I really missed you today. Just sitting in church, I missed sitting next to you and scratching your back. Our family just felt small today and I missed you so much! I said many prayers in my mind asking Heavenly Father to wrap his arms around you so you could feel my love. I hope sometime on Sunday, you felt how much your family loves and misses you!
How was your week? I read about a volcano erupting! Are you ok? Did you have any effects from it? How are you feeling? Are you healthy?
I hope you are loving what may be you last few weeks in Limon. What an amazing 5 weeks or so you have had with Elder Funes! I know you've had an outpouring of the spirit to allow you to be a tool in the Lord's hands. I know that nothing is by chance and that you were supposed to be with Elder Funes and learn from him. Even when you are a senior comp, you can look for opportunities to learn things from each companion you have. I'd love for you to write me this week and tell me some goals that you've set for yourself this year. Something I recognize in my own life is that you can have a really strong spiritual experience or period of time with the spirit, but you can quickly move away from those things that help you have the spirit so strongly in your life. At first you can make baby steps away from the things you know you need to do, and pretty soon, you are so much farther away than you ever meant to be. I think the thing you have learned this change is that you can strive to be obedient in all the rules. Don't pick and choose which ones you think you should obey or not obey… just try to trust in the Lord and be obedient in all things. I know it is what brings such great blessings in your life, helps you to be a great missionary and also provides protection. So, will you write me about some goals that you set for yourself? If you haven't set any yet, think about it this week.
Last week you asked me to write a little about how the scripture in Rev. does not mean that no other scripture will be written after the book of Revelation.
Rev. 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
First of all, remember that the apostles didn't set out to write a "bible." They were each writing a "journal" of their experiences with Christ. The writings of the apostles were generally written between 50-95AD. Since Christ was crucified in about 33AD, there was much time for them to write. Although these "journals" were written in the 1st century AD, most of them were not found until the 2-3rd century and began to be put together into a Bible. When John wrote Revelations, he did not know that Matthew and Luke and Peter, etc were all writing their own books. Therefore, Christians shouldn't use that scripture against Mormons for having additional scriptures, when you could just as easily use the same argument to say that the writings of any of the other apostles would also fall into the same category as "any thing added unto this book." Secondly, from what I can see in the little research I did, there is a lot of disagreement about when the books of the New Testament were written. Here is an example of one website:
James - 50 A.D.
First Thessalonians - 52-53.Second Thessalonians - 52-53.Galatians - 55.First Corinthians - 57.Second Corinthians - 57.Romans - 57-58.Philippians - 62-63.Colossians - 62-63.Philemon - 62-63.Ephesians - 62-63.Luke - 63.Acts - 64.First Timothy - 65.Titus - 65.Second Timothy - 66.Mark - 66.Matthew - 67.Hebrews - 67.First Peter - 67-68.Second Peter - 68.Jude - 68.Apocalypse - 68. (Apocalypse is Revelation)John - c. 85.Epistles of John - 90-95.
So in this estimation, Revelations was written in 68 AD where as other books of John were written in 90 AD. Some estimates suggest that Revelations was actually written last. But the thing is, no one really knows so that is another argument that nothing else should be added because very possibly other books that are actually contained in the Bible were likely written after Revelations.
Then the Nicene Creed is released in 325 AD and later revised in 381 AD. Part of the scripture in verse 19 says that no man should take away from the words of that book. We know that things were taken out of the bible, wording changed, etc. That is not just a Mormon accusation, but a known fact. Maybe people who are worried about our BOM should think about how the "words were changed" and now even more with the NIV bible that TOTALLY changes the words of the bible!
I found a little history of the bible I'm gonna throw in here too because I think you'll like the info. The Old Testament (OT) was written in Hebrew and the New Testament (NT) was written in Greek. So in the beginning, only priests were allowed to read the bible and they had to be fluent in Greek and Hebrew in order to do it. In 382 AD, the Catholic pope asked a priest to translate the bible into Latin. This priest could speak Hebrew, Greek and Latin. He did so and called it the Vulgate. Monks began making copies of the Vulgate by hand (there was no printing press back then). There were problems with this: translation errors and some deliberate changes.In 1320 AD, John Wycliffe was a scholar and he criticized the Catholic church for not allowing the common man to read the bible. He could only speak Latin and English so he translated the Latin Vulgate into English. The church greatly opposed this and burned anyone at the stake who was found in possession of a Wycliffe bible. In 1492, William Tyndale was born. He was a scholar and could speak Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English. He read the Hebrew and Greek originals of the bible and showed how the Vulgate was translated incorrectly. He went into hiding in Germany and made an English translation of the bible from the original Hebrew and Greek writings. The printing press was now invented and he made 3000 copies of his English bible. Tyndale was later captured and burned at the stake. But he started a movement that brought about Martin Luther who started the protestant reformation… starting other churches away from the Catholic religion. By the time King James became king of England in 1605, there was a lot of religious confusion. There were many versions of the bible and not one was accepted by everyone. So the king formed a committee of 47 scholars who spent 7 years publishing a new English translation. Most of the bible remained Tyndale's translation. This new version was called the King James Version (the one we use). 200 years later Joseph Smith would live in a world where there were many interpretations of the bible. No wonder he was seeking clarity and answers. I'm so grateful he had the faith to ask questions and seek the truth!
There… hows that for a Mom's lesson 1000 miles away:)
I know this will have take so much time for you to read so I'll be short with the rest of my letter… We celebrated Erik's graduation from Paramedic school tonight. He actually graduates on Tuesday. I'm so happy for him!
I'm making plans to take dad away for his 50th birthday weekend in 2 weeks. I got us tickets to see a play called "Once" that is a great musical. I also booked 2 nights at a golf resort/hotel for us. It will be a great getaway. I figured we did the big 80s party for him last year so I'll try something a little different for his bday this year. How in the crap and Dad and I turning 50 this year/???? Not possible!
I love you my son! I will leave you with a quote that I heard this week that I really love. "Pray like everything depends on the Lord. Work like everything depends on you." - Brigham Young It is a great motto for your mission and your life.
I love you with every ounce of my heart! You are prayed for many times each day and you are missed more than you could know! Infinity + Infinity!
xoxoxoMom
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