Oh, what a week!
Since it has been hard to find people to teach, and we weren't having much success, we decided to fast for almost 24 hours. We had hope that we would find success and that we would see miracles. During that day, the first person we encountered was someone who told us that Mormons were Satan Worshipers. He asked us who's car it was in front of his house, and we said it was ours. He asked us if we were married, and my companion and I looked at each other. I don't know if he meant if my companion and I were married to each other, or if my companion and I were married separately to someone else. When we told him to have a good day, he told us "Well, I don't know about a good day.... Have a day!" As if we didn't believe in good things. This was rather a most interesting experience, and something to learn from.
I love how Faith works. There was a man that we came in contact with, and he said that he doesn't believe in working our way to get to Heaven. Well, this concept alone is missing something. It's missing a deeper understanding of faith, Heavenly Father's plan, the Atonement, and the point of keeping God's Commandments. I love what James says about how our Faith needs to have works. He says in James 2:17-18, 24, and 26 (KJV):
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
We need to act on the faith that we have. It has been said in this analogy about turning on the light. We have faith that the light is going to come on if we flip the light switch on. Faith is an action word. Making the effort and finishing the effort to turn on the light switch with a flick of a finger - that is the faith.
Having the faith that miracles are going to happen during and after a fast - the fast, is the faith.
Keeping God's commandments is the faith that we are going to be blessed, and have the spirit with us. Acting and keeping them is the faith. Faith is not something that we just hold in our hearts and believe that something is going to happen. Faith is making it happen (according to God's will, of course).
Well, because of the faith of my companion and I, we now have 3 new Investigators, and one with a Baptism date of October 24th. We are also feeling the spirit more strongly, and we have a stronger desire to do what the Lord asks.
We have also encountered a miracle. A non-member, who is married to a member, said he was praying 5 minutes before my companion and I showed up at the door to help. He prayed to Heavenly Father for Him to send someone to help him and his wife complete a difficult task. Well, here we were! He also said that he had the desire to be baptized, and that he would be a member eventually. He also told us that with every member that he's met, they have been so nice. We helped them out in their task, and serving people brings such a good feeling into my heart.
...
Hurricane : It missed us! We have been receiving a lot of rain, though.
...
A stumbling block in the work: I pondered for a bit on something I've frequently come across on my mission. I've come across a lot of people who love history, and who have taken many history classes. I've noticed how a lot of these people have learned a little bit about the LDS (Mormon) faith from their textbooks, and also about the Prophet Joseph Smith. The paragraphs written about the LDS church are not written by LDS people, but from a far off standpoint of non-believers. The way these books have worded about the Prophet Joseph Smith have that he have 'claimed' to be a prophet, and then other words have been based on what 'seemed to be the case'. I can testify, right now, that I know that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God. He has all of the qualities of what a prophet entails. I encourage each of you to read/listen to this great talk by Hugh B. Brown, titled "The Profile of a Prophet". You can find it here, at:
A lot of people have been misinformed about Joseph Smith, and the LDS religion. Many churches today preach against other churches, and the LDS (Mormon) church is one of them. The LDS faith does not ever hold a meeting about going against any specific form of religion - bashing other religions is not something Christ would do. He doesn't stir up hearts of others to contention - that is what the devil does.
. . .
General Conference:
Oh, this General Conference was great! Here are some of the highlights I have written on my heart:
-We all need to have Charity, and love one another; being 'nice' is not enough if we don't truly mean it
- Simplify the gospel - it doesn't need to be complicated!
- God's secret weapon in preparing the world for the second coming is Women. Our voices need to be heard! The age change in November 2012 happened for a reason. From last April, we had about 89,000 missionaries across the world; by November 2015, we have over 200,000 missionaries. The Lord is indeed hastening His work. :)
-The only way we can succor and comfort those, truly, is when we see people through the eyes of a parent - especially through Heavenly Father's eyes.
-Keeping the Sabbath Day - there so much more than meets the eye. This even means being on time to our meetings!
-Ponderize! Study a verse every week and find out ways on how you can apply it daily. :)
. . .
Oh! Before I forget - on Saturday - it was raining very hard just before the second session of General Conference. When we were driving to go and watch the conference at a member's house, we noticed a homeless man who sat on the ground in a thin yellow poncho, with a sign next to him in cursive that said 'Homeless.' I instantly thought of the scripture which read, ['..if I had, I would give']. Instantly my being was filled with the spirit, and I knew I had to help this man. My immediate thought was to go to the grocery store and buy him some food. My companion, Sister Brakey, insisted that we stopped off at Mc Donalds (because she was hungry). I thought that would be nice, but I thought after that meal, he was going to need another one. I also thought about how the member we were going to see was going to feed us. So - we went to the grocery store, and we bought mixed fruit, a couple boxes of granola bars, allergy medicine (just in case), a toothbrush, a Water Jug, and some candy (just to spoil him). We drove as quickly as we could to the man after shopping. He was at an awkward spot at an intersection, but somehow, with the thick rain, we got to him. He told us that he was trying to save money for a room; we told him that as missionaries we can't give out money, but we bought him multiple meals to last him a while. I felt good about doing this kind act of service.
Here is one of my favorite scripture passages about helping those in need. It's found in Mosiah, 4:16-27:
"16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."
I love serving others. I love being a missionary. I invite each of you to find someone on who you could serve today, and who you could make someone's burden lighter.
Christ lives - He loves us, and is there whenever we reach out to him in faith.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
-Sister A. Marshall
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