This week

Hello everyone, how is life?

This past week has been really... interesting. It started with the Cubs game, in which the Cubs Actually WON! Yeah! It was a monumental moment for everyone, we were really excited. The seats rocked and we got to kick it with about 20 missionaries out there. I got to know some of the Sisters better, and we had a really good time with the Elders in our district and in our area.

Then this past week we have both taken turns getting la grippe (a head cold/sinus infection like I always get), which wasn't very fun. I'm still recovering today, but the worst of it seems to have passed for the both of us. So we haven't been able to get very much work done this past week because we've been trapped in the apartment, but a lot seems to have gone on.

New news with our investigators is that Alma Ramirez had her baby! It's name is going to be Leonardo (so much for a Book of Mormon name), and he is 7lb 4oz. We're really happy for her, as she is very excited, this is her second son. Other than that we haven't been able to get any real lessons in with our investigators because of being sick and not wanting to spread it. As I said, this is a slow week.

However, I've gotten in a lot of good studying. I have gained a lot of insights into 2 Nefi, especially the Isaias chapters. They teach us a lot concerning our day and have a lot of wonderful insights as to how we should live our lives. The scriptures are such amazing learning tools and an incredible pathway to personal revelation. I love to read them because it seems like even though I have been reading them sequentially from cover to cover, every single day I read the part that I need to read to apply to that day. It is very true the saying that if we would like to speak to God we should pray, and if we want Him to speak to us, we should read the scriptures. I feel really grateful to live in a day where we have so much access to information at our fingertips. I think we often take that for granted. Standing where I am here in the Apple store in downtown Chicago, I can access the Book of Mormon, and all the Standard works, I can talk to all of you, converse with missionaries via Mormon.org, learn from all of the Ensign and Conference talks dating back to the beginning of the Church in the Latter Days, and can compile all my ideas on a notepad online, save it, and come back and easily access it whenever I want. Not to mention that I can go onto other databases and learn from people like Josephus and a myriad of church authors that have published works online. How cool is that? I was just thinking about how when I get home I will take advantage of that more so that I can better further my understanding. We live in a time where we can interact with people faster from all over the world than ever before, and as such Every Member needs to be a Missionary in their own lives. Because while any christian church can bring the masses to the terrestrial kingdom, we alone possess the keys to the celestial, which are baptism by immersion by someone with the proper priesthood authority and the laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Gospel is So Cool! Share it! I really love it, and how I've seen it bless peoples' lives. Elder Maynes shared a story yesterday in our Zone Conference about how one single baptism from knocking doors has impacted his life and the life of an entire family. It is a really amazing story that I will share more of when I have more time. I really enjoyed him being in our Zone Conference yesterday, he is an incredible General Authority. He talked to us about something that he likes to refer to as Moral Authority. Moral authority is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately, but I didn't have a trendy name for it so I'm using his now. Basically he said that all missionaries are set apart and authorized to preach the gospel. However, not all have moral authority, the which is gained by righteous living and applying the gospel in their own lives. A missionary cannot convert someone beyond where he is converted personally. As such we need to be completely consecrated to the work. A good example of moral authority would be a missionary trying to teach the Law of Chastity. He can say it as persuasively as he wants and have the authority to preach it, but if he is secretly having lustful thoughts and viewing pornography he does not have the Moral Authority to preach it and those who hear him are not going to have the Holy Ghost testify of it because he is a hypocrite. Jesus Christ said "Woe be unto the hypocrites!" So we need to live every part of the gospel which we would like to teach. If we seek to baptize, we need to live worthy of our baptismal commitments and hold those sacred. If we want to see our investigators go to the temple one day, we need to hold on to our temple covenants and we need to truly be worthy of a temple recommend.

I'm grateful for the chance I have to serve a mission right now, and I know that I am serving the highest cause there is. Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you and I pray for you always.

Con Amor,

Elder J. Green