"We can experience that burst of confidence.We can feel that pride of performance. A three-word formula will help us: Never Give Up."
Elder Thomas S. Monson, Go For It!
Last Monday, I played ultimate Frisbee for the first time in over a year! Several Elders from the zone got together in our area, and we played in a local soccer stadium. It was really fun; and made me think of home; activity nights and camp-outs. All good experiences that went into building a missionary man. We met a young adult at Burger King that night, and had a nice discussion about gospel principles. He's a good kid, even though he's having a hard time finding a solid testimony and acting in faith. He really likes Burger King, for some reason. Maybe that just comes with fluency in English.
On Tuesday we did our regular service project at the cerebral palsy place, and brought Murphy, our young adult, Burger King-liking young adult. I can't express how reassuring it is to see him enjoy giving service, especially the kind that most people would be pretty awkward about (feeding physically and mentally handicapped children has never been "comfortable" for most people). Service is one of the best ways to invite the Spirit into our lives, because service is selfless.
As a matter of fact, that's something I pondered quite a lot on Tuesday, and throughout the rest of the week. One of the most tragic moments in the Book of Mormon is when the prophet Nephi confesses that his older brothers are "past feeling" and no longer hear the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. That heart breaking moment is mirrored in the twilight of the Nephite civilization when the prophet-general-historian Mormon makes the same observation, but applies it to his entire people.
Why is this so distressing to me?
Because the process by which an individual becomes deadened to the influence of the Holy Ghost is by doing exactly what the Holy Spirit prompts us not to do.
Let's step back for a second, and look at what the Holy Ghost wants us to do. The Holy Ghost influences all of mankind to do good, to uplift, and to inspire. The Spirit wants us all to be a little more selfless, and a little more sacrificing, and, above all, a little more loving. He prompts us to do that by affecting our thoughts and feelings. We can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost by doing things that will invite him into our life: listening to the words of prophets, modern and ancient, prayer, and wholesome family activities. By rejecting these sources of divine aid, we choose to rely on our own wisdom, and become more self-centered.
So, the opposite direction of this bright, but difficult path, is selfishness and reliance on one's self. So, when a person is "past feeling," we could say that that person has become unwilling to act in faith and trust, and only relies on themselves, and the world's wisdom. So the reason it breaks my heart to see somebody move towards the point of being past feeling is that it symbolizes a person moving further and further away from the gospel, the firm rock men can build on and never fall, and more towards the shifting currents and fail-able sand of the world.
Wednesday was marked by a district meeting focusing on referrals. It bore fruit later in the week, but in an unexpected way. More on that under Saturday! We also had our weekly English class. The most important thing that happened that day though, was our recovery of Wilson! You may ask, "Who is Wilson?" Wilson is a black bowling ball we discovered on the road. Abandoned, injured, and friendless, we took him home with us on Wednesday, a few days after our initial contact. Wilson is now happy in our study room, where we constantly role-play teaching with him.
On Thursday I went on exchanges with Elder Rossi. We met with one of their investigators, then we spent the rest of the day proselyting (not an uncommon day here... it's been difficult to find and meet with investigators recently). We did have a neat experience though: as we were walking past a man bending low to look under his car, we said hello and asked if there was a problem. He said no, and looked the opposite direction, so we started walking away. Then, he turned back towards us, and asked us what the best way to learn English is! Well... we informed him that we actually teach English for free, and gave him our contact information.
We also met with Murphy in the evening, and talked a lot about war. We discussed a scripture from Mormon, where he talks about how his people struggled with the sword to preserve their lives, but refused to call upon the being who created them. In life, we often fall into the same pattern, doing everything we can, except for calling upon Him "who is mighty to save."
The next day, we hit the streets and proselyted after weekly planning. We had a break in the form of song practice with the district -- the Relief Society had an activity on Saturday, and they wanted the missionaries to provide 10 minutes of music. We made our final song choices then practiced them for the last time.
On Saturday, we attended the Relief Society meeting. How neat is it that the Relief Society is the oldest and largest ongoing women's society in the world? Pretty tremendous, if you ask me. For our music, Elder Maris played guitar for a few minutes, then the 4 Elders sang the song "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy," accapella. Then, all 6 missionaries sang the EFY Medley of "As Sister's in Zion," and "We'll Bring the World His Truth." (Sidenote: we trimmed out the women's part, so this was far more balanced between men and women. Everybody else thought the same thing I did when I first heard it: What a nice women's piece with a background part for men at the end!) That went well.
Later, the Sisters met a Brazilian man named Tiago off of the street. They met him later, with us, and we were able to talk a bit. He doesn't know much English or Korean, so communicating was choppy. But, he has such a nice face! Just looking at him makes you happy. He coaches soccer here, and his mom became a member in Brazil. He wants to come to church!
I was blown away. I never imagined that I'd have one of those Brazilian investigators. And here he is, within our grasp (and the clasp of the restored Gospel!). He wasn't able to come this Sunday, but we're eagerly anticipating next Sunday.
Afterwards, we had dinner with our less-active friend, Bak J H (박제홍). That was delicious, and a good step for him. Until now, we didn't even know where he lived. He asked us not to share a spiritual message since his wife isn't a member, but we were still able to talk a little bit about Christ and His role in our lives.
