Dear Family,
Tuesday and Wednesday were transfers and departures. We had fifteen elders and sisters leaving for home and 12 new arrivals. There were many split companionships which made some and happy and sad. We got on the bus at 6:00am with all the departing missionaries and didn't get back to the office with new arrivals until 3:00pm. This is our last transfer because we will be on the next transfer. WOW!
Friday night we had our party for the office couples, President and Sister Maxwell and Sister Horne. There were 14 of us in our little flat. We did pasta, spinach salad with strawberries (remember it is summer here and fruit is in season), garlic bread and two kinds of cheesecakes. We like having a party without people bringing food. They could just come and relax. We made up a game called Matching Christmas Carols. We picked out unusual sentences in different carols and you matched it to the title. We also played Christmas Charades. We laughed and laughed. Senior missionaries are a very fun group of people!!!! President and Sister Maxwell enjoy a night of pure fun and relaxing.
We are giving all of our Christmas decorations and tree to Sister Horne. Her family doesn't have much and we love her dearly.
Saturday we went to the Scandinavian Bazaar at the Swedish Chapel on Toorak road. Toorak Road is the most expensive neighborhood in Melbourne. One of the homes in the neighborhood is worth 70 million dollars. These old mansions have beautiful manicured lawns, gates, flowers and trees. Adrienne and I have walked these neighborhoods and loved looking at the homes. They were built by early settlers who came searching for gold, and found it. Back to the bazaar, we had Norwegian waffles with cream and jam. Great memories of the Hogensen family at 390 Wall Street.
Sunday night was the Mission President's devotional.
We are finishing our study of the 4 gospels so I am enclosing our notes on John.
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
John is the gospel that is not like the others. Like Matthew, John was a Jew converted to Christianity. Like Matthew he was one of the apostles. But unlike Matthew, he was not writing
to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and unlike Mark, he was not writing to convince the Gentiles that Jesus was the Christ. He was not writing to convince anyone that Jesus was the Christ: he was writing to those who already knew. He was writing to the Christians. This makes his gospel very different. Near the conclusion of his book, we read, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31). The Harper-Collins Study Bible translates the intention of that passage to be slightly different: “But these are written, that ye might continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ”. “The Gospel of John”, wrote Bruce R. McConkie, “is the account for the saints.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 336)
John was in the church from the very beginning. A follower of John the Baptist, he then became one of the first disciples of Christ. John was one of the “inner circle of three who were with the Lord at the raising of Jairus”s daughter, at the Transfiguration, and in Gethsemane.” (BD, p. 715) So he was like a member of the First Presidency, one of the “three pillars of the Christian Church”. John wrote not only his gospel, but also three of the epistles, and the amazing book of Revelation. He identified himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” the one who wanted to continue to minister upon the earth until the Second Coming. His testament was the last one written, and contains unique contributions, and many more of Christ’s teachings than do the others. He had a deep understanding of the Savior and his gospel by the time he wrote his book. (Ludlow)
Only John tells how Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. Only John records the cleansing of the temple. In John, Christ explains his death to the apostles. Only in John do we read of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and his commandment to them to be an example of love for each other. In John, the apostles are warned that the world will hate them and try to kill them. In John, the gift of the Comforter is explained. The Intercessory prayer for the disciples is found in John. Only in John is Peter told three times, “Feed my sheep.” More of the resurrected Christ’s visit back to his disciples is recorded in John than in the other gospels. (Fronk)
John records seven miraculous signs of the divinity of Christ, five of which are only found in his gospel. ( To see the list, see Victory Ludlow’s article, “John: The Once and Future Witness”).
The gospel of John is a college text, where the other gospels are elementary school primers. The other three gospels are like sacrament meeting, and the Gospel of John is like a temple. In fact, John is better understood in relation to the temple ceremony. It is deep and rich and symbolic, and it builds upon what the other gospels give us and raises our understanding to a higher level. It is for the increased edification of those who are already saints.
Only John records the descriptions of Christ gave of himself, many of which hearken back to the term used in the Old Testament to identify Jehovah: “I AM” (Ludlow) Seven of them are especially noted, possible symbolic of the meaning of the number seven: godly perfection. These are marked with a tag similar to Matthew’s tags; they all begin with some form of the phrase “Jesus said unto them”.
When the multitude asked Christ to show them a sign, like the manna in the wilderness, “And Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger: and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (6:35)
After saving the adulterous woman from stoning, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (8:12)
Later in that same conversation, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (8:58) Identical with the term used in Exodus #:14, and after which they tried to stone him, but he spirited himself away.
After telling the parable of the sheepfold to the Pharisees, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep…by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture”. (10:7,9)
To Martha, before raising Lazarus from the dead, “Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (11:25-26)
When Thomas asked how they would know the way, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (14:6)
When Judas was betraying him, (I’m removing the King James translators’ additions, which are in italics in the scriptures) “Jesus saith unto them, I am. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground.” (18:5-8) and Jesus repeated the statement.
JOHNS’S WITNESS OF THE LORD IS UNIQUE. HIS GOSPEL AND EPISTLES RECORD SOME OF THE SAVIOR’S NOBLEST FEELINGS AND DOCTRINES, ESPECIALLY HIS MESSAGE OF LOVE. (Ludlow)
We love you all,
The moms, The grandmas, The Sister sisters
No comments:
Post a Comment