4/20/2015

 The most important component of missionary work is happiness.

     This week was a blast! Summer's right around the corner, and everything's heated up, but it's still raining! We're in the midst of rainy season, so we're facing up to a month more of rain. Wow! Luckily, I enjoy the rainy weather, even though it can be difficult to talk to people on the street. I can't believe it's taken me so long to remember, but I finally re-learned my most important lesson as a missionary: a happy missionary never fails, and an unhappy missionary will never succeed! My personal belief is that when one is unhappy, it acts like a filter -- the Spirit has a hard time breaking through to you, and charity just seeps out of your person. Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided cannot stand -- he also said, "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad." I think that making the decision to be happy is the first step in attaining charity, and a vital move in maintaining the companionship of the Spirit that all members of the church are entitled to. I know that, for me, it's the most important tool I have when I'm proselyting -- nobody wants to speak to an unhappy person, no matter how good they are at Korean. On the other hand, they're more likely to be intrigued by a person who is truly good, and without guile. 

     I also had the opportunity to give a talk last Sunday. It was a shortie, clocking in at around five minutes (I think. That was the goal, at least). President and Sister Morrise visited, so our sacrament meeting program was all white people! Elder Campbell spoke after me, then Sister and President Morrise spoke. It was interesting to hear a Korean translating what I was saying in Korean so that Sister Morrise could understand. Anyways, I took most of my talk from Elder Clayton's talk from last conference, "Choose to Believe," and Joseph Smith -- History. It went something like this: 

Choose to Believe -- Like Joseph Smith

     A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to hear from the Lord's appointed servants. Amongst many wonderful talks, I was particularly impressed by Elder L. Whitney Clayton's talk, "Choose to Believe." In it, he shared the following story: 

     "Last January, seven-year-old Sailor Gutzler and her family were flying from Florida to Illinois in a private airplane. Sailor's father was at the controls. Just after nightfall, the aircraft developed mechanical problems, and crashed in the pitch-dark hills of Kentucky, upside down in very rough terrain. Everyone but Sailor died in the accident. Her wrist was broken in the crash. She suffered cuts and scrapes and had lost her shoes. The temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit (or 3 degrees Celsius)-- it was a cold, rainy Kentucky winter's night -- and Sailor was wearing only shorts, a T-shirt, and one sock. 

     "She cried out for her mother and father, but noone answered. Summoning every ounce of courage, she set off barefoot across the countryside in search of help, wading through creeks, crossing ditches, and braving blackberry briars. From the top of one small hill, Sailor spotted a light in the distance, about a mile away. Stumbling through the darkness and brush toward that light, she eventually arrived at the home of a kind man she had never met before who sprang to her care. Sailor was safe. She would soon be taken to a hospital and helped on her way to recovery. 

     "Sailor survived because she saw a light in the distance and fought her way to it -- notwithstanding the wild countryside, the depth of the tragedy she faced, and the injuries she had sustained. It is hard to imagine how Sailor managed to do what she did that night. But what we do know is that she recognized in the light of that distant house a chance for rescue. There was hope. She took courage in the fact that no matter how bad things were, her rescue would be found in that light."

     Sailor saved her light by following the light. As I thought about this story, I realized that Joseph Smith's experience was very similar. If you remember, Joseph was confronted by the decision of which church was Christ's true church. After reading a scripture that taught God would answer prayers, Joseph decided to go and prayer. He described his experience like this: 

     "After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself along, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. 

     "But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliever me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction ... just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. 

     "It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held my bound. When the light rested upon my I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other -- This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" 

(Joseph Smith History 1:15-17) Even after this experience, Joseph would continue to face various challenges, but he would go on to become a might prophet. 

     Today I'd like to briefly explain the success formula that both Sailor and Joseph Smith employed. That formula is: endure darkness, by remembering light.

     There were times when Sailor could not see the light. Elder Clayton shared, "Gradually, as she made her way through the night toward the light, it grew brighter. Still, there must have been times when she could not see it. Perhaps it went out of view when she was in a ravine or behind trees or bushes, but she pressed on. Whenever she could see the light, Sailor had evidence that she was on the right path. She did not yet know precisely what that light was, but she kept walking toward it based on what she knew, trusting and hoping that she would see it again if she kept moving in the right direction. By so doing, she may have saved her life." 

