Grit

Missionary work is tough. I mean tough, yet it's the small miracles that I can see that get me through day to day. We happen to have a really interesting set of people we are teaching, and because of that, we weren't able to have a lesson with anyone we've been teaching I don't think. Maybe one, but besides that, all we've been doing is walking, and knocking, and talking. Like I said, it's tough, and when the weather is jumping from sunny, eighty degrees, and ninety percent humidity to thunder and lightning storms with tornados within 10 miles, you could say that finding people is tough.

Despite these challenges, the joy of putting yourself out there and serving the Lord Jesus Christ carries away all doubt and frustration. "Perfect love casteth out all fear" Moroni 8:16.

Early in the week, Elder Berry and I were out at a park talking with people for about an hour, and we were just being flat out rejected, culminating with a confrontation with a couple people who just really didn't agree with us, and they sure made it known. After such an experience, I felt the need to simply go and study the scriptures. We went and sat at a park bench for an hour and just started studying. I was reading in 2 Nephi 29 and Galatians 1, just as a side note. Anyways, as we were sitting there, a man came down and sat a couple benches down. I felt firm to continue studying, despite the common response of getting up and talking to him immediately. This continued for at least half an hour before he got up, walked passed us, and stopped. He looked around for a second, and then turned back and began talking to us about what we were studying and what we believed. I've never had any sort of interaction like that. The Lord truly will provide us with opportunities and experiences if we but dedicate ourselves to heeding the spirit and aligning ourselves with the will of the Lord.

A couple days ago Elder Clayton got called to be one of the new AP's, so now I'm stuck without a Spanish buddy and one of my favorite elders to be around. The last few days I've truly realized the growth I need to be continually making, that I haven't even come close to the missionary I can be, and becoming stagnant or comfortable with where I'm at won't bring me the joy or success I desire for the Lord. I think this can apply in any and every stage of our lives. We cannot become casual in our work, school, friendships, family, or whatever else. To truly find joy, it takes constant effort and growth on our part. So take the time to evaluate where you are at, and find out where you want to be because we all have much greater potentials than we know, being sons and daughters of God.

Elder Shepherd.

The Book of Mormon

Sorry for the confusion this week! My P-Day got switched to Tuesday because we went to the temple today! It had been too long, and so being able to go with Elder Sickler and Elder Clayton was really spirit-filled and enjoyable. The temple is a great place to be able to feel the spirit and truly refresh for the upcoming week. It's a blessing to be able to have a temple anywhere remotely close and it's something I'll definitely try to attend consistently once I'm home. Also, I was able to finish the Book of Mormon again last Sunday, and holy cow is it incredible! Never have I read it so in-depth and consistently to be able to feel the joy and spirit that is carried so incredibly through the book. All the factual based evidence or the years of hearing stories fail to even resemble the testimony that comes through the Holy Spirit. The joy, enlightenment, and understanding I was able to experience were unlike any other type of answer anyone else could tell me. Please, personal answers are more important than what anyone else can tell you, so if you have the desire, read from the Book of Mormon. If you read with a sincere heart, wanting to grow closer to Jesus Christ, the Spirit will testify its truth to you whether it is true or not. Those answers can't come through anyone but you and God, but I can promise that you'll grow closer to Him if you do.

Elder Shepherd

The Power of Prayer

Another week has gone by! It's definitely been a lot of odd ups and downs, but it makes the week go by quicker. We had one day earlier this week where literally half of the people we were teaching just got up and dropped us. It all happened in the span of about 2 hours, so the rest of the week we had to do a whole lot of finding. Despite all the challenges we've been facing, we were able to see all kinds of miracles come to pass. It's incredible when we open up our eyes to the Savior's hand in our lives and recognize all that He does for us. Recently I've been working more diligently to make my prayers sincere and meaningful, and it brings the spirit much more strongly into my day. In 3 Nephi 18:21, Christ exhorts us to pray with and for our families, which really stood out to me in my studies this week, and I'd encourage everyone to apply that principle. Simple prayer will bring the spirit into your life especially when it is done consistently and meaningfully.

Elder Shepherd

Opposition is Real!

This week has been an interesting one, that's for sure. The extent that I will share about most of my experience, is simply the fact that opposition is real, the adversary is still doing his work, and we have to prepare ourselves every day to face it. That preparation comes through daily prayer, scripture study, and obedience to the Lord's commandments.

Early in the week, Elder Berry and I had lunch with the president of the quorum of the twelve apostles... from the Restoration LDS sect who converted to the church within the last twenty years or so. The man's knowledge of the scriptures is incredible, and we were lucky to get to sit down with him, as well as other Brothers in our ward who have such great knowledge. Recently, Elder Berry and I have felt this same desire to dig deeper into the scriptures as well as work more diligently to be able to reference and use them. We began reading Acts together during our companionship study, and wow is that thing loaded. Nearly nothing is more enjoyable to me than studying the scriptures.

We were able to teach a few solid lessons this week as well which is always a blessing, and Elder Clayton took me to teach a few lessons in Spanish which was really successful and helped me recognize the growth I truly have made in the language. Somehow, even though I only get to study a few days a week and use it even less in actual situations, my understanding and ability to speak has greatly improved. The Gift of Tongues is real, and the Lord is truly blessing me through this great work. I am so blessed to be able to be serving around the other missionaries in my area, but more importantly, I'm happy to be serving the people here. Through some experiences this week, I've recognized how much I care for the people here both temporally and spiritually. There are many relationships here that I truly cherish.

This week at our district council I gave a spiritual thought on Alma 26:27 and related it to some of my current studies in Helaman chapter 10. 

27 "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us."

The Lord later comforts Nephi by saying,

4 "Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works"

If we work to serve the Lord with unwearyingness, not fear those who try to pull us down, seek the Lord's will, and keep his commandments, he will bless us tremendously. That's something I'm striving to do every day.

Elder Shepherd