This week was pretty great. It went by super fast. We had some super great experiences this week. Tuesday was pretty cool for me because I finally taught the whole restoration in Spanish to someone. Fortunately he didn't speak very much and was kind of quiet, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to understand him, and then I really would have been in trouble.
Wednesday was a pretty standard day, but Elder Williams and I got to meet with the Millers who are a young bilingual family in our branch. It was really cool to talk to them, because the dad was a Spanish missionary in New Jersey, so he was able to give us a ton of advice for both member missionary work and for learning Spanish.
Nothing much happened on Thursday, but on Friday we did some boonie knocking and got threatened to be shot. That was pretty fun. We had walked down a driveway to a house that didn't have any no trespassing signs or any kind of signs. We knock on the house and there's no answer, so we go and knock on a trailer just behind and again there's no answer. As we turn around to walk back to the road, a big black truck came flying down the driveway towards us. When it skidded to a stop, two men got out shouting at us to put our hands in the air. It looked they had guns in the back of their pants, and they just kept shouting at us. Then they forced us to kneel on the ground while still shouting. We told them that we were just missionaries knocking on doors, but they didn't listen to us and just kept shouting about how we're in the wrong place, there's no trespassing signs out front (there weren't any), and how we're lucky to not have a gun pointed at us as we left. So that was pretty interesting.
Saturday was also really cool. It was a lot of walking, and I had just started what's called a 40 Day Purification fast (I'll attach it to the email), but that night I had an awesome lesson. We met with Carlos and Nareda Saenz, and we were going to teach about the plan of salvation. Carlos spoke pretty good English, so the lesson ended up being mostly in English so we could express ourselves better. It was super cool though. It was the first time I received inspiration to say something and recognize that it was the Spirit guiding me. And as I threw all worry out the window and just said those things that came to me, I was able to receive more and see how the Lord was working within Carlos. At the beginning of the lesson he said how he didn't want to come to church just yet because he's worried about the corruption that's in other churches, and that where he goes his children will follow after him, so he wants to make sure that he goes to the right place. But by the end of the lesson he decided that he would try to come to church the next day without any further prodding. And he said he would read the Book of Mormon that night with his wife. It was amazing to see this happening right before our eyes.
Carlos didn't come to church. That was disappointing, but we did have a lot of members back since the holidays were over. But other than that not much else happened.
Hope everything's going great at home. Have a good week!
-Elder Smith
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| Me at one of the many lakes |
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| Breakfast with the ward mission leader, Uru Diaz |
Purification
How do we do everything in our power to be worthy of having the Spirit with us as we strive to find our brothers and sisters who are ready to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Neal A. Maxwell:
“Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us on the altar and letting it be consumed!”
Elder Gene R. Cook: (this is a missionary’s experience that was given in a talk by Elder Cook. This experience took place as he was serving as mission president in Uruguay.) The following story is written in the missionary’s own words:
“I was transferred to a new area and was working hard. In terms of spiritual things, I was starting to understand more deeply. Yet there was still something missing. I began to read the scriptures more thoughtfully. More accurately, I began to search the scriptures. As I did I became aware there was still something missing.
One day a member informed us that he had an investigator that was ready to be taught and he volunteered to attend the first discussion. The discussion went along as usual. At the conclusion, my companion and I bore witness of Joseph Smith and then turned to our friend. He paused for a moment, looked at the young lady and said, “I know that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God.” The room filled with an extraterrestrial force. The investigator started to cry.
As we walked home, I was baffled. The man said the exact same words that we had said but the result was dramatically different. When he spoke he had an influence that we did not have. There was no question that the influence was the Holy Ghost, but this man seemed to have it in a different way. There was still something to be learned. I had to find out what the secret was so I returned to the scriptures. It seemed like we were so close to being effective and yet we just could not make it happen.