     Joseph Smith also had periods where he could not see the light. Even though he faced great persecution after his First Vision, he trusted what he'd seen. He didn't doubt it, or question it. He was true to the light he'd seen. 

    Sometimes, we also have times were the only way to endure the dark is by remembering past light. We can keep the light we've seen -- our spiritual experiences -- by recording and expressing gratitude for them. The most important thing we can do is choose to continue believing. Elder Clayton taught how we do this: 

    "We likewise must give place for the hope that we will find spiritual light by embracing belief rather than choosing to doubt. Our actions are the evidence of our belief and become the substance of our faith. We are choosing to believe when we pray and when we read the scriptures. We are choosing to believe when we fast, when we keep the Sabbath day holy, and when we worship in the temple. We are choosing to believe when we are baptized and when we partake of the sacrament. We are choosing to believe when we repent and seek divine forgiveness and healing love."

     The promise we have from God is that light shines after moments of darkness. As we are tested, our faith becomes stronger, and our hope becomes firm. Moroni, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, taught this principle: "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)

     Simply put, this patter of light and dark is necessary for us to develop faith. During tests, we show our faith. After the trial passes, our faith grows stronger, preparing us for the next test. 

     If you feel like the darkness will never pass, please, remember this: Never give up. Light follows the dark. If you need confirmation, just look at nature: after every night comes the dawn. God has given us reassurance in such a simple thing as nature. 

     Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world. When we choose to believe in Him, all things will eventually be well. As a representative of the Lord, I promise that to you. If you choose to believe in Jesus Christ, things will work out. He bled in a garden, died on a cross, and rose from an empty tomb. Through His atoning sacrifice, we can receive forgiveness, and return to God's presence. I say these things, in the name of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen. 

(For the rest of Elder Clayton's talk, see https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/choose-to-believe?lang=eng )

     The talk went really well. Lots of the members approached me afterwards and expressed how well I spoke, and how the talk touched them. I think the reason why is because I focused on the things that caused me to feel the Spirit while I was preparing -- the highly emotional story about a little girl lost in the dark, and the poignant struggle with darkness that preceded the First Vision. Preparing this was really difficult because I prepared a talk that was probably about five times as long. At least, it had four other principles in it, and then this one. But, in the end this turned out really well because it packed a spiritual punch. It was lean, and fit -- no fluff, no filler. 

     After church, we attended a performance put on by the Liahona Chamber Orchestra, with our investigator, Gabriel. As we walked, he talked a bit about how he's wondered what his purpose in life is, and what the point of it all is. Considering we're planning on talking about the Plan of Salvation, I consider that a thumbs up from God, urging us forward. 

     On the way home, I had a neat experience that re-emphasized the fact that this work is done by teams of 2, not alone. We were standing in a subway car, and I was surveying the people around me, trying to decide who to start talking to, when Elder Schilling asked if I wanted to change cars, or stay here. I hadn't even thought about changing cars! I asked him what he thought, but he didn't have any feelings regarding the matter. As I turned it over in my head, I felt a light (we're talking downy light) impression to go to the other car. I prayed about it, felt a gentle impulse to move, and so we moved to the next car. I stood next to a young man and started talking to him. It turns out that not only were we the same age (a huge thing in Korean culture, since it's the only time you're actually a "friend" with somebody), but he's Christian! He'd actually done missionary work a year ago. We talked a lot about Christ, and how he came to believe in him. He was born into a Christian family, and so he always went to church, but he really started to believe when he was a senior, and things were really tough. Learning about Christ brought peace to him. 

     We also met Lee Gi Won (이기원). We shared a video about Christ's resurrection, and sang, "Be Still, My Soul." I played it on the piano for him, because he said it'd been twenty years since he'd heard the song, and wanted to hear the melody again. We talked a lot about church and the sacrament, but he wouldn't commit to come... he's just too bogged down by his physical problems, and feels too much anxiety. He really doesn't like meeting Koreans, so that's going to be difficult to work around. He talked a lot about our freedom of choice, so we're excited to begin talking about agency and the Plan of Salvation with him soon. 

     We also met our new investigator, Kim Han Soo (김한수), and begin teaching the first lesson. He's definitely an English interest investigator, but he has Christian beliefs. Hopefully we'll be able to touch his heart with the doctrines of the Restoration, and help him understand the message we're sharing with the world. 

