What is your Gameplan? - Week 96

July 23, 2018

Hey everyone!

It's funny how the weeks just go on by sometimes. We had some pretty cool experiences this week. We were driving back from Garden Valley, which is about a 30 min drive through windy roads from horseshoebend. We needed to get to sweet, Idaho which is 20 min from Horseshoebend so we decided to take this back round that goes up over the mountain instead of through the mountain. So there we were out in the middle of nowhere!  I was taking a look at our area book app and it plots all the people in the ward and people we work with on a map (which is super nice to have) I saw that there were two members that lived way out here. The thought came in my mind,"hey we should go contact these two members." Out of the two houses, one of them really stood out to me. We tried the first house and no one answered, and really looked like no one has been there for a while haha. We pulled up to the next house and knock on the door. As we wait you hear someone say,"who could be knocking on my door?" The door opens. And we meet Riley. She is about a year older then me, but after talking she had some interest in visiting with us and learning more so that was a really awesome faith-building experience. God is in the details.  We had another experience yesterday where we turned down the wrong road but while we were going down I had the thought come to me that maybe there is someone on this road that we are supposed to meet! As we drove down looking for a place to turn the car around. One of the houses stood out to me.. and I thought. That's it. SO we parked the car at the end of the road and walked back to the house. we knock on the door. AND. A guy opens the door we try to introduce ourselves but he kept acting like he couldn't understand what we were saying so he closed the door. So we turned around and walked off his porch. I looked across the street and saw another guy outside so we walked over to talk to him (even though he was trying to hide) After talking to him he said we could come back and talk with him. It makes me chuckle sometimes when I think about what the Lord has in store for you. Sometimes he wants you to get rejected so that the timing will be right for another opportunity! 

My thought from the week comes from an excerpt of a talk by Elder David A. Bednar, "Always retain a remission of your sins"

"As members of the Lord’s restored Church, we are blessed both by our initial cleansing from sin associated with baptism and by the potential for an ongoing cleansing from sin made possible through the companionship and power of the Holy Ghost—even the third member of the Godhead.

Consider how a farmer depends upon the unchanging pattern of planting and harvesting. Understanding the connection between sowing and reaping is a constant source of purpose and influences all of the decisions and actions a farmer undertakes in all seasons of the year. In like manner, the inseparable connection between the ordinances of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost should impact every aspect of our discipleship in all seasons of our lives."


It honestly blows my mind to think about how Heavenly Father has given us a third member of the Godhead to tarry with us at all times. This precious gift is what cleans us each sacrament meeting to become just a little bit better. This is all great things to know but at the bottom line, it requires spiritual work to pray and communicate with our Heavenly Father. My invitation to each of us is when was the last time you got down on your knees to pray to our Heavenly Father with the expectation to walk away with a game plan you and your Heavenly Father have created together? May we pray on our knees and out loud in humble prayer. Our Heavenly Father will speak back when we create the environment for him to speak back, and we are ready to receive the revelation we are worthy of.

keep smiling

Elder Gerrard

Bucking hay with my bae. (aka my companion) - Week 96

July 16th, 2018

Hey everyone! This week flew by! We almost got another one of the people we teach committed to baptism this week! she wants to get baptized but she is nervous about setting a date so hopefully we can help her out. As far as our goal of finding 7 people we have the last few people that are ready to be baptized we just need to get them on date. I think by the time I leave we can get at least one baptized and the others on date so let's hope that works out!

We ended up bucking hay this week! We moved 13 tons of hay for someone which was pretty fun, but man I drank soo much water haha. 

We also went to a elk ranch this pday so that was pretty cool! They raise tamed elk and sell their rack and meat. 

My thought for the week comes from a comment made by a man in horshoebend. He said, "If you don't love yourself you cant love"

I have thought about this statement and it's really made me think. It makes me think about the change of heart that comes to those who accept the gospel. Which is due to the gift of the Holy Ghost that is in our lives that helps sanctify us. 

In our last general conference Elder Eyring Spoke about the holy ghost and said, "Our obligation is to choose to open our hearts to receive the ministration of the Spirit over a lifetime." 

When we have the presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives it makes us happy and fills our life with joy! But like Elder eyring said we need to constantly choose to open our hearts for a life time. In a large part I feel like this means we need to love ourselves by being confident with our selves with a healthy balance of relying in God in all things. As we do this we will have complete joy which is what read about in Alma 27:17-18

"17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."

