15.11.8

Our faith continues to grow! And as we have more faith, we exercise it -- we act according to what we feel and believe, not what we know. Then, God starts to trust us, because we show that we're willing to act. Recently, I read that "It is better to be trusted than to be loved." I pondered that principle, and was reminded of a scripture in the Book of Mormon: Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. (1 Nephi 17:35) In other words, God loves everybody, but He can't treat us all the same -- because we choose to let God into our lives, He'll never force His way in; God can't bless us if we don't obey. So, while God will always love us, to be trusted, to be favored, is an even greater prize to strive for. After all, we don't do anything to be loved of God. He loves those who deny or hate Him, and He loves those that serve Him with all their heart. The real question is, what will we do because of that love? Will we let it propel us forward, as the foundation of faith? Or will we take it for granted, and continue to serve the gods of this world -- pride, society, and pleasure?
So, with our faith we went out and worked! Our week broke down a bit like this: 

Monday: Helped some members moved, spent the rest of the day making up for lost time: shopping, cleaning, emailing, then doing a bit of family history work at the church so I could bring some names to the temple. 

Tuesday: Visited a less-active sister and her daughter; dressed her up in the Armor of God and discussed how we need all the parts of it to stand in these times. Brought her home teacher along with us, and know he's more inspired to visit her. Success! Got lost on the way to a member-meal appointment that night, but that was okay -- we asked a woman for directions, who later saw the other team of Elders, and helped them without being asked. People are so kind! 

Wednesday: We spent the day in district meeting, then looking for less-actives. On our way home from district meeting, we met a kid who really, really liked baseball. He asked me who my favorite team was, and I... immediately responded with The Royals! He was really excited about that, since they just won the World Series. Then, it turned out that he lived in America for a while, close to my companion's hometown in Idaho! He has a huge test next week, but hopefully, we'll start meeting next week. 

Thursday: Thursday was our big zone training for this month. We talked more about baptism, and having the faith to baptize those who are prepared. I learned a lot about prayer -- not only is prayer important, but frequently praying is. We can pray for a long time, and that's dandy, but we can't pray for an hour in the morning then be good for the day. We need to constantly reconnect with a higher power -- with God. He's there for us, every moment of every day, if we'll just reach out to him. 

Friday: Friday we realized that while we set goals in faith, we can't control outcomes. We did our part, but we were let down by a potential investigator (he still came to church, but now he's been three times, and we haven't been able to start the missionary discussions. Rats!). We taught a practice lesson instead, and miraculously visited someone right after they got a crushing phone call, telling them their son failed a college entrance exam. We were able to talk about things with him, and I think all three of us walked away understanding the relationship between father and son a little better.

Saturday: Saturday was filled with traveling, teaching English class, getting lost, and meeting potentials. The person turned out to have known missionaries for years, and isn't interested in learning about our church -- he said that every religion is true, to an extent, so it doesn't really matter how true ours is. It's true that we all have truth, and all religions are based in truth, but there is a significant difference in how much truth we possess. Joseph Smith spoke of how he couldn't believe any of the religions of his day, because they were limited by "creeds," or specific statements outlining everything they believed, and limiting their amount of truth. This Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ accepts all truth, and lays hold on it. 

Sunday: We had Stake Conference last week, and lots of less-actives came to church! I was really happy about that. That day, I read about the Prophet David O. McKay's teachings about temptation and self-mastery -- he considered them essentially the same. To finish this letter I'd like to quote a verse of poetry he quoted: 

“What though I conquer my enemies,
And lay up store and pelf!
I am a conqueror poor indeed
Till I subdue myself.”

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn