Hey Everyone,
This week.. has been one of the hardest weeks while being out here. Throughout the course of the week we have had to watch many of our investigators and others whom we talk with go through hard times or make poor choices. The Bartolomei family whom we had a baptismal date set for the 24th, decided to drop us last Monday due to family peer pressure. Another person we know went to jail. Another getting a divorce and has to get emergency surgery. Another had 6 heart attacks in 24hrs and she is in rough condition in the hospital. Many of these things and others have unfolded themselves throughout our week, which has created a great difficulty for me. Im grateful for my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, but it doesn't take away from the fact that I have grown to love each and every individual soo much that seeing them suffer causes me to suffer.
Through all this we have been tremendously blessed to come in contact with some other new individuals that are ready and super prepared. One of which is Topher. He is about as cowboy country as you can get! he is from Kentucky grew up Baptist converted to be a catholic and wow. I have never met anyone with such a passionate and deep relationship with Christ. He told a experience where he was told by Jesus that he needs to be in the ministry.. When he heard this he asked,"should i be a preacher.." He was told, "you wont be preaching from a pulpit." He then asked if he should be a teacher.. He was told "Jesus is the teacher." And he was confused on what else he could be to help the ministry. In our meeting with him yesterday. He began to laugh hysterically looking up to the heavens saying," thank you Jesus!!" Because when we told him that we only teach about the Savior 24/7 He knew that was it! There was a fire and a light in this man and im excited to begin teaching him our message of the restoration. As he knows there is something still missing in what he is looking for.
This man definitely brightened our day and was an answer to my prayers for investigators that are ready to be taught if the Bartolomei's arnt supposed to be the ones we should be focusing on.
Although these weeks are hard to go through it most definitely brings me closer to my savior because its only in Him that I can receive the peace and comfort watching others go through so many hard and difficult times.
My thoughts from this week comes from my growing love for the Doctrine of Christ. I was reading a training given to missionaries this in January and something that Elder Bednar really struck me. All things are gathered in one in Christ.
Elder David A. Bednar: I think too often we, as members of the Church, have a cookbook, checklist mentality about living the gospel. So faith is this little separate thing, and then repentance is a separate thing, and then there’s the ordinance of baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. All things are gathered together in one in Christ. So faith is in the Savior—in Him as the Son of God, in His nature, and in His attributes. Repentance is a dependence upon Him. Faith in Him and depending upon Him is repentance. Following Him is baptism. Pressing forward with Him is enduring to the end, with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It’s all gathered together in Him. So as we are proclaiming our continuing dependence upon Christ, that is repentance, which leads to the mighty change of heart.
May we all evaluate our life and ask ourselves how we can better rely on the Savior to live the Doctrine of Jesus Christ in our lives!
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