Don't Leave Help (Blessings) at the Sacrament Table

Hello Family,

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Um, not sure as to time yet..we are trying to set it up for around 7PM on the east coast so it will be our last stop like last time (Christmas day). I'll shoot out another email by Wednesday letting you know the final details for the Mother's day call on Sunday.

Looking forward to seeing and hearing from yall on sunday!  Gotta run we have lots to do today!

Love Elder Gautavai

On Mon, May 6, 2013, Carson Gautavai ‪wrote:

Hello Elder Gautavai,

Hope this finds you in the best of spirits and that all is well in the mission field. Monday's are great as we are able to correspond with you directly via email. I remember p-days and having to write out letters, address envelopes and a fix postage, and then off to the post office to mail them. Conversely, waiting on the mail from the postman throughout the week in anticipation of letters from home. Modern technology and communications is definitely the way! haha..Despite the challenges of life we are well, and the blessings of God continue to be ours as we exercise faith in Him and keep the commandments and our covenants.

The scriptures teach us that God does not promise to keep us from trials and adversity, rather what He does promise is that He will stand by us and strengthen us as we encounter challenging times--if we will let Him.

I love the youth theme for the year, "Stand Ye in Holy Places, and Be Not Moved (DC 87:8). As I interview the youth I ask them what that means to them? They respond temple, church, home, etc..all correct answers. I ask them to consider a Holy Place as anywhere that you ‘will allow’ the Holy Ghost to be with you. With that it can be anywhere as long as you have the spirit and are living worthily to have its companionship. I then challenge and commit them the PMG way to ‘make Holy Places’ in their day-to-day lives.

Quite often it is when you are serving others that the spirit is felt. Hence the Savior's admonition and counsel, "he that is greatest among you let him be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). It works in reverse too, that is you/we are able to go from "good" to "GREATest" through serving others. Talk about a sure way to get out of a spiritual/temporal rut! SERVE!

Gospel Message:

Tip: Do all you can to get to where you can partake of the Sacrament each Sunday! Great message for returning members and less active, shoot for active members and all alike on the importance of the Sabbath, Church and the Sacrament :)

The Sacrament Is Our Spiritual ‘Power Bath’!

We’ve all heard of a “power nap”. We have all probably taken one. You know, your running low on energy and so you lay down for a quick fifteen or twenty minutes to revitalize yourself. You don’t really get a chance to go into a deep sleep, but deep enough to gain some energy for the rest of the day. They say successful people do this, which enables them to work longer and harder than the rest.

A story is told of an exchange between a man and his wife where a similar term was heard: “We were watching television, rather late, when she said to me, “I’m going to take a “power bath.” ”What?”, I said. “A power bath” she repeated. Well I started to laugh. I had never heard such a term. She laughed back and said that it meant it would be “quick but thorough!.”

Well, that conversation got me to thinking about the most powerful “bath” a person can take. One that doesn’t clean the body, but one that cleanses the soul; baptism!

“…baptism is the ordinance by which former sins are washed away. The washing in water symbolizes the purification of our soul, just as bathing in water cleanses our bodies from the grime and dirt of everyday living and makes us feel refreshed again. But baptism symbolizes something more. It is the beginning of a new life. Just as the resurrection purges the dross and imperfections of mortality and renews and perfects the body, so baptism cleanses the soul from sin and prepares a person to lead a better, more perfect life in the future. (Theodore M. Burton, “To Be Born Again,” Ensign, Sep 1985, 66).

This “spiritual bath” that some of us have taken, happens only once in a lifetime. So how then can we continue to have spiritual “power baths” on a regular basis. The Savior taught us the way when he met with the disciples for their last meal prior to the crucifixion: “And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22: 19-20).

The Savior taught his apostles how to take a spiritual “power bath”. A modern-day apostle, Elder Dallin Oaks expounded on this subject when he taught:

“Attendance at Church each week provides the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, as the Lord has commanded us (see D&C 59:9). If we act with the right preparation and attitude, partaking of the sacrament renews the cleansing effect of our baptism and qualifies us for the promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A mission of that Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is to testify of the Father and the Son and to lead us into truth (see John 14:26, 2 Ne. 31:18). Testimony and truth, which are essential to our personal conversion, are the choice harvest of this weekly renewing of our covenants.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Gospel in Our Lives,” Liahona, Jul 2002, 36–39).

I know a number of people who don’t see the importance of attendance at church each week. And perhaps we are tempted, from time to time, to become lazy in our routine attendance of Sunday meetings. However, as you can see from Elder Oaks remarks, it is only there, in the chapel, at the church, that we receive the spiritual “power bath” that all of us need to continue onward. It is that jolt of spiritual energy that will see us through another week of this life. So remember, the sacrament or as some call it, communion, was instituted for a purpose; it is the way the Savior provided for us to have the spiritual “power baths” regularly so we can keep clean of this world and rejuvenate our spirits.

We love you for being Obedient and True. Recognize how privileged you are to labor with Him each day, to carry His name and bear special witness of Him, commissioned by Him to help in the great work of the Gathering. Abide IN HIM.  Cant wait to talk and perhaps see you (Skype) Sunday.

In Him,

Dad