Hi Mom and Family,
Well this week was really good. We had a lot of things
happen. We had three bautismos yesterday. A family.
Nothing makes me more happy than to change the hearts of an entire
family. The dad, Jesus, had a really bad drinking problem. We have
been trying for weeks to get him to stop drinking. But every time we went
over there he was drunk. He had so many problems with his wife and his
family. When we started teaching him two weeks ago he was on the edge of
moving out and getting a divorce from his wife. As we were teaching him,
the Spirit filled the room. It was like a thick kind of air, but as that
happened I promised him with the power of the Spirit that was in the room
that if he waited two weeks to move out and took two weeks to change, REALLY
change his life, that the gospel will give him and his family so much happiness
that they didn't know was there. Two weeks later he and his wife, Ivone,
and his ten year old son, Jesus Alan,
were baptized.
Elder Johnson got sick again. He asked me to baptize
all three. After the baptism, the light and the love and the peace and
the joy that I saw in each one of their eyes was all worth it for me, knowing
that I was used as an instrument in the hands of the Lord in bringing an entire
family to the arms of the Savior and Eternal happiness. I am telling you
right now, there is no better feeling.
The past few weeks have been kind of hard. On Saturday, I
got really upset after a contact with this guy. People here really like
to try to bible bash with us (especially T.J. or J.W.). This guy
was explaining what faith was to us, and I was telling him that faith was two
parts: a belief and action. Without action you can't have faith.
Your faith decreases. But he started telling me that I had no
faith. And then he was saying stuff in Spanish that I didn't understand.
And then he said that if I had the faith I would have been able to defend
myself. So we said that we were representatives of Jesus Christ sent here
to preach His Gospel and that we were not going to fight with him and we walked
away. After, Elder Johnson told me that I did really well but he was just
taking advantage of us. It was really crazy.
As I was feeling really upset I remembered the chapter of
the book of Mormon I read. Alma 23 I think ... can't remember
exactly. Ammon is talking about all the
success they had. And at first, when they were teaching, they were spit
upon, beaten, mocked, everything. As they were about to turn back and
give up because they were depressed, the Lord said be patient in your
afflictions and go back to the city and teach the people. That's what
they did. Even when they went back the same thing happened to them.
This time they were thrown into prison. But they were patient in their
suffering, while they were starving to death.
And then when Ammon came to free them they preached again
unto them. But this time they had success. They had so much that
thousands of Lamanites were baptized and converted. Not just to baptism,
but for Eternity. So much so that they refused to take up arms against
their brothers. Because they had so
much faith in the Lord, they knew that if they died they would be welcomed with
open arms. Thats what happened. The Anti-Nephi-Lehis died as the Lamanite
army fell upon them. But because of this, thousands of Lamanite hearts
were softened and converted. These chapters struck me to the very core.
It was so amazing because I was looking back at this chapter
and remembered the faith diligence and patience the Sons of Mosiah had.
Then I remembered Christ. He is with me. He is lifting me
when I am down in the depths of sorrow. I have faith and I know that
Jesus Christ knows exactly how we feel. He is there. I have felt
the healing power of the Atonement. I have felt his love surround me like
a warm blanket when all of the feeling in my body has gone. Have faith.
Have faith. It is according to your faith. When you ever,
EVER get down, remember Him. Pour out your heart to Him. He will be
there. I know. I KNOW. I have seen the power of the Atonement
change people's lives. Don't EVER forget Him. Because He never
forgot you when He took upon your pains afflictions sorrows and sins everything
in the Garden of Gethsemane. His arms are out stretched towards you.
He is always there, no matter who you are, or what you have done.
He is pleading with you to come to Him, to humble yourselves to Him and
to pour out your hearts to Him, whether it be sins or sorrows. He is
begging for you to come to Him.
I love you all. Thank you for your love and support.
Elder Hancock
Helaman 5:12
Hey Michael, don't get discouraged by the T.J. It's not worth the energy. I once got so fed up with los Testigos de Jehová that I determined to study the scriptures so well that I could prove them wrong. Eventually I got to the point where I could prove them wrong with their own version of the bible, and I eagerly waited an encounter. It came. I successfully pointed out to them the succession of scriptures in their own bible, and left them speechless. At that moment a surge of guilt and remorse swept over me at the realization that I was doing exactly what Christ would have done. Instead of promoting faith in Jesus Christ and the atonement, I was stripping them of what hope and faith they had, and what I had done was irreversible. I can look back and say that that moment was one of the most important turning points in my mission. Not only did I realize that I was working towards the wrong goals, my personal study was suffering, and my missionary work was suffering. Please don't get sucked into that trap. If one stops you, bear your fervent testimony to them and let them know it is ok to have their beliefs. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may (11th article of faith). Remember that. I love you, you are doing great. You are already a powerful missionary and an enormous example!
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