     What is our message? Depends on what you need -- Jesus Christ's restored gospel is a multi-faceted diamond, covering concerns from family life, to deceased ancestors' salvation, to having authority from God to perform sacred ordinances, to the beautiful, sacred truth that families can live together for all eternity. 

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

4/13/2015 Pics from this week

4/13/2015

4/13/2015
Imagine it, the entire human race in free fall!"

I'll be straight with all of you, virtually two days of this week were General Conference.
And it was terrific! Listed below the main text are some of my favorite insights and thoughts from this last conference.
This week was a whole lot of proselyting, but we've been so pumped that we don't mind. On Tuesday we ate with a few grandmas from our ward, who wanted to get us a meal. It turns out that this was very much in accordance with the divine plan... one of the people who served us was familiar with our churches missionaries! It turns out that missionaries taught her daughter English years ago, and now her husband wants to study English! We got the necessary contact information, and she promised to talk to her husband about us. On Sunday, we called him and got an appointment for Friday. Then, hours later, he called us and asked if we could visit him in an hour! Of course we said yes, so we rushed over, and he drove us to his office in his car. We sat down and talked a bit, and we had a really good talk. We were able to hit all of the points from How to Begin Teaching, as found in Preach My Gospel, including the expectation that if he finds our message to be true, we believe he'll want to be baptized. You always hold your breath when you say that, but he accepted it as a matter of fact. We made a schedule to continue meeting, and he was just so excited the whole time that I can't wait. And, for the first time in my mission, we're going to be meeting an investigator in his home! That is so rare here, you wouldn't believe it.
That was this week's miracle. I'll defer everything else to conference:

Excerpts from Elder Lynn's Conference Notes
- President Eyring started Conference on an amazing note. His talk on fasting will be my reference point for teaching the Law of the Fast in the future. Additionally, his paying a fast offering outside of Fast Sunday answered a question I forgot I had: should I pay a fast offering when fasting outside of the monthly fast? I realized this morning, as I read the law of the fast as contained in the Book of Isaiah, that in the verses listing the conditions required for us to receive the blessing, he talks only of helping the hungry and afflicted. If we fast only for ourselves, what right do we have to a special blessing, when we're withholding one from those in need?
- I loved President Packer's comparison between our physical and spiritual bodies. Our spiritual bodies don't fix themselves; spiritual wounds just fester and rot, like leprosy. On the other hand, it's wonderful that the atonement leaves no scars.
- Shout out to Sister Burton for talking about men in a complimentary way! I agree with her -- there's a huge effort to degrade men, and, even in the church, sometimes we don't do very much about it! I also liked her list of things to remember to do, especially the fifth item: "When was the last time I was happy, and not demanding?"
- Elder Oaks helped me crystallize some of my thoughts on selfishness, and the heart when he talked about how a heart can grow stony through disuse. Is it not true that selflessness can break our heart, can soften it, and allow it to grow, much like a muscle, which tears itself and comes back stronger? Is not a stony -- or selfish -- heart one that results from a series of decisions not to give of oneself to others?
- Elder Clayton's talk was incredible, absolutely one of my favorites. Once you have seen the light, cling to it, fight for it!
- Elder Perry's talk about family was much appreciated. The state of family in modern society is something that weighs heavily on my mind, so I was glad to hear that we're still in the majority! Hearing that reminded me that the reason things are spiraling is because all it takes for evil to win, is for good people to do (or say) nothing. Don't be a silent voice in the most important struggle being waged. If Lucifer can replace family with one's self as the center of society, he will have succeeded in transforming us into a race of devils -- self-centered, selfish, and unloving.
- Elder Bednar destroyed fear! At least, he taught really well on both mortal fear, and Godly fear. I'd never realized that Godly fear includes an awe for God, and reaches beyond mere reverence towards Him. I feel that one of the hidden themes this conference was judgement day -- it seemed to keep popping up in unexpected places. Most of all, I liked how he said that in the end, what happens at judgement day is we come face to face with the truth about ourselves: who we really are. There won't be any excuses, no rationalizations, no degrees or labels. Just who we really are, the results of our choices and attitudes in life.
- Elder Anderson gave an extremely creative talk about music and dancing! We really do appear peculiar to those who can't hear the music. I thought a lot about helping investigators become converted as we listened to this one.
- Elder Renlund also gave a fantastic talk: "Twas I, but tis not I." I love that as embodying the concept of repentance and improvement. We don't have to be the same mistake fraught person, we can move on, upwards and forwards. I also liked his side note for those who suffer from misdeeds: Christ knows what it's like to suffer innocently for somebody else's actions.
- Shout out to President Ringwood! He's directly above President Morrise in the structure of my mission! I liked his advice regarding humility.
- President Uchtdorf gave a great talk about humility that hit on the same point as Elder Bednar, specifically that Jesus Christ will care most about "the condition" of our heart. As I thought about that, I wondered: do I ever hide behind a facade? Do I ever wear masks, or pretend to be somebody else? Am I ever untrue to myself, in word or deed?
- President Eyring's talk about prayer and priesthood power was another home-run talk to me. To represent Jesus Christ, I need revelation to know what He would do and say!
- Sister Wixom's talk is a great reference for anybody struggling with questions. Let it be heard one more time that our Church does not forbid questions! Rather, we encourage faith in what we do know, as we wait to understand that we do not know.
- Elder Teixeira's words prompted me to think of how our life's purpose is to have joy, and there are two principle ways to go about it: one is selfish fulfillment of immediate wants and desires, which brings temporary pleasure, but ultimately little growth, and decreasing returns, or there's the honorable family life, which has it's own sets of struggles, but present everlasting increases.
- Elder Neilson's talk about Prodigals was also a favorite of mine. I also typically identified with the older son, but it's true -- we are all prodigal children of God. We all fall short, and we all need to "come to ourselves" and return home.
- Elder Holland's talk was incredible in too many ways to list here. Suffice it to say that our Eldest Brother, the Savior Jesus Christ, will never leave us alone. In a life where our own weight -- our spiritual burdens and sins -- drags us closer and closer to the abyss, He is always reaching towards us, offering salvation with scarred wrists and marked palms. He will never let us fall.
- President Uchtdorf's talk about grace resonated well with me. When he initially spoke of the doors and windows of heaven, I thought of the windows as blessings -- see Malachi 4 -- and the door as salvation -- 2 Nephi 31. Christ makes it possible for us to receive blessings in this life, and to ultimately return to God. We obey out of love, and because it lifts us higher, improves us, lets us take mistakes, and learn from them, instead of being trapped by them forever.
- Elder Pino gave a great talk about perspective. I liked when he talked about forests and trees -- it reminded me of one of my favorite songs, that mentions "I never see the forest for the trees." It helped me rememeber to focus more on the big picture, and to be hopeful!

