The Healing Power of the Priesthood

It's been 3 years since I received the Melchizedek Priesthood, but it's never really hit me how powerful it really is until I was called to serve as a full time missionary. I've seen it bless the lives of many people, as they come unto Christ and begin to walk in His path. It's used to heal the sick, give comfort and strength to those that need it. It's used to perform saving ordinances such as those in the Temple, Confirmation and baptism.

 1 And when he had ^acalled unto him his ^btwelve disciples, he gave them ^cpower against ^dunclean spirits, to cast them out, and to ^eheal all manner of ^fsickness and all manner of disease. - Matthew 10:1

21 And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you ^apower that ye shall ^bbaptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven.

 22 And again the Lord called ^aothers, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be ^bno disputations among you.

 23 Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your ^awords, and ^bdesireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and ^cstand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. - 3 Nephi 11: 21-23

As Melchizedek priesthood holders, we are given the power to heal God's children, to give blessings comfort and council. We are taught to be worthy and ready at a moment's notice. Last night, one such occurrance happened.

We had just left one of our less active families and we were on our way to see one of our investigators named Rosy and her family. We were about 5 minutes away and she texted us, saying she wasn't feeling good and asked if we could come over a different day. We said that wouldn't be a problem, and we told her we could give her a priesthood blessing if she wanted and she said that would be ok. So we went to her house and talked with her. We told her what would happen and what we were going to. I did the annointing and Elder Randall sealed it.

When we were done, we asked her how she felt. She said that she felt something powerful when we put our hands on her head. She couldn't describe how she felt during and after, but she said she felt good, at peace and that for once that day, her body didn't hurt.

I know that she felt the power of God. I know that His priesthood has been restored. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to hold that priesthood, so that I can bless the lifes of others.


Ha sido tres años desde que recibí el sacerdocio de Melquisedec, pero nunca realmente me di cuenta que lo poderoso que es en realidad hasta que fuera llamado a servir como misionero de tiempo completo. Lo he visto bendecir la vida de muchas personas, ya que venir a Cristo y comenzar a caminar en Su camino. Se utiliza para sanar a los enfermos, dar consuelo y fortalezar a los que lo necesitan. Se utiliza para efectuar las ordenanzas de salvation, como los del Templo, la confirmación y el bautismo.

1Entonces, ^allamando a sus ^bdoce discípulos, les dio ^cautoridad sobre los ^despíritus inmundos, para que los echasen fuera y ^esanasen toda ^fenfermedad y toda dolencia.  Mateo 10:1

 21 Y el Señor le dijo: Te doy ^apoder para que ^bbautices a los de este pueblo cuando yo haya ascendido al cielo otra vez.

 22 Y además, el Señor llamó a ^aotros, y les habló de igual manera, y les dio poder para bautizar. Y les dijo: De esta manera bautizaréis; y ^bno habrá disputas entre vosotros.

 23 De cierto os digo que a quienes se arrepientan de sus pecados a causa de vuestras ^apalabras, y ^bdeseen ser bautizados en mi nombre, de esta manera los bautizaréis: He aquí, descenderéis y, ^cestando de pie en el agua, en mi nombre los bautizaréis.  3 Nefi 11:21-23

Como poseedores del sacerdocio de Melquisedec, se nos da el poder para sanar a los hijos de Dios, para dar bendiciones de consuelo y consejo. Somos ensañados a ser dignos y preparados en cualquier momento. Ayer por la noche, una oportunidad pasó.

Habíamos salido apenas de una de nuestras familias menos activas y estábamos en nuestra manera de ver uno de nuestros investigadores se llaman Rosy y su familia. Estábamos a unos 5 minutos de alla y nos envió un mensaje, diciendo que ella no se sentía bien y nos preguntó si podíamos venir otro día. le dijimos que no sería un problema, y que podíamos darle una bendición del sacerdocio si quería y nos dijo que estaría bien. Fuimos a su casa y hablamos con ella. Le dijimos lo que pasaría y lo que ibamos a hacer. Hice la unción y Elder Randall lo selló.

Cuando terminamos, le preguntamos cómo se sentía. Ella dijo que se sentía algo poderoso cuando pusimos nuestras manos en su cabeza. No podía describir cómo se sentía durante y después, pero ella dijo que se sentía bien, en paz y que por una vez ese día, su cuerpo no le dolía.

Sé que se sintió el poder de Dios. Sé que Su sacerdocio se ha restaurado. Estoy muy agradecido por la oportunidad que tengo para tener el sacerdocio, para que pueda bendecir las vidas de los demás.

