Moroni 7:37
"Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."
"Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."
Monday, June 3, 2013
This
week has been incredible! I truly believe that miracles happen on
exchanges, and I have been on three this week, and every time there have
been prayers answered and doors open.
The first was on Wednesday with Elder Whent from Delaware. We worked solely on updating the area book by seeing people that have not been visited in several months. I met so many people that were very friendly to missionaries, but not necessarily open to the gospel at this time. Such as Reggie: a very devout Christian who holds a lot of our beliefs, but not quite ready for the discussions. Nevertheless, he still invites the missionaries in every time they come over, so I just pray that his heart can be opened to receive the gospel. But there were so many other doors open that day, I was utterly exhausted from running about this area.
I also learned a great deal from Elder Whent especially regarding faith and teaching. He told me that faith is made up of three parts: 1) A belief in God; 2) A correct understanding of his character; and 3) A belief that we can change and mold our lives to his will. Although there are a few more aspects of faith, we both agree that this is what it all boils down to. I also learned a valuable lesson in teaching with companion unity. I don't like interrupting people when they are teaching, especially when they are going in the direction the lesson needs to go. If the discussion starts to stray, I will bring it back, but otherwise I don't like killing someone's momentum. This is not how lessons should be though. I talked later with Elder Whent and Elder Broby about this; and they both said that both companions need to talk, because if one Elder is doing all the talking, then the investigators/members disregard the other companion and going out "two by two" loses its effectiveness. So I learned that I need to work on being more bold and using the voice that God has given me. Which as many of you know is a force to be reckoned with.
The other exchange that I went on this week that really inspired me was with Elder Scott, the traveling trainer. Bear Valley/Golden Hills was his first area, so he already knows a lot of the people and many of their needs. One of the most moving experiences that I have had on my mission was during this exchange: a member named Woody in Bear Valley Ward was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has survived so many things (multiple gunshot wounds, knife fights, car crashes, etc.) but he may not survive this. The day Elder Scott and I visited him was especially bad. He had spent the entire night in such pain that he begged God to take him; or if not God, the devil would do - just to stop the pain. Then that morning he prayed for some relief. He prayed for Elder Scott to come because they had been really close when he was serving in this area. Lo and behold, a few hours after that prayer, we came to his house to check up on him. Being an answer to a son of God's prayer was such an uplifting experience, even more so when Elder Scott gave him a blessing. The love that our Father in heaven had for Woody was felt in that room, the Spirit nearly overwhelming to me. I will never forget that experience and I will always treasure the feelings that I had, as well as the council that I received after that from Elder Scott. After we left Woody's, Elder Scott emphasized the importance of keeping to the schedule that you give yourself for that day. Because if we had lingered with some other investigators earlier in the day, we could not have ministered to Woody who was in the deepest of need. It was a very valuable lesson.
One of the last things that Elder Scott talked to me about was the importance of not justifying any degree of disobedience. He gave the analogy of when you're swimming in the ocean, that you don't notice the tide going out; but little by little you stray from shore, and little by little you are swept out to sea. So stay close to shore and take Alma's council in Alma 42:30 to not attempt to justify sin in the least whit.
The first was on Wednesday with Elder Whent from Delaware. We worked solely on updating the area book by seeing people that have not been visited in several months. I met so many people that were very friendly to missionaries, but not necessarily open to the gospel at this time. Such as Reggie: a very devout Christian who holds a lot of our beliefs, but not quite ready for the discussions. Nevertheless, he still invites the missionaries in every time they come over, so I just pray that his heart can be opened to receive the gospel. But there were so many other doors open that day, I was utterly exhausted from running about this area.
I also learned a great deal from Elder Whent especially regarding faith and teaching. He told me that faith is made up of three parts: 1) A belief in God; 2) A correct understanding of his character; and 3) A belief that we can change and mold our lives to his will. Although there are a few more aspects of faith, we both agree that this is what it all boils down to. I also learned a valuable lesson in teaching with companion unity. I don't like interrupting people when they are teaching, especially when they are going in the direction the lesson needs to go. If the discussion starts to stray, I will bring it back, but otherwise I don't like killing someone's momentum. This is not how lessons should be though. I talked later with Elder Whent and Elder Broby about this; and they both said that both companions need to talk, because if one Elder is doing all the talking, then the investigators/members disregard the other companion and going out "two by two" loses its effectiveness. So I learned that I need to work on being more bold and using the voice that God has given me. Which as many of you know is a force to be reckoned with.
The other exchange that I went on this week that really inspired me was with Elder Scott, the traveling trainer. Bear Valley/Golden Hills was his first area, so he already knows a lot of the people and many of their needs. One of the most moving experiences that I have had on my mission was during this exchange: a member named Woody in Bear Valley Ward was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has survived so many things (multiple gunshot wounds, knife fights, car crashes, etc.) but he may not survive this. The day Elder Scott and I visited him was especially bad. He had spent the entire night in such pain that he begged God to take him; or if not God, the devil would do - just to stop the pain. Then that morning he prayed for some relief. He prayed for Elder Scott to come because they had been really close when he was serving in this area. Lo and behold, a few hours after that prayer, we came to his house to check up on him. Being an answer to a son of God's prayer was such an uplifting experience, even more so when Elder Scott gave him a blessing. The love that our Father in heaven had for Woody was felt in that room, the Spirit nearly overwhelming to me. I will never forget that experience and I will always treasure the feelings that I had, as well as the council that I received after that from Elder Scott. After we left Woody's, Elder Scott emphasized the importance of keeping to the schedule that you give yourself for that day. Because if we had lingered with some other investigators earlier in the day, we could not have ministered to Woody who was in the deepest of need. It was a very valuable lesson.
One of the last things that Elder Scott talked to me about was the importance of not justifying any degree of disobedience. He gave the analogy of when you're swimming in the ocean, that you don't notice the tide going out; but little by little you stray from shore, and little by little you are swept out to sea. So stay close to shore and take Alma's council in Alma 42:30 to not attempt to justify sin in the least whit.
That's about all for this week. I love you all and you are in
my prayers and thoughts (when I'm not thinking about missionary work
that is).
Elder Cox
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