Hey everyone!
It's been a crazy week! So much has been going on. It's hard to believe its already P-day again. Time is flying by. Today is the last P-day of the transfer. We have our transfers next wednesday. Elder Sutton and I are hoping we both stay. :) We'll see what happens.
Last moday was pretty crazy. We had an appointment with one of our Recent Converts named Jozef. We were waiting for him at his house and he didn't show up. Twenty mintutes later he showed up to his house and he got mugged. Some homeless man jumped him and stole his bike and wallet. We had to stay with Jozef to help him with the cops because he hardly speaks any english. Crazy World...Mom's probably terrified right now. Englands not that bad...relax.
This week taught me a lot about life and missionary work though. We had zone trainings this week so Elder Sutton and I had to prepare a training. We did it on goal setting which is something i'm pretty rubbish at. I learned a lot about setting goals though. I've been realizing these past few weeks that I don't really have and huge goals or plans. haha. I'm a loser. We talked a lot about setting SMART goals(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound). We related it to eating an elephant, one bit at a time. It was pretty fun. I got mom's package at the training as well. Double Stuff oreos...classic. Elder Sutton and I went crazy on them when we got home. haha.
I've been studying the latest CES devotional from Elder Bednar as well "That we might not shrink". I've had a few chances to share that with people throughout the week. It talks a lot about our faith not being based on our circumstances. It tells a story about a young couple who was just recently married when the husband was diagnosed with Cancer. Here is my favorite part of it.
Two days following the operation, I visited John and Heather in the hospital. We talked about the first time I met John in the mission field, about their marriage, about the cancer, and about the eternally important lessons we learn through the trials of mortality. As we concluded our time together, John asked if I would give him a priesthood blessing. I responded that I gladly would give such a blessing, but I first needed to ask some questions.
I then posed questions I had not planned to ask and had never previously considered: “[John,] do you have the faith not to be healed? If it is the will of our Heavenly Father that you are transferred by death in your youth to the spirit world to continue your ministry, do you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?”
I frankly was surprised by the questions I felt prompted to ask this particular couple. Frequently in the scriptures, the Savior or His servants exercised the spiritual gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9;D&C 35:9; 46:20) and perceived that an individual had the faith to be healed (seeActs 14:9; 3 Nephi 17:8; D&C 46:19). But as John and Heather and I counseled together and wrestled with these questions, we increasingly understood that if God’s will were for this good young man to be healed, then that blessing could only be received if this valiant couple first had the faith not to be healed. In other words, John and Heather needed to overcome, through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) tendency in all of us to demand impatiently and insist incessantly on the blessings we want and believe we deserve.
We recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted. Certainly, John and Heather would desire, yearn, and plead for healing with all of their might, mind, and strength. But more importantly, they would be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). Indeed, they would be willing to “offer [their] whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26) and humbly pray, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
He also say that "Not shrinking is more important than surviving". I saw this in action yesterday when we visited a member of the church who was terminally ill with cancer in the hospital. We talked about his conversion story and his love for missionary work. He's only been given a few months to live but his biggest concern was whether we had any investigators at church that day! He is a spiritual giant. He gave us some advice as well. He said don't wait untill it's to late to reconcile yourself with someone. He said that he wasn't afraid of dying and that he knew that good had missionary work for him to do on the other side. He looked at us and said with a wink "I'll be miles ahead of you."
Thanks for everything you do for me. I love you all! I hope you all have an amzing week. I'll speak to you either next wednesday or Thursday. Love ya!
Love Elder Ford
I frankly was surprised by the questions I felt prompted to ask this particular couple. Frequently in the scriptures, the Savior or His servants exercised the spiritual gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9;D&C 35:9; 46:20) and perceived that an individual had the faith to be healed (seeActs 14:9; 3 Nephi 17:8; D&C 46:19). But as John and Heather and I counseled together and wrestled with these questions, we increasingly understood that if God’s will were for this good young man to be healed, then that blessing could only be received if this valiant couple first had the faith not to be healed. In other words, John and Heather needed to overcome, through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) tendency in all of us to demand impatiently and insist incessantly on the blessings we want and believe we deserve.
We recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted. Certainly, John and Heather would desire, yearn, and plead for healing with all of their might, mind, and strength. But more importantly, they would be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). Indeed, they would be willing to “offer [their] whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26) and humbly pray, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
He also say that "Not shrinking is more important than surviving". I saw this in action yesterday when we visited a member of the church who was terminally ill with cancer in the hospital. We talked about his conversion story and his love for missionary work. He's only been given a few months to live but his biggest concern was whether we had any investigators at church that day! He is a spiritual giant. He gave us some advice as well. He said don't wait untill it's to late to reconcile yourself with someone. He said that he wasn't afraid of dying and that he knew that good had missionary work for him to do on the other side. He looked at us and said with a wink "I'll be miles ahead of you."
Thanks for everything you do for me. I love you all! I hope you all have an amzing week. I'll speak to you either next wednesday or Thursday. Love ya!
Love Elder Ford
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