My invitation to each if us is to find joy in the journey! Sometimes it's hard to but that's when we rely upon God and he will uplift us through the time of trial and we ultimately have our hearts changed. My testimony is that we learn to love others as we love ourselves and let God in our hearts. I can testify that as we do this something does happen to us. We begin to reach outward and we do not focus on ourselves. The gospel is true my friends. 

Keeping smiling to yourself! 

-Elder Gerrard 

Sanctification through the Lord - Week 95

July 10th, 2018


Hey everyone!

Well transfers happened and now i can officially say im in my last area of my mission with my last companion. Things have been a blast and im grateful that I still got some time left to give it all I got. the only thing I cant understand is why people keep telling me that Im going home soon.. I mean in theory when your time is up your supposed to be willingly submitting and leaving, but I have a feeling its going to have to be a dragging process to get me to actually do whats necessary to send me home.... haha

This week was a pretty good week for us. There were alot of people that we have been working with that we have been trying to really help them keep their commitments to read and pray so that they can get their answers to know whether the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. 

We taught the first discussion to three new people yesterday in Garden Valley which is awesome! So hopefully we can keep that going and maybe see some baptisms in the branch up there in the near future. 

Our fourth of July we had a pretty good time and we went to a BBQ with a part member family and got to meet some other non member families. After that we went with some members and played alittle volleyball with some of their non member friends so we got to meet alot of new people this week. 

My thought for the week comes from a scripture in Alma chapter 13:10-12

"10 Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;

11 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.

12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God."

The word sanctification is a very powerful word Elder D. Todd Christopherson said:

"To be sanctified through the blood of Christ is to become clean, pure, and holy. If justification removes the punishment for past sin, then sanctification removes the stain or effects of sin. The Prophet Joseph Smith testified:

“And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—

“That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear [justify] the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness” (D&C 76:40–41)."

Sanctification is what comes to us when we repent and allow the holy spirit to come into our lives and change our hearts and minds. May we continue to repent and exercise faith in the Lord. 

Are We Stripped of Pride - Week 94

July 2nd, 2018

Hey everyone! this week has been different but good. We were able to go to the meridian temple with our recent convert and that was a really neat experience. I was able to do some temple work for two names that I actually found on my mission son that was a pretty neat thing for me to start. 

This week for whatever reason I have become accident prone. I manged to give my self a rope burn that when down two layers of skin. So I have been treating three wonderful blisters since Thursday haha. On top of that I managed to slice my finger open some how with the car wiper blade, and cut the bottom of my tongue. But its all good. Im not dead yet. 

The thoughts I would like to share with you all this week center around pride.  

I was reading in Alma 5:28 where Alma asks," Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God.."  

Its very hard for us to sometimes recognize our pride and our short comings 

Kim B. Clark gave a talk and I love what he said. He talks about the great lie which is how Satans pride is a big reason around his fall from heaven. 

Kim B. Clark states: 

"Well did the Lord warn us: Beware of pride. Beware; be alert; be on guard against the perils of pride. May I suggest some things to watch for, some things of which we should all beware? I think of this list as red flags of pride. These red flags are like the little flags that landscapers put on the lawn when they have applied dangerous chemicals. Thin films of pride come with warning flags like the following:

1. Do you find yourself critiquing the talks in sacrament meeting?

2. Are you critical of others? Do you look down on others? Do you scorn or ridicule them?

3. When adversity strikes, do you hear a voice inside that says, “Why me?”

4. Do you react to prophetic counsel by ignoring it, being upset by it, or interpreting it to suit your own desires?

5. When you do something good, do you hear a voice inside congratulating yourself?

6. Do you feel self-gratification and a sense of importance in your knowledge and skill?

7. If someone you know receives something good, do you hear a voice inside saying, “What about me?”

8. Do you find ways to let others know of your success without appearing to boast?

9. If someone corrects a mistake you made, do you feel defensive and resentful?

10. When someone does something that creates inconvenience for you, do you feel annoyed?

I could go on. There are many, many red flags of pride.

