the happenings of this week!
This
week we instructed at District meeting about helping our investigators
set their own baptismal date! It was fun. At the end, our district
leader shared a beautiful quote about faith:
“There
are two kinds of faith. One of them functions ordinarily in the life of
every soul. It is the kind of faith born by experience; it gives us
certainty that a new day will dawn, that spring will come, that growth
will take place. It is the kind of faith that relates us with confidence
to that which is scheduled to happen. …
“There
is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is the kind of faith that
causes things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is worthy and
prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise would
not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people. It is the kind of
faith that sometimes moves things. … It comes by gradual growth. It is a
marvelous, even a transcendent, power, a power as real and as invisible
as electricity. Directed and channeled, it has great effect.
“In
a world filled with skepticism and doubt, the expression ‘seeing is
believing’ promotes the attitude, ‘You show me, and I will believe.’ We
want all of the proof and all of the evidence first. It seems hard to
take things on faith.
“When
will we learn that in spiritual things it works the other way
about—that believing is seeing? Spiritual belief precedes spiritual
knowledge. When we believe in things that are not seen but are
nevertheless true, then we have faith.”
-Boyd K. Packer
We
also taught Rick again! We taught him about the Plan of Salvation--
just what he's been wanting to hear! But because he had sooooo many
questions and got hung up on some things, we weren't able to teach it
all to him... so he was left hanging at "so what happens after I
die??" But we taught him after church on Sunday, so he was quite
enlightened. He left pretty speechless and full of even more questions,
actually. He's coming around.
John
also got confirmed yesterday!! How exciting. Earlier this week, we
taught him about the importance of member missionary work. I LOVE this
video more than anything right now-- it's about forgiveness, but it
powerfully exmplieifes the importance of member missionary work! PLEASE
WATCH!!! :)
We
also taught a young guy named Anthony who considers himself a pretty
negative, closed-off person, but he is excited to have a faith again.
So
cool story, we were volunteering at Salvation Army this past Friday and
we were talking with this man we hadn't seen before (Brian) and he was
asking a bunch of questions and was really nice. His friend tried to
pick a fight by asking questions he didn't really want to know the
answer to, but that he just wanted to debate. So I guess another man
across the room sensed my frustration (dang it!) and he came over, put
his arm around me and told the man that he had a right to believe in
whatever he wanted just like I did. Humanity lives on, I guess.
Then
we got Brian's number and he was going to come to church on Sunday but
he had to go to the hospital Saturday night! So we went to visit him in
the hospital that evening. It was one of those visits that just made me
so happy to be a missionary. (I've been having a lot of those lately).
He is this big tough guy, tatoos, drinks, etc. and as we shared the
Restoration with him, his countenance changed and he told us about his
past and how he just doesn't feel like he is worthy of God's love and he
started to cry. We were able to share with him a few verses from Alma
36 and as we did, the spirit filled the room.
16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
17
And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was
harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to
have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of
one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart:
O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of
bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no
more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite
and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son,
that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as
was my joy.
We
testified of the power of the Atonement and he wants to be baptized at
the end of June. We set his date and then I asked him why he wanted
to be baptized on that date. And he said it was because we invited him
on that day and that he trusts us (about inviting him on that day) and
because we are unwavering in what we believe and that he can just see it
in us. Then he said the prayer at the end and I just kept my eyes
opened and watched him. He said a very simple prayer telling God that
this was the first time He has ever really felt His love and he asked if
the Book of Mormon was true. And that was it. Prefect prayer.
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