What I have learned on my mission

First off, thanks for reading my blog post. :)

I think the biggest lesson I have learned on my mission is one I already knew.
"But how could you learn something you already knew?"
Well, my testimony of this principle has been strengthened.  The principles I have learned on my mission all seem to point to my understanding of this singular principle:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation.

I pray as I write this blog post that the Spirit of God will confirm to you the truths of His gospel.  I also pray that you will allow my words to strengthen your Faith in Jesus Christ, and motivate you to take action and walk in the ways of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As I have been serving in the Washington DC North Mission, I have come to understand that this life can be difficult. As a 19-21 year old, I have talked with people who have questions and/or problems, and I would listen to them and they would often expect me to have something to answer or solve them. Some struggle financially, some might feel offended by another.  Some might experience sorrow, grief or pain. Some experience all three of those.  Some struggle with depression and some have addictions.  Some feel they are not good enough, some feel lonely.  Some are hungry.  Some are homeless.  Some are cast out and rejected.  Some feel like they were treated unfairly. Some deal with other hardships mortality has to offer.

If you have felt any of these ways before, I solemnly testify: Jesus Christ loves you. 
He knows what you went through, what you are going through and what you will go through.
He lived a mortal life with mortal life feelings and appetites and temptations.
He suffered all the pains, afflictions, sicknesses and temptations of every kind in the Garden of Gethsemane (Alma 7:11-12), and was crucified for our sake. (Mark 15:22,25)

The Prophet Isaiah says "with His stripes, we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-6).
He also says "though your sins be as SCARLET, they shall be as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18)

As one of our hymns declares: “We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there” (“There Is a Green Hill Far Away,” Hymns, no. 194).

Moroni says "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him..." (Moroni 10:32)

Perfected? Really? When I am so imperfect and I fall so much?
You have to believe and follow.

One of my favorite Children's songs says "What does the Father ask of us?  What do the scriptures say?

Have FAITH.  Have HOPE.  
Live like His Son.  
Help others on their way.

lifting burdens

Press on and don't give up.  

Commit yourselves to follow Him.  

This brings true happiness.

On a lighter note, we helped someone transform their basement! 

The Savior sees what we can become before we become it.  With His divine help, we can change our lives.

Similarly, the Homeowner here had a vision of what his basement could look like so that he could host his family while they were in town.  He couldn't do it himself, so he asked us, the missionaries to step in and help.  Likewise the Savior won't help us if we don't want him to.  We need to put forth effort. We need to be asking for his help.  We need to be consistently asking what we can do more to change.  Not all at once, but little by little, things will become more organized and clean.  

Doing this made me feel like a guy from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Here are some pictures of the basement. 

Before

 After 

What a transformation! :)

We kept asking "okay, what's next?" after accomplishing a task.  We can do the same in our lives to have the gospel transform us.

Here are the basic steps.

Through Christ we CAN be cleansed from sin.

1. Have Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and seek to strengthen that Faith.

2. Repent of your sins.

3. Be baptized by immersion for the remission of sins.

4. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. Endure to the end, continue in the Faith, repent of sins, and strive to keep the commandments of God.

My Testimony

I have felt His love.  I have been transformed and healed and born again.  I know He lives, and I have Faith that He can do all things.  I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for us now. I am not perfect, but I rely on Him who is perfect to continue to transform me, and help me to be happy.  He commands all men everywhere to come unto Him, to repent, and keep His commandments.  Those who do these things will be happy.  I know because I have done them and it brings me happiness every time.

Jesus Christ is real and his arms of mercy are outstretched toward you.  Press on with Faith in Him. Transformation doesn't happen all at once.  Be patient with yourself and others.  

Here is a reminder that we all need:

God will always, always, always love you.

Here's a talk I love by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  CLICK HERE to watch, listen and read.

Why we need a Prophet

Many people I have talked to lately don't feel the need for a prophet and/or new revelation when we already have the Bible, and the truths that are in it.

I will answer the question using the Apostle Paul's words to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:5 says "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."  That was the church of Jesus Christ, back in the days of the Bible.