4/6/2015

 Austin with his new companion and the Mission President and his wife.

 Saying goodbye to his companion...who is going home!!

 Austin and his new comp.

 Austin and Elder Maris

4/6/2015

On our last P-Day together, Elder Maris and I decided to go to the local park. There, we met with the other Elders and Murphy, our English-fluent member friend. We played soccer and whiled away the time. It was pretty strange for both of us to realize that this was his last P-Day.
On the next day, we met with Gabriel, and he asked us about the Word of Wisdom, which he'd read about online, in connection with the various standards that we live. We had a discussion about the commandments, and how they not only help us to live better lives, but authorize God to give us various blessings. He's impressed with how we live, and really respects us, but he can't see how he could do it. He still insists that he has his own faith (Catholic) and that he's only meeting us because he feels good when he meets us, but I think he's being converted, from the inside out.
We also had dinner with Sister from the ward, and she took us out to a restaurant. The dinner was so spicy, I was having a hard time eating a lot. I've gotten a lot better with spice since I came, but there are still times where it just gets the better of me.
On Tuesday, Elder Maris and I had a really interesting discussion about movies and books and stories in general. My conclusion was that they enable us to have a virtual experience, helping us to gain knowledge from experiences that we could never actually have. Life is short, and good literature helps us to broaden our horizons, without actually doing it!
Wednesday was the day. We went out to the transfer area, then I left with the rest of the trainers to go to the headquarters, where we met our new companions. My new companion's name is Elder Schilling; he's from California, attended BYU Hawaii, and is a bonafide surfer dude. We're a bit different! Actually, we're a lot of different, but I think that's just a tool for the Lord to use to make a really strong companionship. It took us all day to go through the orientation then get back to our area, but I was already seeing one of the benefits of training: not only are new missionaries generally enthusiastic, but everything in Korea is still new and strange to them. After a while, you stop appreciating and being amused by all of the differences between America and Korea; you just get used to it. But when training, you're able to enjoy all of it over again, while not missing out on the things you've learned.
On Thursday we had our first district meeting with Elder Campbell as district leader. We did an activity that I did while I was with Elder Chow in Gimpo: "cross the line." How it works is that each time a statement that you agree with is made, you cross the line. It's a visual representation of how we're all actually pretty similar, even if we have some differences. It was a good discussion about unity, which is important since each companionship in our area changed this week.
On Friday we met with Lee Gi Won (이기원), and, as always, he talked a ton. But, we were able to talk a little about the restoration of the priesthood, and priesthood blessings. We wanted to offer him one, since he constantly agrees to come to church if his body feel's okay (which... considering him, isn't surprising. He's told us about some of his myriad physical deficiencies), but he wasn't understanding very well, so he told us that we'd talk about it more next time.
Saturday was pretty low key; mostly walking around in the rain looking for people to talk to. We were able to get a few phone numbers though, so it wasn't unproductive.
Sunday was a pretty big day for the ward, and for us. We were able to get Gabriel to come out and support Elder Schilling, since all new missionaries speak on their first day here. He was pretty uncomfortable, but stayed through Fast and Testimony meeting. Hopefully he was touched by the Spirit, because we had some really good testimonies that day, not excluding the five missionaries who bore their testimonies.
Above all, I was grateful this week for the chance to remember the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us, from the Garden of Gethsemane, to the dread peak of Calvary, to the glorious empty tomb. He lives, and He's there. We just have to find Him in our lives.

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

3/29/2015

3/29/2015
One year later, and I'm training, instead of being trained.

On Monday we went to a barbecue with one of our members here, Murphy. He's a Korean, but he's dead fluent in English, and enjoys being around us. He works at the Seoul Zoo, so he was able to get us in for free, and rent a grill and everything. We ended up paying for the lift over the pond he has to guard everyday, and the meat we grilled. It was tons of fun. On the way over to the park, we had a great conversation with Murphy about the Church and man-made organizations. He said that organizations have to change because standing water becomes contaminated. I thought about our Church, and realized that just because it's doctrine doesn't change, it's not standing still. Rather, it's constantly growing. Instead of a pool of still water, it's a fountain of living water.
That night, we met Gabriel, who the sisters introduced us to last week. We were able to explain the Family English Program, as well as our purpose here in Korea. He wanted to do it, so we'll continue meeting with him, to talk a little in English, and also to discuss our religious message. He was really curious about the Book of Mormon, so we introduced it, reading the introduction and Moroni's promise. He was really impressed by the book, and what it claimed to be. When asked, he affirmed that he believed it could be true.
We met with our investigator Lee Gi Won (이기원) on Wednesday, and finished teaching the Restoration. With him, it was backwards. We first taught about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, then went back and talked about prophets and apostasy. As we wrapped up the lesson he told us that the Great Apostasy was not a teaching unique to our church. He told us that he figured all of that out a long time ago! I hope that he connects that knowledge with our unique message -- that a restoration of Christ's original church has taken place.
The next day I went on exchanges with Elder Campbell. We met a grandpa named "BS" Kim. He took us out to lunch and we talked about his background. He doesn't know much about Christianity, but he wants to learn. He also wants to practice English as a defense against dementia. We also met their investigator Kim Young Kyoo (김영규) and read President Uchtdorf's talk about receiving spiritual light with him. We were able to have a really good discussion about what light is, and why a testimony is important.
On Saturday, we met with Gabriel again, and this time he took us to an ice cream shop while we met! We talked a lot about Jacob chapter 4, discussing the role of prophets, which is to testify of Jesus Christ. He really liked it, and committed to read the rest of the chapter. We also met another referral from the Sisters, an old man who invited them in while they were tracting. He was very difficult to get a handle on. He wouldn't give away very much about himself, so it felt a bit like we were grasping in the dark, trying to find where he had interest in the gospel. We were able to soften his heart a little bit when he found out that we serve off of our own money, and he might be interested in the concept of prophets. We're going to meet him again this week, and hopefully it'll go a little smoother.
On Sunday my companion gave his last talk, and we had a ward meal.
Also! Our transfer calls came Sunday morning. The results: Elder Rossi is leaving, Elder Campbell is staying and training, and I'm going to be training as well! That blew my mind. I'm incredibly excited.
To close, I wanted to leave you some of my thoughts about modern society. This was weighing on my mind this morning, as I studied.
Specifically, this morning I thought a lot about how this generation really is "the reckless, the wild youth." I thought about why people would do things they know are wrong, or they know will have a bad outcome, and do them anyways? Why do millions of Koreans spend their weekends drinking when they know it doesn't lead to anything good? Why do millions of teenagers play around with smoking and other drugs when they've been taught about the consequences and know that it's no good for them, health-wise or emotionally?
There's a point where we want to do something, but know that it has negative consequences. We know that it'll bring problems in the future, but we choose to do it anyways. We keep ourselves from really thinking about the consequences, or, as I've found's equally as common, we damn ourselves, in a sense, we give up on ourselves, and throw ourselves into a whirlpool of surrender and impulse.
