Week 30: Songs of Hope

Opa galera!!

This week was AWESOME!! You know why??? Because the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sang heere! (In São Paulo) And we got to watch the live performance! It was part of their Songs of Hope "Canções de Esperança" tour, and it was genuinely magical. They sang a whole ton of songs in English and Portuguese, and it made me so happy seeing them sing! 

They also had a surprise guest star, Ivete Sangalo, who's apparently a super popular singer here in Brazilian who has all kinds of charities. She was there, against doctor's orders, straight from the hospital, with a black eye for some other reason, because she wanted so bad to not miss this performance because of an illness she had. It was crazy. She also really enjoyed messing onstage with Marc Wilburg, the conductor who's known to be an incredibly strict guy, calling him "Markee Wilburgee" and confusing him with her portuenglish.

Also, we had a friend there, a friend we met two days prior on the street. His name's Isaque, and he used to go to the Church of Jesus Christ with his mom when he was a little kid and he's got lots of faith in the church already! He's already got a Book of Mormon, one which he even hid from some of his friends when they insisted it was of the Devil. He was super excited to see us and come with us to that event and to church! We'll ask him this week if he'd like to be baptized!

Other than that, as some exciting news, I've watched Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish two times in the last week because it was for some reason allowed by our mission president for this week only. If you would like to discuss the gospel implications of the movie, please send me an email below.

Favorite Hymn -- I am a Child of God (again)

I realized I ran out of time writing my last email at just the wrong time -- right at the bottom of a valley of deep concepts -- and I also didn't quite know how to climb up the other side and finish the multitude of thoughts I started. So, this week, I studied all about faith!

I also received a lot inspiration from the Tabernacle Choir's performance this week because I went into it with a question: "What does it really mean to be a child of God?" And, my question was responded through the guest performer, Ivete Sangalo. After singing a couple popular songs of hers, she sang, you guessed it, I am a child of God (Eu Sou um Filho de Deus)! I've heard it plenty of times before obviously, but hearing it with the rest of the concert, it all came together. It's all about hope!

The realization I was given was then enriched later that night when I read in Moroni 7. There, he talks about hope and faith. 

So, this faith, this belief in God that I talked about last time, is hope -- hope, as Ether 12:4 puts it, in "a better world, ... even a place at the right hand of God." And it's belief that this hope and all of the promises given to us, of joy in this life and eternal life in the next, are only possible because of and through Jesus Christ. And this "promise" that verse 41 mentions? That sounds like covenants! Eternal life and so much more is promised to us, and it is promised through covenants, so faith is also tied to our covenants, believing that God will deliver on His part, and that His part will be so much greater than we ever had to do.

So, for me, I know I want to have this hope! Many people in Brazil have this hope, have it incredible amounts, even if they don't know what to do with it or if some people take advantage of it. And that's why we study the scriptures and have prophets today: to know what we can do with our faith. And the greatest we can do is to make and keep promises, or covenants! 

I've talked in the past about doubts. I'll always have doubts, no doubt, and that's what some people on the mission have challenged me about. They say, "how can you have faith in it all if you doubt this one thing?" And they ask this whether it be about a historical event within the scriptures or about discouragement in the mission work. And for a while this question did baffle me. Until I realized that my faith isn't based on things like that. It's based on hope! It's based on the fact that I know that Jesus Christ is my savior, that He can help me in my life. Like my email two weeks ago said, His atonement is not a wrapped present given and to be opened after a life well lived, but to be enjoyed right now! I know that the more I have Him in my life and more I strive to follow His commandments to the fullest, the happier I'll be. This is my faith and my hope.

And now, circling back to the original subject of my spiritual thought last time: the Abrahamic covenant, "our God," and "to be children of God." Moroni finishes Moroni 7 with this beautiful plee:

(Moroni 7:48)

I know that it through covenants that we truly come closer to Christ, same as it allowed the people of Israel to come closer to the Lord. And I know that He has the power to purify me, despite the imperfect "ye of little faith" I am now. I have the hope that through this purification, I will one day be worthy to be called His son and stand in His presence. I desire this because He is my God, my Father.

That's it for this week!

Till next time,

Elder Haroldsen

Images