Happy Mother's Day - May 13, 2013

Hello Mom!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to start off my Sunday on such a high note in talking to the best family in the world. I'm grateful for your support and for the love that you emanate in all that you do. The greatest thing that I think I could ever say is that the Lord is blessing our family with deeper testimonies of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ leading to becoming what we were created to become. This is the greatest of all blessings really...or at least this blessing of deepening our understanding and increasing our ability to do and become, really is eternal life. "And this is ^alife ^beternal, that they might ^cknow thee the only true ^dGod, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast ^esent" (John 17:3). This is what were all here for. And our Heavenly Father is blessing us with this gift "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Ne 28:30). Speaking of gifts given to us, I had an interesting thought in my first area that I would like to share with you.

In all honesty there are 3 great gifts in life that we can receive from God our Father...and they are the best gifts that we could ever receive. The First Gift: the gift free agency - the greatest gift we received in the Pre-Earth Life. Our loving Father in Heaven gave this gift to us freely from the beginning of our spiritual birth in order to one day be like him. With this gift we could become ourselves, choose for ourselves, and prove ourselves worthy of His higher gifts. This is the foundation of receiving all gifts, or one could say, the First Gift is the ability to seek and receive all other gifts. The Second Gift: the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Once baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by those who are authorized to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof (see AoF 1:5), a person may receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost - the greatest gift we can receive in this life. Through this Second Gift, we receive guidance, direction, and aid in using the First Gift. The Holy Ghost is also the messenger through which the blessings of the Atonement (both justification, or remission of sins, and sanctification, or perfection) are given to us. We can use the First Gift correctly as God had intended, receive forgiveness when we don't use the First Gift correctly, and we can walk the path more perfectly as we are sanctified. The Second Gift is the ability to use the First Gift correctly. The Third and Final Gift: Eternal Life. This is the gift given to all those who, having all they can, using the first and second gifts wisely, inherit all the Father has including eternal ties with our loved ones here on earth. The Third Gift is The Ultimate Gift.

So, that was just a thought that I had had for you this week, hope it helps with anything, but I also want to say that it really is the little steps that count. Our little goals step by step help us to step by step realize our potential and these gifts. I love you all so much and I want to testify that the gift of the Holy Ghost really does take that which may be complex and makes it as simple as a child's understanding. Like I said on skype, it really is all true. It was a miracle of a last week too. God is a God of miracles...especially in giving me a mother like you. Happy Mother's day mom, and never forget that my love for you is never-ending. I love you.

Elder Claypool

PS, is there anything that I can do to help our family, both immediate and not, to be eternal? (could you send me emails of Kyleigh, Aunt Amber, and Connor? Thanks ;)