Kinda funny huh? Today is my two month mark! Woot! Only 22 more to go!
Oh, the glad tidings of a young missionary!
But again, how are you? I am doing so well, this week seems to have been a longer week than it seems or well, to what it usually has been! But, it has been a week where you live and learn. And to also to roll with the punches!
You are not going to believe what the highlight of this week was. After I finished emailing last week, we went out to lunch at a place called Harvey's. The guy that took our order noticed the name tags and we started talking to him. He asked us to come and visit him. But here is the catch, ready? This man, Chris, is a Baptist minister. He wanted to meet with us and to dicuss what we believed in. So on wednesday we headed over to his baptist church. His church, his playground. Joy. I was so nervous. Lets be honest, a young missionary hasn't been out for two months or anything and suddenly he is thrown into this man's office and discussing religion. We sat down had a nice chat and we taught the first lesson. After we were finished, he said his piece. He said that, in order to gain salvation, we just have to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. He went on about it and we emphasised the Book of Mormon. Ironicaly, he is obessed with the hymn "How firm a foundation." So we gave him a copy. In all he was a nice guy. We returned to to get our cd's back and he came up with some bible scriptures to bash on our religion. But then again, Chris is a very nice guy.
So when you, as a missionary, get to baptize someone you must also re-teach them the lessons again after the baptism just to make sure that they have it down. So Elder Gammell and I went to re-teach the Brewsters. Now, I don't know if I have mentioned them in my previous letters, but these kind people got baptized in October, had us over for Christmas dinner, and has accompanied us to many lessons with our investigators. So thus, we see them a lot have been become great friends. So we went over to the house to teach them the ten commandments. We got to the commandment about "no graven images" and Brother Brewster asked us about the cross. We explained that we believed in the Living christ and that the cross symbolized his death. He asked us if we had a cross in our homes back in Utah. We replied no. He said "okay." and got up from the chair and raced into the bedroom. We heard what seemed like screw being pulled out from the wall. He was taking down the cross right there! His wife was freaking out because the cross was a gift from the kids a long time ago, but he didn't care and he was willing to do whatever Christ and Thomas S Monson would have him do. How passionate that night was! How amazing that was! See, that was truly a conversion! It was a night to be remembered I assure you!
So, besides that we went to Glace Bay again, aw, perfect. The lunch on the ocean again. Again, another simple highlight of the week. Just thought that I should let you know!
But after our appointment with Chris, I thought how could it be that easy? Just pray and accept Christ as your Savior and that is it? I thought about it and Elder Gammell showed me this talk that Jefferey R. Holland gave to the mission presidents, some time ago, but it answered my question. Elder Holland goes and says "Every missionary asks; 'Why isn't the work easier? We have angels and miracles and it is the truth so why don't people just run to the font?!"' My first answer was agency, the right to choose, but I was wrong. He goes on to say that it is not easy because "salvation is not a cheap expierience." He keeps going and explains that how could it be easy for us when it wasn't easy for Savior, so how can we expect it to be easy for us. It was powerful. The mission isn't easy. It never will be, people will not flood to the font to be baptized. Life in general is never easy, how could it be? We must expect it to be hard, we must rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ, daily. For it wasn't easy for Jesus Christ in Gestheme why in the world would it be easy for us? For in D&C 19 "which caused I, God the greatest of all, to suffer because of pain and to bleed at every pour." The atonement of Jesus Christ is real, it is amazing. Now, I don't mean to be all preachy or what not, I mean for my emails to be fun and exciting, but that message this week made me want to be better than I have ever been. (a talk that Elder Eyring did in 1989, adressed that line) It made me want to push harder than I have ever pushed. So, it is my humbliest prayer, that we become better than we have ever been. I'm sure that we have had moments when we want to be better, my moment was this week hearing Elder Holland and Elder Eyring speak.
We all have those moments. I know, because I have had. Salvation is not a cheap expierence, we must have that strength to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ uncessingly.
So again, know that I maybe a tad preachy this week, but seeing Chris and hearing that just made that fire (the good spirit fire) burn within me. Thats what was important to me. So excuse me, but that is from the heart. So again, my emails will be fun, but when you have that burning desire in you, how could you not share it with everyone?
I love you all so much and pray that your week will be a great week for you all!
Make a moment this week! :D
-Elder Morgan Hardy
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