Sunday was also pretty good. We were able to attend Ward Council Meeting, and that's always good. There's going to be a ward family home evening in a few weeks... and we're going to a bathhouse! That'll be crazy awesome. More on that when it comes!
On Tuesday we did our regular service project at the cerebral palsy place, and brought Murphy, our young adult, Burger King-liking young adult. I can't express how reassuring it is to see him enjoy giving service, especially the kind that most people would be pretty awkward about (feeding physically and mentally handicapped children has never been "comfortable" for most people). Service is one of the best ways to invite the Spirit into our lives, because service is selfless.
As a matter of fact, that's something I pondered quite a lot on Tuesday, and throughout the rest of the week. One of the most tragic moments in the Book of Mormon is when the prophet Nephi confesses that his older brothers are "past feeling" and no longer hear the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. That heart breaking moment is mirrored in the twilight of the Nephite civilization when the prophet-general-historian Mormon makes the same observation, but applies it to his entire people.
Why is this so distressing to me?
Because the process by which an individual becomes deadened to the influence of the Holy Ghost is by doing exactly what the Holy Spirit prompts us not to do.
Let's step back for a second, and look at what the Holy Ghost wants us to do. The Holy Ghost influences all of mankind to do good, to uplift, and to inspire. The Spirit wants us all to be a little more selfless, and a little more sacrificing, and, above all, a little more loving. He prompts us to do that by affecting our thoughts and feelings. We can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost by doing things that will invite him into our life: listening to the words of prophets, modern and ancient, prayer, and wholesome family activities. By rejecting these sources of divine aid, we choose to rely on our own wisdom, and become more self-centered.
So, the opposite direction of this bright, but difficult path, is selfishness and reliance on one's self. So, when a person is "past feeling," we could say that that person has become unwilling to act in faith and trust, and only relies on themselves, and the world's wisdom. So the reason it breaks my heart to see somebody move towards the point of being past feeling is that it symbolizes a person moving further and further away from the gospel, the firm rock men can build on and never fall, and more towards the shifting currents and fail-able sand of the world.
Wednesday was marked by a district meeting focusing on referrals. It bore fruit later in the week, but in an unexpected way. More on that under Saturday! We also had our weekly English class. The most important thing that happened that day though, was our recovery of Wilson! You may ask, "Who is Wilson?" Wilson is a black bowling ball we discovered on the road. Abandoned, injured, and friendless, we took him home with us on Wednesday, a few days after our initial contact. Wilson is now happy in our study room, where we constantly role-play teaching with him.
On Thursday I went on exchanges with Elder Rossi. We met with one of their investigators, then we spent the rest of the day proselyting (not an uncommon day here... it's been difficult to find and meet with investigators recently). We did have a neat experience though: as we were walking past a man bending low to look under his car, we said hello and asked if there was a problem. He said no, and looked the opposite direction, so we started walking away. Then, he turned back towards us, and asked us what the best way to learn English is! Well... we informed him that we actually teach English for free, and gave him our contact information.
We also met with Murphy in the evening, and talked a lot about war. We discussed a scripture from Mormon, where he talks about how his people struggled with the sword to preserve their lives, but refused to call upon the being who created them. In life, we often fall into the same pattern, doing everything we can, except for calling upon Him "who is mighty to save."
The next day, we hit the streets and proselyted after weekly planning. We had a break in the form of song practice with the district -- the Relief Society had an activity on Saturday, and they wanted the missionaries to provide 10 minutes of music. We made our final song choices then practiced them for the last time.
On Saturday, we attended the Relief Society meeting. How neat is it that the Relief Society is the oldest and largest ongoing women's society in the world? Pretty tremendous, if you ask me. For our music, Elder Maris played guitar for a few minutes, then the 4 Elders sang the song "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy," accapella. Then, all 6 missionaries sang the EFY Medley of "As Sister's in Zion," and "We'll Bring the World His Truth." (Sidenote: we trimmed out the women's part, so this was far more balanced between men and women. Everybody else thought the same thing I did when I first heard it: What a nice women's piece with a background part for men at the end!) That went well.
Later, the Sisters met a Brazilian man named Tiago off of the street. They met him later, with us, and we were able to talk a bit. He doesn't know much English or Korean, so communicating was choppy. But, he has such a nice face! Just looking at him makes you happy. He coaches soccer here, and his mom became a member in Brazil. He wants to come to church!
I was blown away. I never imagined that I'd have one of those Brazilian investigators. And here he is, within our grasp (and the clasp of the restored Gospel!). He wasn't able to come this Sunday, but we're eagerly anticipating next Sunday.
Afterwards, we had dinner with our less-active friend, Bak J H (박제홍). That was delicious, and a good step for him. Until now, we didn't even know where he lived. He asked us not to share a spiritual message since his wife isn't a member, but we were still able to talk a little bit about Christ and His role in our lives.
Sunday was also pretty good. We were able to attend Ward Council Meeting, and that's always good. There's going to be a ward family home evening in a few weeks... and we're going to a bathhouse! That'll be crazy awesome. More on that when it comes!
Best Wishes, and Love for All:
Elder Austin M. Lynn
Elder Austin M. Lynn
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