The Restoration

"The Restoration" is one of my favorite movies that the Church has produced. It is an amazing testimony about what happened in 1820 to the boy Joseph Smith. It always brings the Spirit so strongly and I love to show it to investigators. We showed it to Nyma, and the lesson that followed was awesome. We know that she felt the Spirit, and I'm so thankful for what took place in that grove so long ago. I know that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and through him, restored The Church of Jesus Christ to the earth.

"La restauración" es una de mis películas favoritas que la Iglesia ha producido. Es un testimonio impresionante de lo que pasó en 1820 al joven José Smith. Siempre trae el Espíritu con tanta fuerza y me encanta mostrar a los investigadores. Se lo mostramos a Nyma, y la lección que siguió fue impresionante. Sabemos que se sentía el Espíritu, y estoy muy agradecido por lo que tuvo lugar en ese bosque hace mucho tiempo. Sé que Dios el Padre y Jesucristo se aparecieron a José Smith, y a través de él, restauró la Iglesia de Jesús Cristo a la tierra.

La Fe en Jesucristo

Hoy pensaba acerca de la fe y como puede ayudarnos a vencer las tentaciones que tenemos en esta vida. Me gusta este video porque explica como podemos crecer nuestra fe.

Se que si tenemos fe, o esperanza, podemos hacer todo. He visto este poder en mi vida y la vida de mi familia. Me gustaria dejar unas escrituras en Moroni 7:

40 Y además, amados hermanos míos, quisiera hablaros concerniente a la ^aesperanza. ¿Cómo podéis lograr la fe, a menos que tengáis esperanza?

 41 Y ¿qué es lo que habéis de ^aesperar? He aquí, os digo que debéis tener ^besperanza, por medio de la expiación de Cristo y el poder de su resurrección, en que seréis resucitados a ^cvida eterna, y esto por causa de vuestra fe en él, de acuerdo con la promesa.



Forget Yourself and Go to Work

"President Hinckley described what happens to the heart of every missionary who commits his or her life and work to the Lord when he talked about his own missionary experiences. It was early in his mission, and he was discouraged. The work was hard, and the people were not receptive. However, there came a time when discouragement turned to commitment. For him, the beginning was a letter from his father in which he read: “Dear Gordon, I have your letter. … I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work.” In describing what happened next, he said: 'I got on my knees in that little bedroom … and made a pledge that I would try to give myself unto the Lord.

'The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. … Everything that has happened to me since that’s been good I can trace to that decision made in that little house' " - David F. Evans, Member of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Words of the Prophet: Forget yourself and Go

This talk has been a source of inspiration for me. There have been times that I've felt discouraged and belittled. Other times I've felt that it's just too hard. These are the times that I've learned to rely on my Heavenly Father. It's not my work. It's His. One quote always comes to my mind when things start to get hard: "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it".

In Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 the prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation :

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the ^akingdom of my Father, how great will be your ^bjoy if you should bring many ^csouls unto me!

What a promise! It's something that I've seen time and time again on my mission, and through out my life.

Today we had the opportunity to teach an investigator named Nyma. We've taught her once and she said she was no where near ready for baptism. We've been trying for weeks to go and see her, but she's always busy or never home. Talk about discouraging. We were almost ready to stop going by, but we decided to stop by with President Caten (the branch president here in the McMinnville 2nd Spanish branch).We finally caught her at home yesterday, and set up an appointment to come teach her today. When we got there, we taught her the first lesson again, using the cups as a visual aide. We tried to explain the best way we couldShe had awesome questions and they kept leading back to baptism. At the end of the lesson, we extended a date to her, and she accepted. It was an awesome experience and I know that the only reason she said yes was because she felt the Spirit of the Lord testifying to her that it was the right thing to do. We could not be more excited as she said yes, because we knew that she was beginning to see that joy that she could have.

Up to this point, we were frustrated beyond believe. But, we followed the council of Pres. Hinckley and got to work, and now we're experiencing that joy that's been promised to us in Doctrine and Covenants. I know that as we continue in faith, showing our Heavenly Father that we will continue to work, no matter how hard it is, he will bless us beyond measure.

Now you may be thinking, "I'm not a missionary. What does that have to do with me?" Well, as we continue to show our faith, those around us will see our joy, and in turn, we will become missionaries, even though you may not realize it.

Remember the words of President Kimball: "We all have relatives, neighbors, friends, and fellow workmen, and it is our responsibility to pass the truths of the gospel on to them, by example as well as by precept."

Oh recuerda, recuerda

Muchas veces olvidamos que Dios esta a nuestro lado, no importa que esta pasando. Aveces no reconocemos Sus manos en nuestra vida pero se que si tratamos a verlas, podemos ver los milagros que nuestro Padre Celestial esta haciendo y tambien, vamos a querer a mostrarle a Dios nuestras gracias. Espero que tomemos tiempo para darle gracias por las cosas que tenemos.