Letter to the Class

image Our brothers and sisters,  We are so happy to know that you have the Savior as our friend and that we have a time we celebrate His birth. It's is truly a blessing that this simple event has been celebrated for not just tens or hundreds of years but thousands! And not just after His life but all of the life of man.  The Savior truly has changed the world; our world.  This Christmas take the time to reflect on our blessing that was given to us by the Savior. Reflect on the simplicity of the symbolism of His humble beginnings.  Manger - The Savior's life was thought of as the bread and water of life, so of course, shepherds would see the Choose One in such a vulnerable state, as an offering to feed the simple and nurish them as He does us. Shepherd - Israel has been sons and daughters of a class of work that was hard since Abraham. When they (the children of Israel) came to Egypt, they declared their occupation and were sent to Goshen. They were good obedient p

image “Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in thi

image Brothers and sisters,  This year we have learned so much about our Savior and Redeemer. We have learned so much about the Lord's Church.  The people of the church and the story of the church aren't perfect. We had crazy ups and downs. There were fights and war; death and debt. Sons and daughters suffered grief and pain. It is the same pain and other dispensations have suffered... And for what? We testify as your teachers, the gospel is worth it. Your testimony of Jesus Christ the Savior and Redeemer is worth it. Knowing the Savior knows your problems; He hears your cries. Remember as Jacob 5:72 says: "And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their might, and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them;" We testify that the lord has been part of our teaching and has taught us what we should say and do to strengthen and edify our spirits. We have taught as a tender keeper of the vineyard at times not knowing what we should say or

image Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: On the other side of the veil, there are perhaps seventy billion people. They need the same gospel, and releases occur here to aid the Lord’s work there. Each release of a righteous individual from this life is also a call to new laborers. Those who have true hope understand this. Terefore, though we miss the departed righteous so much here, hundreds may feel their touch there. One day, those hundreds will thank the bereaved for gracefully forgoing the extended association with choice individuals here, so that they could help hundreds there. In God's ecology, talent and love are never wasted. The hopeful understand this, too. Brothers and sisters,  We do not fully understand the place called the Celestial Kingdom except what is described in the scriptures but where we are going is not half as important as what we are doing and what we aim to do in the next life. The kingdom might be paved with gold but it means nothing if we do nothin