Brothers and sisters, I did not get this list from a book. I have firsthand experience with the questions I have asked you, and I know that if you and I ever feel any of them or hear any of them in our minds, we need to recognize them for what they are—the echoes of the Great Lie, the beginning of a call to enmity with our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In that moment of recognition, we stand at a crossroads between two paths. We can follow the path of the Great Lie and act on those prideful feelings, or we can follow the path of the Great Truth and choose Christ. It is a choice. Are we going to keep our covenants, or are we going to break them? To reject the Great Lie and choose Christ takes an act of will. We have to consciously say to ourselves: “I am not going down the path of the Great Lie. With faith in Christ and with His help, I am going to walk the path of the Great Truth.”

I think we all can easily recognize the pride in our selves after reading this. I find what President Henry B. Eyring states in his talk "My peace I leave with you" Helps us have peace in this regard

"At times, you may long for peace as you face uncertainty and what seem to you to be looming challenges. The sons of Mosiah learned the lesson that the Lord taught to Moroni. It is a guide for us all: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all [who] humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

Moroni said that when he “heard these words,” he “was comforted” (Ether 12:29). They can be a comfort to all of us. Those who do not see their weaknesses do not progress. Your awareness of your weakness is a blessing as it helps you remain humble and keeps you turning to the Savior. The Spirit not only comforts you, but He is also the agent by which the Atonement works a change in your very nature. Then weak things become strong."


Brothers and Sisters. I testify that the redeeming power of Jesus Christ when called upon daily can truly bring us closer and strip us of this pride. He is that stripping agent. It requires that humily and turning to the Savior but I know its what brings us to that peace and happiness. My prayer is that we continually evaluate where we are and progress by acknowledging our weaknesses.



--
Keep smiling!
Love, Elder Gerrard

Have you done some good today - Week - 93

June 25, 2018

Hey everyone! 

Once again I would like to thank all those that took the time to shoot me a message with words of affirmation and love. I think giving the gift of our time means alot.. we really don't have a whole lot of it! We had a pretty solid week with alot of things that I honestly cant believe. Lots of miracles. One that I will share is about this couple that was staying on the property of some members in Sweet. They purchased this 5th wheel from them, and planned to travel to the Oregon coast until suddenly the husband had pretty serious and sudden health scare. This sent him to the hospital and we ended up giving him a priesthood blessing. He recovered and was able to return to the 5th wheel; however, not much long after he had a repeat of his health issue and was sent back to the hospital. After praying and fasting for him he recovered and didn't need to go on hospice any more but they decided to move to Emmett and sell the 5th wheel because that dream was most likely not possible anymore. Through all of this we have built a relationship with them and It seemed like it was getting closer to inviting them to hear the gospel. But when they left Sweet we didn't know where they went and I was pretty disappointed we lost that chance. Fast forward to this past Tuesday. The thought came to me to go into one of the missionaries areas in Emmett to help them get somethings going. Our original plan was to tract out this street for them, and if we had time we would go to some other trail parks that the missionaries in Emmett had picked out. We were running behind and we decided to take a different road to Emmett from Horshoebend so we ended up coming closer to one of these trailer parks. So Instead of going to our original street we went to this trail park... missed the first turn in by accident and then took the second turn and parked the car alittle ways down the road. I looked over and saw a green rodeo Izuzu which is one of the cars i drove back home and it was the same color as my friend (Lono's) rodeo. The thought came to my mind," hey you should knock on that door because there is a rodeo in the driveway." SO we did. and this was the first house to answer the door that day. and to my surprise it was the couple that was staying in the 5th wheel in Sweet!! It was pretty crazy! of all the places I could be, or park the car, or gone tracting we ran right into them. I can testify that God does have a plan... And its pretty awesome! 

We had a similar experience on Wednesday. We were up in Garden Valley. And we had lined up some service for one of our investigators and then another one for the community theater. While we were headed out to our first service appointment I noticed a man laying rocks outside. I had the thought," when we get back we should ask them if they would like some help laying some rock" So we do our thing and get all our service done and we get back to the place we were staying and sure enough the man was still there. We went up and said we would like to help him, and ended up having a really great conversation about God with him. We didnt have a ton of time but we laid some rocks for him for about 45 min. We ran back into our members home in Garden Valley and got into proselyting clothes and went back out to make a few more contacts before dinner. Right before we were leaving Garden Valley to head back to Horshoebend the lady of the house we were laying rocks for stopped us and told us that she heard that we helped lay some rocks for her and she was very appreciative. She then asked if we could give her Dad a priesthood blessing, because her husband received one from the missionaries a year ago and she recognized how much of a impact that had. So we were able to give her 93 year old father a priesthood blessing. 

