of Mormon named after?"
The response: Nephi.
*Facepalm*
So anyways, I found the exact quote that I had been looking for last week:
"The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair
is service. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone
who is even more tired." -President Gordon B. Hinkley
Anyways! The week was a bit slower than previous weeks, but we were able to
achieve standards of excellence again, so that was fun!!:) It was a good
week of learning in general.
I will start of this letter with a funny story. Usually they are about
other people, but this time it happens to be about me. So last night we
went to bed normal. But when the alarm went off in the morning, I reached
from under my comfy covers to turn it off and I had my Preach My Gospel
manual (one of the study and teaching resources we have as missionaries in
my hand). Delirious and confused, I set it down and prayed with my
companion. Following the prayer, another delirious conversation occurred
where we tried to figure out what happened last night. I must have slept
walked to the study room, found my Preach My Gospel, and made it all the
way back to my bed, comfy cozy. Maybe my subconscious feels that I should
be doing more studying... apparently my companion's whole dream had to do
with us teaching lessons and nothing else...I guess we will see this week
if they Lord was trying to tell us something via dream. A ver. (we'll see).
I have been out on my mission 16 months, but I met 2 people this week with
a conviction of their religion and our (as Mormons) being lost and deceived
that surpassed all people I have met to date.
Early in the week we contacted a man from Africa. He explained that he was
Muslim and expounded many of his beliefs and how many of ours were wrong.
We tried to share a bit of restored truth with him and it turned into him
spending 20 more minutes telling us that if we think that we will ever
convert him or any other Muslim (which according to him is the fastest
growing world religion) to Christianity that we are wasting our time and
that we need to be Muslim. He told us all about the Holy Koran and how if
we read it and really pondered it in our minds, that we would change
religions in an instant. We found it interesting since that is the same
invitation we give people regarding the Book of Mormon. He continued to
swear to us and to God many, many, many times, with conviction so great
that he was sweating bullets, that if we would just read the Koran that we
would change and not be lost.
Long-story-short, we told him that we would trade him a Koran for a Book of
Mormon and that we invited him to do that same thing we asked him to do.
Again, a ver (we'll see what happens).
That experience cause me to ponder my testimony and beliefs, but I had a
testimony of Jesus Christ and that alone was enough for me to not let any
of the things he said bother me.
Fast forward to Saturday.
I was on exchanges with Sister Jackson again (of the many exchanges that I
have been on in my mission, more than 3/4 have been spend with Sister
Jackson. We just can't get away from each other I guess..). Anyways, we
were walking back to our car from dong some service and there was a guy
stopped in the middle of the road in his car, windows rolled down, so I
suggested we go talk to him.
I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not. You decide.
We said hello and then he was taken back and said "are you kidding me? Are.
You. Kidding. Me?" We were super confused. We asked what he was talking
about and he said oh this is a great day! Again, we were confused.
Then he began to ask us whose name we have on our name tags. Of course, we
responded Jesus Christ...and then he spent the next 20 minutes explaining
that he was Baptist and that he was once a lost sinner as we (the Mormons)
are and that he was born again and found the light and redemption through
thr true Jesus Christ, of whom we do not preach. He listed a ton of things
that, according to him, we preach/do not preach.
He took out his Bible and began to tell us that we are leading people to
destruction because we do not believe nor worship the correct Jesus Christ
or even Jesus Christ at all-that we believe in a Jesus Christ who would
also go the Americas. He straight up said, "girls, I see that you are
young, so please, please, please I beg with you with all my heart to come
out of the darkness. Girls, I am calling each of you to repent. Right now.
repent. The true Jesus Christ will take you back if you just turn to him
and leave all the darkness."
We kind of just stood there for a second trying to process what exactly he
had been saying. I guess he thought he had confounded us or something, so
after 5 seconds he started up again and began to tell us that we should
remember that all sins can be forgiven except blasphemy and that we needed
to stop today, right then so that when we stood before God, we wouldn't be
thrust to hell to burn in the lake of fire and brimstone. He exhorted us
that none of the teaching in our church, not a single one, will bring us
anything good in the eternal scheme. He told us to come to the light, to
read the Bible and to change our religion when we come to know that we are
heading for damnation.
When he finally took another breath, I kindly thanked him for sharing his
love and care for us and excused ourselves because we had to get to our
dinner appointment. He thanked us and God for allowing him to be a tool in
God's hands to call us to repentance that day.
We walked away, as sad for him and he seemed to be sad for us.
This particular experience, together with the one from earlier in the week,
caused me to dwell and think more. I reassessed my testimony. Though he
made many seemingly good arguments, although taken from out of context and
misunderstood concepts, I couldn't let that doubt shake what I knew to be
true about the church and of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost.
I dwelt on it, and not matter how much I did or tried to truly ponder and
think about the things he told us to think about, I couldn't change what I
knew to be true. That is the power of a confirmation from the Holy Ghost.
"The Holy Ghost bears witness of the truth and impresses upon the soul the
reality of God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ so deeply that no earthly
power or authority can separate him from that knowledge.”
I know this statement by President James E. Faust is true. I felt it. The
Spirit has many times previously confirmed to me the truth and it wasn't
just in my mind, it is engraved "in fleshy tables of my heart." (2
Corinthinas 3:3).
Both of those men did not believe as I do. One did not believe in Jesus
Christ at all-at least not as being our savior or the Son of God. And one
felt that we don't worship "the right" Jesus Christ or him at all. However,
I know that I believe in the true, and living Jesus Christ.
I know and testify of the living Christ.
"He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New."
(The Living Christ) I know of His great love for each of us individually
and that he did indeed visit the Americas and minister to his people there.
I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it true testifies of the true
and living Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.
Challenge: Read and study the document Living Christ: The Testimony of the
Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I promise that as you do, you will come to know who Jesus Christ is, his
role, and our relationship to Him. You, as I, will receive a testimony of
Him that will be engraved into the fleshy table of your own heart.
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when
the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have
no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless
wo, because
of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation
whereon if men build they cannot fall." Helaman 5:12
Of these things I testify!
Have a great week:)
Hermana Clark