Ephesians 4:11-14 says this about the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

We need a prophet who receives revelation from God to keep us unified in the faith.  Much of the New testament is about how the Apostles went about to different areas of the church and had to make adjustments to the church because

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the household.  A cornerstone lines up the foundation, so the foundation is in place.  The prophets and apostles are the foundation.  A foundation holds up a house and gives it a strong base.  The saints are the household.  We can be saints if we align our will with God's will by being obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

There are so many churches who perform different ordinances and preach different laws, that it can be difficult to tell which church is God's one true church.   One Lord, one faith, one baptism. This is because there has been a great apostasy.  My testimony is that I know that God has reached out in love for his children and he has called another prophet to the earth, and He has given Him all the keys of the priesthood.  He has been given that divine permission and revelation as to how to restore His church.  Joseph Smith was that prophet.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.  I have heard his word and I have prayed to know if he was a prophet.  By the power of the Holy Ghost, I have come to know that he is the prophet today.  If we heed his word, we will not be led astray, but we will be led to be the people God intends on us being.  God loves us, so he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and he has always called prophets.  Why wouldn't he send one now when the world needs one most?!?  The answer is that he has.  

I invite you to hear the message he declares on April 5th and 6th of 2014 in General Conference.  

In fact, I invite you to check out anything you'd like on the General Conference page.

This is the message that I bring to the world: God speaks.  Not only does God live, but he speaks through a prophet just as He has in former days, He does now in the latter-days, and it will bless your life.  Pray to know the truth of this message for yourself.  God will answer your prayer if you are sincere, if you pray with real intent, and have faith in Christ.  Go into General Conference with a question, and leave with an answer.  "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things." -Moroni 10:5

Here's what Thomas S. Monson said at the last General Conference.
The talk is titled "Love- the Essence of the Gospel."

Mission possible

 

Your Mission, (should you choose to accept it)

Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end  (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service, pg 1).  

This is your purpose as a missionary.

Notice how it doesn't say "Invite others to go unto Christ..." how lame!

We are to invite, not force.  We are to bring and stay, not deliver and leave.

In order to bring souls unto Christ, we ourselves must be on the Lord's side. 

Jeffrey R. Holland speaks at a Priesthood session of General Conference

"We are all enlisted"

Here's a video of it,

 

Here are some of my favorite lines from his talk.

I especially ask the young men of the Aaronic Priesthood to sit up and take notice. For you, let me mix in an athletic analogy. This is a life-and-death contest we are in, young men, so I am going to get in your face a little, nose to nose, with just enough fire in my voice to singe your eyebrows a little—the way coaches do when the game is close and victory means everything. And with the game on the line, what this coach is telling you is that to play in this match, some of you have to be more morally clean than you now are. In this battle between good and evil, you cannot play for the adversary whenever temptation comes along and then expect to suit up for the Savior at temple and mission time as if nothing has happened. That, my young friends, you cannot do. God will not be mocked.

So we have a dilemma tonight, you and I. It is that there are thousands of Aaronic Priesthood–age young men already on the records of this Church who constitute our pool of candidates for future missionary service. But the challenge is to have those deacons, teachers, and priests stay active enough and worthy enough to be ordained elders and serve as missionaries. So we need young men already on the team to stay on it and stop dribbling out of bounds just when we need you to get in the game and play your hearts out! In almost all athletic contests of which I know, there are lines drawn on the floor or the field within which every participant must stay in order to compete. Well, the Lord has drawn lines of worthiness for those called to labor with Him in this work. 

No missionary can be unrepentant of sexual transgression or profane language or pornographic indulgence and then expect to challenge others to repent of those very things! You can’t do that. The Spirit will not be with you, and the words will choke in your throat as you speak them. You cannot travel down what Lehi called “forbidden paths”⁵ and expect to guide others to the “strait and narrow”⁶ one—it can’t be done.

But there is an answer to this challenge for you every bit as much as there is for that investigator to whom you will go. Whoever you are and whatever you have done, you can be forgiven. Every one of you young men can leave behind any transgression with which you may struggle. It is the miracle of forgiveness; it is the miracle of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you cannot do it without an active commitment to the gospel, and you cannot do it without repentance where it is needed. I am asking you young men to be active and be clean. If required, I am asking you to get active and get clean.

Now, brethren, we speak boldly to you because anything more subtle doesn’t seem to work. We speak boldly because Satan is a real being set on destroying you, and you face his influence at a younger and younger age. So we grab you by the lapels and shout as forcefully as we know how:

Hark! the sound of battle sounding loudly and clear;

Come join the ranks! Come join the ranks! ⁷

From every man, young and old, who bears the priesthood, I ask for a stronger and more devoted voice, a voice not only against evil and him who is the personification of it, but a voice for good, a voice for the gospel, a voice for God. Brethren of all ages, unbind your tongues and watch your words work wonders in the lives of those “who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.”¹⁰

Haste to the battle, quick to the field;

Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.

