First off, a miracle! As I was sitting here, not 20 seconds ago, I received a phone call! It was a man we talked to in Masong (마송) last week, and he just called us back! Call backs are so rare, this is definitely a miracle! We're meeting him tomorrow evening! Fingers crossed.
This week we went streetboarding again (it's become a tradition to go once during the week, and again after Church on Sunday) and we killed it on Sunday! We talked to a ton of people, and taught 5 street lessons! Using the streetboard as a lead in, we were able to really quickly start talking about the Plan of Salvation, covering subjects such as our true identity as children of God, our purpose in life, and how to find peace and happiness. It was surreal! It made me think of old-fashioned "preaching" like they talk about in church history. I was standing there in front of small semi-circles of people, legitimately preaching the Plan of Salvation, bearing testimony and teaching true doctrine. It was such a good experience.
Here's a moment from gospel principles class: Our ward mission leader was teaching the chapter "Honesty." As he wrapped up the lesson, he started making a bunch of short summarizing statements, such as "Honesty is obeying God's commandments. Honesty is sharing the gospel. Honesty is knowing we're a child of God." He was throwing out a bunch of these really quickly, and it became obvious he was building up to something. His crowning statement was to write a sentence on the word, as he looked at each of the missionaries in the room, and stated: "Honesty = missionaries." That made me feel really good!
Tonight's our Halloween/culture Family Home Evening. It ought to be fun! There'll be pictures and a report next week, so be on the lookout!
In other news, we had a zone meeting this week, about learning the language. We divided into groups by mission age, and talked about things that were difficult, and ways to overcome them. The group I was in -- the middle of the 3 groups -- discussed this, and I felt the most significant thing was confidence. As I've been studying Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel this week (Christlike Attributes) I really noticed how vital confidence is, in the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ requires confidence. Hope requires confidence. Humility requires confidence. Confidence is so intertwined with what we're striving to do and become. If we want to become able speakers, of both the language of the Spirit and in Korean, we need more confidence. Confidence in the gift of tongues, confidence in our potential as God's children, confidence in our call to Korea, which was given by God's prophet, and presumes our ability to learn this language, and most of all, confidence in the enabling power of Jesus Christ's atonement, which, as Ether 12:27 explains, can help us overcome anything:
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Confidence in Christ is "hope for a better world," an "anchor to the soul," a bright hope of a brighter dawn, a more noble morning, an eventual "all is well," the triumph of good over evil, and the making right of every wrong we suffer in this life. Confidence is not a sin - that's pride. Self-deprecation is not humility - that's reliance on Christ and His grace.
How do we accept Christ's grace? We follow Him. As 2 Nephi 31 says, we have faith in Him, then we "follow Christ" into the waters of baptism, we follow His example to us, by keeping the commandments of God. We endure to the end, and we do all we can to become like Christ. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We show the fruits of our repentance through baptism, which is completed with the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Gift of the Holy Ghost helps us endure to the end, which includes constantly strengthening our faith and repenting. This gospel is a program to perfect us, to bring us joy, and to follow in Christ's footprints -- which we will discover lead us right back to our Heavenly Father. He is our exemplar, our brother, and savior; He loves us, knows us, and suffers with us. I testify that I know He lives, and I know He loves us. I've felt His love in the moments when things got their hardest, moments when it looked like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, no morning to end the night. I am forever grateful for His sacrifice, through which I can overcome my own shortcomings and return to my God, Heavenly Father, full of joy and love.
This week we went streetboarding again (it's become a tradition to go once during the week, and again after Church on Sunday) and we killed it on Sunday! We talked to a ton of people, and taught 5 street lessons! Using the streetboard as a lead in, we were able to really quickly start talking about the Plan of Salvation, covering subjects such as our true identity as children of God, our purpose in life, and how to find peace and happiness. It was surreal! It made me think of old-fashioned "preaching" like they talk about in church history. I was standing there in front of small semi-circles of people, legitimately preaching the Plan of Salvation, bearing testimony and teaching true doctrine. It was such a good experience.
Here's a moment from gospel principles class: Our ward mission leader was teaching the chapter "Honesty." As he wrapped up the lesson, he started making a bunch of short summarizing statements, such as "Honesty is obeying God's commandments. Honesty is sharing the gospel. Honesty is knowing we're a child of God." He was throwing out a bunch of these really quickly, and it became obvious he was building up to something. His crowning statement was to write a sentence on the word, as he looked at each of the missionaries in the room, and stated: "Honesty = missionaries." That made me feel really good!
Tonight's our Halloween/culture Family Home Evening. It ought to be fun! There'll be pictures and a report next week, so be on the lookout!
In other news, we had a zone meeting this week, about learning the language. We divided into groups by mission age, and talked about things that were difficult, and ways to overcome them. The group I was in -- the middle of the 3 groups -- discussed this, and I felt the most significant thing was confidence. As I've been studying Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel this week (Christlike Attributes) I really noticed how vital confidence is, in the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ requires confidence. Hope requires confidence. Humility requires confidence. Confidence is so intertwined with what we're striving to do and become. If we want to become able speakers, of both the language of the Spirit and in Korean, we need more confidence. Confidence in the gift of tongues, confidence in our potential as God's children, confidence in our call to Korea, which was given by God's prophet, and presumes our ability to learn this language, and most of all, confidence in the enabling power of Jesus Christ's atonement, which, as Ether 12:27 explains, can help us overcome anything:
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Confidence in Christ is "hope for a better world," an "anchor to the soul," a bright hope of a brighter dawn, a more noble morning, an eventual "all is well," the triumph of good over evil, and the making right of every wrong we suffer in this life. Confidence is not a sin - that's pride. Self-deprecation is not humility - that's reliance on Christ and His grace.
How do we accept Christ's grace? We follow Him. As 2 Nephi 31 says, we have faith in Him, then we "follow Christ" into the waters of baptism, we follow His example to us, by keeping the commandments of God. We endure to the end, and we do all we can to become like Christ. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We show the fruits of our repentance through baptism, which is completed with the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Gift of the Holy Ghost helps us endure to the end, which includes constantly strengthening our faith and repenting. This gospel is a program to perfect us, to bring us joy, and to follow in Christ's footprints -- which we will discover lead us right back to our Heavenly Father. He is our exemplar, our brother, and savior; He loves us, knows us, and suffers with us. I testify that I know He lives, and I know He loves us. I've felt His love in the moments when things got their hardest, moments when it looked like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, no morning to end the night. I am forever grateful for His sacrifice, through which I can overcome my own shortcomings and return to my God, Heavenly Father, full of joy and love.
Faithfully,
Elder Austin Lynn
Elder Austin Lynn
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