It's been another crazy and exciting week here in Norman, OK! Summer seems to be over :( and winter is approaching :(:( But the next couple of months will be perfect weather so that's good! :)
Monday we went out teaching with a member and everything fell through. So we biked around and ended up visiting the recent-convert Smith family :)
Tuesday morning we biked out and tried to visit some people. We contacted a super awesome referral that we got from the sister missionaries in the ward. Her name is Rachelle and she has some foster kids she takes care of and one of them is a 5 year old Marshallese girl. Elder Kilmer is a Marshallese missionary so he's pretty excited about that ;) In the afternoon we did some family history and talked to a guy who was very well informed about what we believe and has had lots of positive experiences with Mormons in the past but isn't willing to simply read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Right before dinner we had a quick lesson with Greg and shared 2 Nephi 2:27. We discussed agency and he seemed to really like it a lot. After dinner we had a lesson with Danny and family and finished teaching the Plan of Salvation. One of my favorite things about being a missionary is having the opportunity to bear testimony of the reality of eternal families so often!
Wednesday we did exchanges with the missionaries in the Norman 4th ward and it was awesome! We were able to have some awesome lessons with the part-member family we helped move last week, with Carrie, and with Sister Rink (the less-active we've been visiting every Wednesday for a while now). Long, somewhat stressful day, but it was a blast and the Lord helped us out so much!
Thursday did weekly planning, biked around without much success, helped a less-active move furniture onto her porch, and tried to contact a referral. It was lots of fun :)
Friday we got to go to the temple and do baptisms with Danny, Elizabeth, and MaKayla and it was so awesome!! :) They said they had a great time and that they could definitely feel the special spirit and peace that comes from attending the temple. MaKayla was actually feeling quite sick when we got to the temple but by the end of it she was feeling a lot better so that was a cool miracle :) Going to the temple as a family is what it's all about and I couldn't be happier for Danny and his family, they are living proof of the happiness that comes from living the gospel and following the example of Jesus Christ :)
Saturday we did another exchange with the missionaries in the 4th ward so that was fun :) We did lots of biking and lots of stuff fell through but it was still a good day and we had a cool finding miracle!
Sunday we had one of our investigators, Courtney, make it to church for the first time! We started teaching her like 4 months ago and then lost contact till about a month ago when we started teaching her again. She had to cancel the appointment with us on Saturday because she had to emergency baby-sit her nephew but her nephew was actually a miracle because it helped her wake up on time to go to church. The Lord works in mysterious ways :) Before dinner we had a lesson with the Williams family and then another recent convert lesson with Halle, one of the girls who got baptized a couple weeks after I got to Norman. After dinner we tried some of the potentials we found on Saturday and had a really good conversation with one of them named Elizabeth. When we knocked on her door on Saturday, we thought that a member of the church had recently moved in there but it wasn't the case. She introduced herself and showed us a black widow bite on her arm and said she was running the ER so we said we would stop back by again sometime else. Sunday evening we were in the area so we felt like we should stop and by and see how she was doing. She told us about how she's hit rock bottom and how she's looking to find more hope and peace in her life. We did a lot of listening and testifying, it was amazing!
This upcoming week we have zone conference and President Mansell asked us to study about change. As I was pondering about repentance and change and the gospel, I was reminded of one of my favorite conference talks by President Uchtdorf, "It Works Wonderfully!" In it he talks about how simplifying our discipleship and starting where we are can help us have a positive experience in the gospel, help us feel like the gospel is working for us in our lives. Since "Bringing our lives in line with God’s will through repentance (change) is a central purpose of our lives," (PMG Chp. 3) it's important to make changing and progressing a positive, happy experience, not an overwhelming, discouraging process. President Uchtdorf says,
"Brothers and sisters, living the gospel doesn’t need to be complicated.
It is really straightforward. It could be described like this:
- Hearing the word of God with earnest intent leads us to believe in God and to trust His promises.
- The more we trust God, the more our hearts are filled with love for Him and for each other.
- Because of our love for God, we desire to follow Him and bring our actions in alignment with His word.
- Because we love God, we want to serve Him; we want to bless the lives of others and help the poor and the needy.
- The more we walk in this path of discipleship, the more we desire to learn the word of God.
And so it goes, each step leading to the next and filling us with ever-increasing faith, hope, and charity.
It is beautifully simple, and it works beautifully.
Brothers and sisters, if you ever think that the gospel isn’t working so well for you, I invite you to step back, look at your life from a higher plane, and simplify your approach to discipleship. Focus on the basic doctrines, principles, and applications of the gospel. I promise that God will guide and bless you on your path to a fulfilling life, and the gospel will definitely work better for you...
My second suggestion is: start where you are.
Sometimes we feel discouraged because we are not “more” of something—more spiritual, respected, intelligent, healthy, rich, friendly, or capable. Naturally, there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve. God created us to grow and progress. But remember, our weaknesses can help us to be humble and turn us to Christ, who will “make weak things become strong.” Satan, on the other hand, uses our weaknesses to the point that we are discouraged from even trying.
I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become.
God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord."
Well thanks for bearing with me through another one of my emails ;) I hope yall have a wonderful week and that this wonderful gospel will work wonderfully in your life!
Love, Elder Larsen
Moroni 7:48
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