This week was a blast! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was great! After waking up, the Elders in the house and I went to do a small service for some members that live behind our block. We swept up, pulled weeds, and painted lamp posts! Afterwards they invited us in for a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast! Later, we had lunch with some incredible members and I got to talk to my family which was awesome! I think that was the first time I got to talk to all of them at once since being out here haha.
Well now we have 2020 coming up and I'm excited! We were invited by two different families to join them for dinner tonight so I'm looking forward to that! But now I would like to share a special testimony. It's the end of 2019 and we are entering into the year of the 200th anniversary of the first vision which lead to the restoration of the church and the fullness of the gospel! I know this next year will be amazing! Just recently in an email, our mission president's wife shared how that 20/20 vision means perfect vision. She explained how we can apply that to this upcoming year with it being 2020. As we become more acquainted with the church and its true doctrine in this next year, especially with it being the 200th anniversary of the moment Joseph Smith conversed with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we can have a better vision of ourselves and the truth! So now, I would like to talk about some things and share part of my testimony, specifically of the Book of Mormon. What I want to do in the upcoming year is share my testimony more often of the Book of Mormon so now is a good start to do that.
I would like to begin by explaining that a testimony and knowledge of the Book of Mormon always begins very small. And yet, that doesn't mean it's insignificant by any means. Because that small seed that is planted in your heart is the very core of your foundation of your testimony and where it all began. Whether it began by learning of the incredible stories of Captain Moroni's army and the cunning strategy that Teancum used to bring down the kings of the Lamanites, or the incredible journey of Lehi and his family to the promised land, or Jacob's articulate allegory of the olive tree, or the fulfilled words of the prophet Ether who prophesied the destruction of millions of the Jaredites, or the sweetness of the story of Jesus Christ in the presence of the Nephites, or even the testimonies of the eleven witnesses, this can all bring about a wonderful beginning for each individual. Every one of these stories brings about profound testimonies. One recognizable one is that of President Joseph Fielding Smith's, who had already read the Book of Mormon twice from cover to cover by the age of ten! His testimony and knowledge of the Book of Mormon is incredible! The Book of Mormon is incomparable to any book for numberless reasons. One of which is because it is the only book that has the power to touch the hearts of the children of men the way it does. No other book has its sealing power and no other book contains the love of our Savior that we can feel which has the intensity to bring any person who reads it close to tears. I testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I also echo the promise of so many prophets that have testified that those who read the Book of Mormon completely and with a fullness of heart will come to the truth and know for a surety that Jesus is the Christ and our Savior. That is the purpose of the Book of Mormon, to convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior and that He will come again. Remember the teachings of Alma! If you read the Book of Mormon with real intent, if you pray to know of its surety, you can know that it's true by what you feel. The feeling is exactly like a seed. And if you feel good inside, if you feel the purity of the book and of its works, you will know that it is good. Like Alma said, if this seed brings about good things, then you may know that this is good. By that, you may know that the Book of Mormon is true. Never forget, every piece of knowledge is gained little by little. Just as 2 Nephi 28:30 teaches. We learn precept upon precept. It's not everything all at once and that is a reason why we are told to read the Book of Mormon many times over. We won't learn it all after reading it once, nor will we learn it all in this mortality. 2 Nephi 28:30 also teaches that if we think we know enough then we lose what we already had, we get our knowledge taken away. If you can take anything from what I have written, I would ask you to know of my everlasting testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it's true and I will constantly testify of that. It's also our promise to read and pray and then the mysteries of God will be unfolded to us. I promise that the Book of Mormon is true and I lovingly testify of it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
-Elder Markham
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