It really broke my heart, but I realized that we intentionally blind ourselves, and keep ourselves from thinking about the future (that applies as much so 44, 104, and the next life, as it does to college, graduate school and graduation). It's saddening, but I realized that I do it all too often; and anybody who does something wrong does it. If we could always remember what matters the most, what our purpose is, then we could always make the right choice. I think that's something Jesus did that I wish I could. He always remembered who He was, why He was here, and what He needed to do. He didn't get distracted, never lost focus, and so He was able to heal in everything He did, teach with every word He spoke, and live a truly perfect life.
We are the reckless, we are the wild youth. We set fire to our insides for fun; we collect the names of lovers that went wrong. We try to distract ourselves, and heave through corrupted lungs, and so most of our feelings are dead and gone. (paraphrased "Youth" by Daughter)
I keep wondering what I can do to help people break through this vicious habit, how I can help people be more sensitive to those around them, because a life lived for yourself is a life all alone.
I guess one difference between us is that I believe I can live my life to the fullest, and then keep living life to the fullest in life after this one. I've realized that I can't rely on myself. I have more flaws than I can count. I'm weak and fragile, and make mistakes. I only know so much, and that can look like so little when confronted with the myriad opportunities life presents. I believe that I can turn to God for help, and that He'll help me -- not because He wants to rule me, or control me, but because He loves me, and He wants me to achieve my potential. I don't want to have to rely on my limited experiences and knowledge. I want to be partners with my Father. Why should I limit myself to what I have, when God wants to give me everything He has? In my opinion, that's the transcendent truth of life -- we're only alone when we separate ourselves.
When I think about comfort, I think about the greatest moments of comfort I've had, and they're all experiences with the Holy Ghost. That's something I can't provide on my own; it's a gift, one that is greater than anything else. This morning I was reading a book, and out of the blue, I had those feelings, like a shiver, or pins and needles, that I've come to equate with the gentle sensations of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, so often called "the Comforter."
So, I suppose one could say that I believe I can do anything -- through my friends. And of course the one friend that's never failed me, never let me down, and has always had His arm stretched out towards me is Jesus, the Christ.
I guess that if I had to define religion, I'd say that it's all of the truth that man has received from God. The most important truths are the ones that tell us who we are -- why we're here -- what our eternal destiny is, but it also encompasses all things that are true, and that's beautiful to me. When I think that not only can I live my life to the fullest, loving and being loved, helping and being helped, growing and changing and always improving, and then I can carry that over, and continue growing and living and having a family, and, most importantly, keep loving, forever and ever -- it takes my breath away. My destiny -- everybody's destiny, if they way -- is to love and be loved forever, to continue growing and learning, and to continue adding to our family for all eternity. That means more to me than any of my other dreams; more than putting out an album, more than being an actor, more than writing a book or anything else.

This week, the Church's most recent media initiative, "Because He Lives," launched, with this remarkable video: http://www.mormon.org/easter…
I invite all of you to watch it! It only takes two minutes, and I can promise that it'll uplift and inspire you.

Best Wishes,
Elder Austin Lynn

Because He Lives - Easter 2015

Because of the Resurrection, Jesus Christ lives. Because of Him, you can overcome sin and experience everlasting joy. Learn more about how you can discover, embrace, and share the joy of the Resurrection at helives.mormon.org.

MORMON.ORG

3/22/2015

"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!

Best Wishes, and Love for All:
Elder Austin M. Lynn