After several weeks of searching and praying, we attended a meeting and heard a well-known church leader. He spoke about the scriptures as a source of strength, and about the process of spiritual influence. His words caused a burning in my soul. When he finished his address, I intentionally lingered behind. When I was finally alone with this man I asked him for a few moments of his time. I explained my desire to be a more effective missionary. I told him about the lessons that I had learned. I told him that something was still missing. Finally, he spoke. He said, “Elder, when these pretty ladies pass you on the street, what do you think about?”
Before I could answer, he asked,
“Do you ever speak sarcastically to your junior companion?”
“Do you get up at 6:30 a.m. every morning?”
“Do you keep every mission rule?”
His list of questions grew longer. Finally, he said, “These are things that keep the Holy Ghost from being your companion. If you want the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, then you must purify yourself. I will tell you how to do it.
● Go home and fast for a day in the attitude of fasting and prayer.
● Make a list of every behavior that ‘pokes’ at your spirit.
● Once you have made your list, then go to the Lord.
● Covenant with the Lord that you will fast from the things on your list for 40 days.
● In other words, for 40 days you will do nothing that appears on that list.
You cannot just stop the old behavior and start the new ones. You need the help of the Lord.
● Each morning go to the Lord and specifically promise Him that you will avoid each item on your list.
● Ask for His help so you can have extra strength
● At night go over the list with the Lord, if you have failed on some items, figure out why.
● Tell the Lord.
● Ask for more strength the next day.
Go through the process for 40 days. If you do, you will find that your most basic desires have changed. Your spirit will flourish and the Holy Ghost will become your constant companion. You will become an effective tool in the hands of the Lord.
We went home determined to make the concept work. We began to fast and we began to make a list. It proved to be much harder than we assumed it would be. I would pray and then I would feel impressed to write down some item. Then arguing that there was nothing wrong with that particular thing, I would fight the impression. For example: I felt impressed to put golf on the list. My response was, “there’s nothing wrong with golf. We only play on preparation day.” I ignored the fact that on the other six days my mind continually dwelled on how to play better. I wrestled with the Spirit and then finally wrote golf on the list. It is interesting that from the moment I wrote it on the list, I experienced the most intense desire to play golf. Everywhere I turned there was some reminder, some temptation to break the commitment. So it was with each item on the list. Each day I had to fight all my natural inclinations and turn to the Lord for the help necessary to overcome myself. Sometime between the 30th and 40th day, I suddenly realized that my desire for the things on the list had disappeared. It was as if a great anchor had been cut from me.
The last morning my companion and I knelt in prayer and then started out the door. I was suddenly impressed to go back again and pray. With unusual confidence I addressed the Lord, “Father, these are thy children. We are now doing everything within our power to live the gospel. We turn the burden over to thee. Please carry us the rest of the way.”
We went to our first appointment. Halfway through the discussion, our investigator began to make an excuse that he could not be baptized because he did not know that Joseph Smith is a prophet.
“Your real fear is that your mother will disapprove if you join the Church. In the name of Jesus Christ, I promise you that your entire family will embrace the gospel because of your courageous example. The Lord wants you to be baptized now and it is necessary that you comply.”
I had never before done anything like that. In fact, I knew nothing about his mother. He hardly mentioned her. While I could hardly believe what I had said, a familiar spirit filled the room. This brother began to weep. He committed to be baptized the following Sunday.
The experience repeated itself. At our very next meeting with each investigator there was a celestial manifestation and every one of them was committed to baptism. In an 8-week period, 16 people were baptized. It was an unusual number for our mission.
While the number of baptisms was large, the truly impressive thing was the change in my companion and myself. We were different people. Our most basic desires and motives had been altered. Credit and recognition were no longer of any consequence. For the first time in our lives the things of God were more important than the things of this world and the honors of men.
Our sensitivity deepened. We noticed how often we would cry. Several times a day we would be brought to tears by a prayer, a talk, a discussion, a scripture, or almost anything would deeply touch us. Our concern was continually focused upon others. For the first time we could understand Nephi’s claim, “for I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night because of them.” We could understand the statement because for the first time we could understand Nephi’s motives.