Stand by our colors; proudly they wave!

We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our home. ¹¹

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Master, amen.

(End of talk)

I testify that the words of Jeffery R. Holland are true.

I love the hymn "We are All Enlisted."

Because God loves us, He has given us commandments.  To show that we love Him, we keep those commandments.  We can accomplish our missions and be a part of the Savior's great work of salvation.  I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

There's nothing stressful about Jesus Christ

So as I started writing this blog post, I started writing about the stress that comes with being a missionary... but now I realize as I've finished my blog post, that it's more about how I have found peace from the scriptures.
If you are living a busy life like me, you are probably experiencing some sort of stress.
If you are a child of God (trust me on this, you are), then you can find peace in Jesus Christ.

What helps me is knowing that we are not alone.  Jesus promised his disciples,

 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."   

When I read that in my personal study, He is speaking to me and I feel my Savior's love.
St John 14:18   ...John 14:26-27 are also good.  Those verses talk about the Holy Ghost, which is how I feel my Savior's love often times.  :)

For some, stress might come and go while for others, it might be pretty consistent, but in this journey of life, it's pretty hard to miss the pit-stops of stress.

As a missionary, I experience stress.  Stress makes me tired, upset, worried, confused, anxious, and depressed.  Usually not all at once.  That would be bad.  My companion would have to call the mission president.

Sometimes it comes from what others say to me.

• I want to talk to people about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some people don't want to listen, others do want to listen, and then there are those who want to tell me what I'm doing is wrong, that I'm too young to be doing it, or I'm in the wrong community.  

• Sometimes my leaders say things to me that give me stress.  Sometimes that stress is needed for me to grow.  I can recognize that.  Usually we don't recognize it right away when they say the thing that makes us stressed.  When a leader says "You're not doing this right," or "You should be doing this instead of this," it is tough for me to handle in the moment.  Occasionally I can handle it then, especially if it is said with love, but usually understanding and growth comes from after I am cut down.

Sometimes it comes from what I do or do not. (as Yoda says).

• As a missionary, THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO AND KEEP TRACK OF!  It blows my mind how organized everything has to be.  Keeping up with the workload and assignments is tough sometimes, but I remember that it's the Lord's work, and it's not about me, and I keep going.

• I am somewhat of a worry-wart.  I am constantly forgetting where I put things I need, and I am constantly asking myself "Am I doing all I can to serve the Lord effectively?" Improvement doesn't come all at once and does not come without some sort of stress.  Improvement takes humility.

• I rely on the Lord to know what to say and ask to each person.  Each one of Heavenly Father's children are unique and their needs are different, but I know that whatever their needs may be, the Savior and His teachings will help everyone.

This is a scripture from the Book of Mormon that helps me understand that stress isn't a new concept in missionary work.
Alma was doing missionary work

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

The next verse reminds me that I have it good.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

I suppose these missionaries experienced more stress than I am having.  I am grateful for the stress I am going through.  I know there is a cause for it all.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

This is why I'm out here.  I really don't care what I have to go through.  It probably won't be as much as Alma, but if there's even just one.  One person.  One person I can help realize how he or she can return to live with God again... that would make me so happy.  Just one.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16

I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!  I am sharing my testimony of the Book of Mormon with as many people as I can, even if it might get a bit stressful. "Read this I pray thee" (Isaiah 29:12)
 

I am grateful that my trials are not as challenging as Alma's or as Jesus' or many other prophets and missionaries of old.  Whenever I get stressed out, I think, "Well, I haven't been cast into prison for preaching the gospel yet like these guys have in the Book of Mormon."

I don't know what you have gone through in your life, what you are going through, or what trials lie ahead for you, but I know someone who does.

Jesus Christ was there for us, He is there for us, and He will always be there for us. He knows what we're going through, WHATEVER it may be.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Alma 7:11-12 says that he DOES know all that we go through in this life individually so that he might know how to comfort us, and so that he could pay the price we could never pay for our sins.

He yearns to help us with his arms outstretched.  I love this scripture in Alma chapter 5 
 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
Peace and rest come with accepting the Savior's invitation.
side effects may include being cast out, mocked, spit upon, smitten upon your cheeks, stoned, taken and bound, and cast into prison... nah just kidding! :)  ...but seriously... through the power and wisdom of God, you will be delivered from all side effects and stress.

I leave you with this last scripture that might trump all the other scriptures about easing stress.

St Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I know that's truth.

Thank you for reading my blog post.  Merry Christmas! :)