I find it incredible what happens when we try to do what the Lord would have us do. I have come to learn that he speaks directly to us in the way that only we would listen. As we follow on the impressions we receive we will find much joy in knowing that we did exactly what the Lord would want us to do. Just like President Monson we too can say.. "I think we have done some good today!"  - Keep Smiling, Elder Gerrard

Receive the Light - Week 92

June 18, 2018

Hey everyone! 

This week was a really good one for us up in Horshoebend, Sweet, and Garden Valley! We were able to meet with all of our investigators and teach them. We have a pretty good size teaching pool at the moment, which is really awesome because there really is always something to do. The best part of the week is our investigator Tim got baptized! Man soo many miracles happened in the last 7 weeks to make this possible. Its truly humbling to be apart of it all. Our goal for 7 baptims in this area is coming to a reality line upon line precept upon precept.. We have baptized 2 converts and 1 eight year old. And the lord has put 4 other people that we are working with right now that could easily get there soon considering how prepared they are to listen. The real deciding factor really comes to the fact that we need to help them make and keep the committments we leave with people so that the Holy Ghost can do the converting. I really enjoy being companions with Elder Cummins. He is a really nice guy that has really helped this take the steps that stand in the way for it to progress. 

My thought for the week comes from how precious it is to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I really thought it was cool that our investigator Tim got the gift of the Holy Ghost on his birthday. members were saying that his entire countenance was just soo different. He was glowing. 

In Mosiah chapter 27:24-29 we read about the sons of Alma and Mosiah.

 24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.

25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all man kind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds,tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God ,changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.

28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation,repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now i  behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.  

I love how this passage illustrates the importance of having the spirit and thats what allows the son of alma to be redeemed after being born of the spirit. And the result of such is that he is given added light. May we use this precious gift to receive more light in our life and experience the joy of the Gospel that is so easy to toss to the way side like the sons of mosiah and alma the younger did. 

Revelation and our Stewardship - Week 91

June 11, 2018

Hey everyone!

this week has been a good one. We have a baptism coming up this Saturday for a investigator that his been meeting whit missionaries for 4 years! It will be a really special baptism to be able to see all his missionaries and members of the branch to come together and watch this baptism.  We just need to keep on putting in the work to make things happen and to find those individuals that surely have been prepared! I have been seeing the lords hand in our daily efforts alot more. The key is simple. We just got to let him and trust him. 

My thought for the week has to do with revelation and stewardship. We have been encouraged by our prophet to seek personal revelation. This is a great skill to begin to develop in our spiritual lives the important aspect however is knowing the boundaries of our stewardship when seeking this personal revelation. Sometimes we or the church will receive revelation that is contrary to what we might think it should be. A classic example is when Nephi felt he needed to kill Laban. I find this statement from President Benson very insightful. 

President Ezra Taft Benson suggested “three short tests” to help us avoid being deceived during difficult situations:

“1. What do the standard works have to say about it? ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,’ said Isaiah. ( Isa. 8:20.) …

“We must diligently study the scriptures. Of special importance to us are the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. …

“2. The second guide is: what do the latter-day Presidents of the Church have to say on the subject—particularly the living President? …

“There is only one man on the earth today who speaks for the Church. (See D&C 132:7; 21:4.) That man is [the] President [of the Church]. Because he gives the word of the Lord for us today, his words have an even more immediate importance than those of the dead prophets. When speaking under the influence of the Holy Ghost his words are scripture. (See D&C 68:4.) …

“The President can speak on any subject he feels is needful for the Saints. …

“3. The third and final test is the Holy Ghost—the test of the Spirit. By that Spirit we ‘… may know the truth of all things.’ (Moroni 10:5.) This test can only be fully effective if one’s channels of communication with God are clean and virtuous and uncluttered with sin” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1963, 16–17).

We are entitled to receive revelation to move forward the work of salvation... but how often do we us that revelation... are we willing to put in the spiritual work necessary to do so?