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1830. Joseph Smith was an average young man with little education from New York state. But he didn´t claim to have another Christian church. He didn´t base his teachings off of another interpretation of the Bible. The church is not another branch off of another religion. Joseph Smith claimed to have seen God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in vision, to have been visited by angels, and he claimed to have the authority to preach the full gospel of Jesus Christ and to organize the church of Jesus Christ once again on the earth. As part of these claims, he also published the Book of Mormon, which he testified was scripture written by ancient prophets, delivered to him by an angel, and which he had translated into English through the power of God. 

Now, one thing has to be clear. Either Joseph Smith really was a prophet, and everything he claimed is true, or it´s not, and everything is a lie. There is no other option. 

The Book of Mormon is either true, inspired scripture, or it was all made up. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not claim to be just another nice church. Our purpose is not just to help people become better people. We claim to be the only true church of Jesus Christ in the world, the only church with all of the truth and all of the authority to help the sons and daughters of God return to His presence.

Either this is all true, or it´s not, and everything that I am sharing here with the people of Mexico is a lie. 

The Book of Mormon is the proof. If that book is true, then Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God, and this church really is the church of Jesus Christ. 

It is so important that everyone, you, me, the people here in Mexico, everyone in the world, read and find out if the Book of Mormon is true. Because if it is, this is the way to salvation. If you have never read the Book of Mormon, start today. If you don´t know where to start, here is the Book of Mormon online: www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng May I suggest that you start with the Introduction, the testimonies, and then from the beginning in 1 Nephi. Or, you can also start with one of my favorite parts, in Mosiah, chapters 2 through 5. And ask God in prayer if it´s true, because He will never lie to you.

And well, until you get that answer from God, you can lean on my testimony. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know it with all my heart, with all my mind, and with everything I have and am. 

I know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God, and that today there is also a prophet on the earth, Thomas S. Monson.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I know that it is the only true church of Christ. Other churches have a lot of truth and do a lot of good, but they simply don´t have all of the true, nor the authority to effect the ordinances needed for salvation. 

That is why I´m here. 

Well, I love you all. "Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." - Elder Holland. 

-Hermana Herron