My comp is black now:
It's not what it looks like:
(it's herbal tea)
Things on my mind this week:
- Alma 42
- Our best investigator who just moved to Siem Reap
- Turning outwards. Not being selfish.
- How to teach lesson 1 without confusing people.
- The light of Christ
- Pokemon
- White rice. It is the devil.
My sister asked me a question and I went overboard so I don't have much time to write much else.
From Sally: Question of the week. How did you gain your testimony of a living Prophet? What is the prophet's role in the church and what does that mean for us?
My answer: MY FAVORITE QUESTION!!! I know for a fact that we have a living Prophet on this earth. He has 2 inspired councilors. We also have 12 Apostles who know Christ personally. I have a distinct and separate testimony that each one of these men are called of God.
At the beginning of my mission I liked to read talks by the Apostles and stuff. They had some cool things to say. They are really smart and they know a lot about the scriptures. But sometimes I would read something they said and dismiss it because I thought it wasn't really correct and that they didn't actually know what life is really about. I remember reading one talk in particular and thinking it was a bunch of bologna. I was kind of frustrated at it and I told my comp. I said that I didn't like the talk at all and didn't believe what it said about a sensitive subject. My comp (who I will ever be grateful for) told me straight up that my thinking was stupid. That kinda stung. I was butt-hurt a little bit. But that night I couldn't get to sleep. I just kept thinking about what he said. After thinking about it for a while in bed my hurt feelings went away and I realized that he was right. I prayed to Heavenly Father to help me be more humble, to help me forgive my comp, and to help me to be more submissive to Christs Apostles.
Since then I have purposely downloaded every BYU devotional by every living apostle and listened to them all along with various conference talks. When I listen to them speak I can feel the authority in their voices. After I listen I pray and ask if they really are called to be Apostles and if what they said was really true. Then I listen. I have gotten personal confirmations of the Spirit for each of those 15 men. I know that each of them are men called of God to guide us in this day.
Now for the role of the Prophet. The Prophet is the mouthpiece for the Lord. He is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything. The living Prophet is more vital to us than the scriptures. If I could have a living Prophet or all the standard works I would take the Prophet. The Prophet can lead us on any subject. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time. He could speak on basketball or Japanese anime if he wanted. He wont, but if he did we would follow it. He can definitely speak on moral matters such as gay marriage or abortion. The Prophet will never lead us astray. He will not necessarily be popular to the world. I know that if we follow the Prophet we will be blessed. We need to conform our thinking to follow him and the Apostles. If we ever listen to something that the Prophet said and think it is wrong we need to humble ourselves and repent. I feel very strongly about this and I know it is true.
I love the Prophet and the Apostles. They are genius and successful men if you ask the world. But that pails in comparison to the fact that they are called of God to receive revelation to lead His church on the earth in this day.
Love,
Elder Osborne