Elder Legere, Elder Touhouly and Elder & Sister Bailey (the most wonderful missionary couple in the world!!)
(picture taken in front of church in his first area, Port Bouet)Hey Everyone!
What a week! I cant believe another week has flown by. That brings me down that you havent gotten any of my letters yet.. Has Quinn at least gotten the pictures i sent in Dec.? Ive sent at least 1 letter each week for the last 3 weeks so there should be some getting there soon! I also will be sending some pictures next week :) I still havent burned my shirt yet either! I gotta do that tonight..
This week went great! (For the last 3 weeks ive sent you all my 'journal' entries so itll explain it a little more) We had a conference with Elder Golden and 2 with President Carden (i think its that, hes the President of the Area Authority for West Africa). They are so spiritual and just down to earth. I love having General Authorities come talk to us.
They are so spiritually sensitive. It was amazing to see the council they gave to our stake. It was EXACTLY what they needed to hear! This last week our stake split, now making 4 in Cote d'Ivoire! It really is just growing. It was so funny but sad in the stake conference.. President Carden was giving a talk but then paused. He said all those who are married please stand up. They stood. He said all those who have their spouse in the room stay standing. All those who have their spouse right next to them sit down (leaving all the couples who are there but arent sitting together standing).
He then said 'brothers and sisters...im going to give you 2 mins to change your seats'. There had to have been at least 16 couples who had to move. One of the hardest things to teach here is how to love your family, AND EXPRESS IT. Love is a lot like faith. Without works, its 'dead'. Its sad because each week in church the couples dont sit next to each other, walk together, etc. Its as if they arent married and that is a serious problem. He told everyone to hold their spouses hand when leaving. I just cant understand some things. I cant imagine not wanting to show how much you love your spouse.
Im so excited for Quinn! i cant wait to see a picture of him and his girly friend! Do you know what youre doing for sadies? Make sure you send me pictures!
Well heres just a few reponses to your questions!
Is this (Toit Rouge) an old ward like one of the first ones created in Cote d'Ivoire? Yeah, it was i believe one of the first 3 wards here. Its been here for about 15 years (taking in note that the church has only been here for a little less than 20).
We need your favorite scripture that will be engraven on the plaque.*
Okay ill look for it this week! Itll be hard to just choose one.
Have they starting sending Americans to your missions yet? Nope. I think it will be closed for at least 6 more months because of the elections. Also its starting to get more obvious of the racial difference (Elder Cunningham getting hit by the car, and just each day more and more people yelling and so on...im just affraid its going to turn out like Nigeria where they cannot have them at all because they kidnap them and use them as ransom etc.)
Are they still planning an election in March? I dont think so... You all can probably find out more about than than me.. The people dont even know who is running and when they are. Its completely different than the US. I just hope they get them done and over with. Im affraid if they dont hold them it will only cause more problems.
Well i thought i would give my thoughts about 'hell' to dad for his next PPI with Quinn. I actually had a hard time studying it because there really arent much refrences referring to 'hell'. And the ones that do are very firgurative (such as: furnace, lake of fire and brimstone, flames, torment, darkness, etc.). I also havent had much time to study it. But there are a couple meanings of the word. One could be refrencing to 'prison' in the spirit world (D&C 76:84-85). All those who will be going to the Telestial Kingdom will pass through this 'hell'/'prison' until the last ressurection. Thus all the requirements of the Telestal Kingdom apply for
the requirements for spirit prison; which includes: liars, sorcerers(meaning anyone over the age of 50 here haha Seriously every grandma/grandpa deal with or have delt with fetishes and placed their trust in them. Thats where the word 'black' magic comes from), adulterers, whoremongers, those who defile themselves while in the flesh, the ungodly, wicked, rebellious, etc. (D&C 76:103-105 and 138:20-21) All those who are burned at the second coming of Christ (for His millenial reign) will all go to this hell (D&C 76:106).
And we know that all those who go to the Telestial Kingdom are "as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore"(D&C 76:109). Thus there will be even more in the spirit prison than that because those who go to the Terrestial Kindgom will pass through there also (D&C 76:73). This 'prison'/hell is not a building with bars but rather a state of misery and 'darkness'. Although there is an end to this 'endless torment'. As mentioned above those who pass here may have a place either in the Telestial or Terrestial Kingdom. But there is another place where there is NO glory, referred to as Outer Darkness or Hell. This hell is permanent. It will be the residence of Satan and his angels who did not keep their first estate (Jude 1:6). But along with that it will also be home fore the 'Sons of Perdition', or those who have passed through life 'who love Satan more than God'. They will have to suffer there as resurrected, but unglorified beings. We know of a few who are sentenced to go here, such as Cain (Moses 5:24, see footnote) and Judas (Jesus the Christ, page 226), but there are actually many others. We know all those who commit the 'unpardonable sin' will have a place reserved here. (The 'unpardonable sin' is not to be mixed up with the 'unforgivable sin' which is murder. If one 'denies the Holy Ghost', in other words denies the power of God, and gives Satan his 'allegence' will NEVER recieve forgiveness. Those who commit murder will have to suffer for the sin after this life. The atonement does not cover murder, but it will eventually be atoned and
the person who commited it can find a place in a kingdom of glory) But I also learned something from Elder Golden (member of the 1st Quorem of the Seventy, and 1st Counselor in the Area Authority of West Africa) that really hit me. He said "'Every knee will bow and every tounge confess' that Jesus is the Christ, their Redeemer. But we also can not forget that free agency is still present. God can not force them to, and if they do not they will be excused into outer darkness." Even the Telestial Kingdom is a kingdom of glory and order. As the Lord put it in D&C 76:110, all those who recieve a kingdom of glory will be those who bow and confess. Being on my mission i see COUNTLESS people who would rather die than become Christian and accept the Savior. Elder Golden said "All muslums, buddists, hindus, and any other group that do not accept the Savior will be cast into outer darkness." If you look at the statistics of the world who are of those religions, it is clear that there will be plenty of people there. As D&C says no one knows
what it is like there, or can even understand/comprehend it. I believe it will be the exact opposite of the Celestal Kingdom. Its just a thought. I love you!
I love you all! Thank you for everything! Muah!!! Dont worry mom im trying to have patience for the packages... haha im just kidding its okay i understand! I just hope they get here soon. I love you! I want to send a package home soon but im not sure how..ill try to figure it out.
I love you all!
Elder Cameron Legere
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