Missionary Preparation

My best friend D is the most awesome guy around! He is always challenging and teaching me. He got his Elders' Quorum Presidency to help me put together a plastic cup activity as a visual for me to be able to teach the Restoration. It is very similar to the following picture:

D and his presidency then taught me the restoration as if I was an investigator--church video, cups demonstration, questions, and testimonials. It was a little weird for me to be on the pretending side. For me, it was an "Oh my gosh, this is really happening--I'm really going on a mission" experience. Sure, I knew I was going on a mission, but in my mind that is (currently) 66 days away and I don't want to rack up any nerves until the week I leave. So, I pretty much did not want to think about it too much because I have a tendency to psych myself out over things. Well, with friends like mine, I really have no choice in the matter. For example, D's latest challenge is this: to learn to teach the restoration and to teach it with him to a friend of ours in 2 weeks. Okay, I was given more time than that but, to be honest, I hadn't focused on it as much. 

Well, here I am--ready to focus, using Preach My Gospel as my guide. 

God is our loving Heavenly Father

• He wants a relationship with us
• We need to communicate with Him
• Central to His plan is Jesus Christ's Atonement: Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering and death on the cross
• Alma 22: 18 King Lamoni's father, in prayer, says "I will give away all my sins to know thee"
• The Atonement allows us to repent and to give up all these sins
• Scripture Study Question: What is the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ?
• In Hebrews 12:9, Paul wrote "We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
• Interpretation: We have earthly fathers, but God is our spiritual father. If we would obey our earthly fathers, why would we not likewise obey our spiritual father? Because it is through Him that we may have eternal life
• In John 3:16-17, John wrote that God gave up Christ--His Son--so that we may obtain everlasting life. He also said that "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved".
• God is merciful. He will sacrifice on our behalf. Christ offers salvation, not condemnation.
• In 1 John 4:7-9, John wrote "every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love...because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live throuogh him"
• God=love. Love comes by God. Because God loved us, He let Christ die so that we can have eternal life--salvation
• In Romans 8:16, Paul wrote "we are the children of God"
• In Acts 17:29 it is said "we are the offspring of God"
• God is a father of children. We are those children.
• Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect"
• We are to strive to be like God. God is perfection

Other scriptures about the nature of God and Christ:

• 1 Nephi 17:36--the earth was created for God's children to possess
• 2 Nephi 9:6--because of the fall there will be resurrection
• Mosiah 4:9--God created everything; thus, we cannot understand everything
• 3 Nephi 12;48--we are to become perfect like God is perfect
• 3 Nephi 14:9-11--God is charitable. God answers prayers
• 3 Nephi 27: 13-22--Christ came to do God's will. The way of Christ is the way to salvation
• D&C 38:1-3--Christ knows all things
• D&C 130:22--God has a body of flesh and bones. As does Christ. Holy Ghost has a body too but of spirit
• Moses 1:39--Christ's purpose is for us all to live again