The Holy Ghost became our constant companion. Because our motives had changed, because we had an eye single to the Glory of God, the Lord could trust us and we experienced the Power of the Priesthood and became effective tools in His hands.
Helaman 3:35
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and they did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because their yielding their hearts unto God.”
Neal A. Maxwell:
“The submission of one’s will is placing on God’s altar the only uniquely personal thing one has to place there. The many other things we ‘give’ are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”
CHALLENGE:
● We challenge each of you to fast from food and water for 24 hours.
● In the spirit of the fast write a list of at least ten things that ‘poke at your spirit’ (or ten of your natural man inclinations that you want to change.)
● Now begin a Spiritual Fast and fast from the 10 items on your list for 40 days so that you may be purified and the Holy Ghost will be your constant companion while you are doing this missionary work.
● This fast is not a fast from food and water, but it is a fast from your natural man tendencies.
● It is a period when you deny yourself of all those natural man things on your list that you want to change.
Your list might include eliminating such things as:
1. All distractions that prevent you from having a meaningful personal & companionship study every morning.
2. Avoid any unwholesome thought.
3. Avoid negative thoughts.
4. Avoid saying anything negative- think before you speak.
5. Stop sleeping – even five minutes.
6. Avoid expressing any irritation you may be inclined to experience with a companion.
7. Avoid any music that does not conform to mission standards.
8. Think of others’ needs first- do away with the ‘I’ pronoun.
9. Put pride out of your mind and heart. Read President Benson’s talk of “Beware of Pride”
You may wish to include some positive things you wish to do such as:
1. Maintaining a positive attitude about all aspects of the missionary work.
2. Set yourself a definite goal in memorizing the discussions.
3. Commit yourself to overcome a fear you still have of some aspect of your missionary work.
Study carefully your white handbook. See if there might be a few things you should be doing that maybe you aren’t doing and also see if there might be a few things you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing. Remember sacrifice brings forth blessings of heaven. You have got to give up all thought that would take your mind off of what the Lord has called you to do. If you can do that, there is no limit to what you can accomplish for you will
plug into that spiritual power source.
● The Lord will tell you what to say.
● He will tell you where to go.
● He will tell you how to interest the children of men.
Just as in regular fasting, we do without food and water for a period, not because they are evil, but just to show self- control and to show our willingness to do whatever we’re asked to serve the Lord. Similarly, in the mission field we will give up other things, not because they are evil or wrong, but just because we want to rid ourselves of all distraction and also want to manifest to our Heavenly Father that we are willing to do whatever He asks, including sacrificing some of our little pleasures. This is called the principle of “The Spiritual Fast.” Agree now as full-time servants of the Lord to ‘fast’ and to do without these things not just for twenty-four hours, but for twenty-four months.
Fasting will:
● Help you bring your body into subjection to the Spirit
● Enhance your receptiveness to the promptings of the Holy Ghost
● Bring you nearer to God.
● Increase your spirituality.
You will find that as your spirituality increases, you will be literally impelled to overcome your failings. In one of David’s psalms to the Lord, he explains that he humbled his soul by fasting (Psalms 35:13). In another, he explains that he chastened his soul with fasting (Psalms 69:10). From the psalms of David, we humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10). Fasting will cause you to be more and more submissive to the power and influence of the Holy Ghost in your life. As you become more receptive to the promptings of the Spirit, your love of God will increase.
Hartman Rector Jr.:
“Sacrifice is the key. The Lord will not deal with you on any other basis. It is the key to controlling the powers of heaven.”
There is no limit to what you can do if you and the Lord believe that you can. If you look to Him for your strength and are willing to make the sacrifice, all things are possible.
“Every virtue has to be cleared with the Devil” Malcom Muggeridge
