All my love

Five year ago I was in Catacamas, Honduras as a missionary. And I was filled up with a deep and abiding love for the people of that beautiful place, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for my family. In a Valentine's letter I wrote home that year, these were my thoughts...

"I feel so filled with love today. I love to see missionaries happy. It was good to have a preparation day together to rejuvenate our spirits. I love the missionaries in the mission. I love my companion [Hermana Perez]. I shall miss her. She has been one of my favorite companions. We have so much fun together. I love sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the last few days I have been asking in my prayers to feel the love of the Savior for me and for my investigators. I have had so many experiences of being in a lesson to talking with a member and suddenly I just feel an out pouring of love for that person. Often it has happened while singing a hymn. Song is a way we show our love for the Savior and often when we can feel His love for us.   I have also been praying more for each of you and have felt a deeper love and connection to you in the past week or so.  We are all so connected one to another by the love of the Savior.  Charity is His great love for each of us and the way we must feel love for each other.  Without charity, we are nothing.  We must learn to love one another and sacrifice for one another. It is what the Savior did.  It is how we can grow personally.  When we (collectively or individually) sin, we begin to isolate ourselves. Sin not only separates us from God, but from one another--our eternal family.  It is Satan's plan that we lose the connection, and it is the Savior's plan that were be a welding link of some kind (D&C 128:18).  We must fight to stay connected. We must sacrifice our own selves to do it.  There is no other way.  I feel a deep connection to each of you as you sacrifice to write to me, to mention my name in a prayer, etc.  I connect to you as I do the same.  I feel a deep love and connection to the Honduran people as I knock on their doors and climb the hills where they live, and pray for their hearts to be opened.  I feel a love and connection to my Savior as I study His life and His gospel, as I try to represent Him and try to emulate Him. ... I know He loves us. I know I cannot make it alone. It is WHY we came to earth as families.  Man was not made to be alone.  It is not part of the plan to come alone. We must join hands. We must love one another.  We must love as the Savior loves us. We must go and do what He is calling us to do and be.  Hand in hand--each connected and part of the family of God.  I have grown to love the Plan of Salvation. It is so complete.  So hopeful. I know this life is not the end.  The Father wants us to be connected with unbreakable bonds to Him forever.  So  much depends on us now.  It is so filling with loving. ..."

 I am glad Valentine's Day is on Sunday this year. It reminds me of the true Love of the Savior that we are striving to emulate.  I love this little day to help us remember and act on the love we feel for each other. I hope you have a love-ly day filled with true and real and lasting love.

All my love,

cj