Purer eyes

Hey everyone! Como estar? De boar? This last week was solid. I did 2 divisions w/ Elder Lee & Elder Costa and these guys are legends. Elder Lee's the hardest-working 1 month-old missionary there is & there's never a dull moment around Elder Costa. 

The highlight of this week was a fella taking a swim in the teaching pool named Moisés (Moses)

In our discussion this week, Moses explained to us that ever since he was a kid, he could see things other people couldn't see. He recounted some stories throughout his life where he saw spirits - good AND bad spirits. I won't go into a tonna detail cause the stories he told are pretty long, but when he told them, I believed him! They way he told the story and expression he had while telling it told me he wasn't lying. He actually could see spirits, and at times, interact with them. And look, if he's telling the truth, this guy'd be a fantastic member of the Ghostbusters crew.

Jokes aside though, I wondered if there was anything in the scriptures that talked about this "seeing spirits" 

There's a verse in D&C 131 that gave the following clue - 

"There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;"

Could that gift of "purer eyes" be given to someone? I'm not 100% sure, but this also isn't the first time I hear from someone hear that they can see spirits. And through talking to other Brazilian Elderes, they let me know that some people here are in fact just born with this ability. Interesting right?

It also says in D&C 138:11 - 

"As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great."

Maybe this'd been a better message for Halloween time. But don't get spooked! The highlight of Moisés' tale is how that consistently throughout his life, he felt that he'd been guided and protected by a good spirit. He described her as a beautiful woman, who's always watched over him and has given him words of guidance throughout his life. It was her who told him that he should talk to the missionaries, and it was her who explained to him some of the importance of the restored church of Jesus Christ.

She said that she, along with other members of her family, had work they needed done in the temple. And that Moisés needed to be baptized, receive the holy ghost and recieve the Priesthood because it was JUST in this church that those keys existed. You can imagine the level of wonder we felt hearing this story from his own mouth. 

Now I can't say I've ever SEEN with my own eyes a spirit, but I FEEL the reality of them. I know that we have busy family members in the spirit world working constantly to guide and protect us, whether or not we recognize it! I know that this life is a short period of time in comparison to all that we have lived, and all that we still will live. But despite this life being brief, the decisions we make and how they affect our 'eternal' bodies are massive! Each habit we teach our mind and body will stick with us. Be it for good, or be it for bad. 

In President Nelson's talk, "Decisions for Eternity" he taught us; 

"With your body being such a vital part of God’s eternal plan, it is little wonder that the Apostle Paul described it as a “temple of God.” Each time you look in the mirror, see your body as your temple. That truth—refreshed gratefully each day—can positively influence your decisions about how you will care for your body and how you will use it.

 And those decisions will determine your destiny. How could this be? Because your body is the temple for your spirit. And how you use your body affects your spirit. Some of the decisions that will determine your eternal destiny include:

How will you choose to care for and use your body?

What spiritual attributes will you choose to develop?"

I testify to the importance of Presidente Nelson's two questions here folks! How we use our body, and what spiritual attributes we develop are decisions that last more than a lifetime. I testify to the reality of a life after this one, the life that spirits still live and the importance of temple work. There are family members who need their temple work done! I also testify that this is the Savior's restored church. That it has his priesthood. That he lives. And this experience with Moisés from this last week is a testimony of all of these things. 

Thank you all for reading and for being a part of this week. Im grateful for each of you! Shoot me an email if you can, I'll respond this time I swear! New Year's resolution hahaha. Love you all, Ram on ️

Elder Hillstead