This week was so much better than last week and that's the reason
for the title being what it is and there are a few main things that I
will address as to why. First a realization taken from an inspired
training from a good friend, a change of heart inspired by President and
Sister Clark's counsel, and some miracles that have come from following
the knowledge gained.
On Tuesday we had our
district meeting and a part of it ended up making it one of my favorite
ones over the past year. There is a lot to it so I'm actually going to
type in word for word from my journal entry for that day, sorry about
how long this may be. This comes from the training that Elder Boggess
gave in relation to the Christlike attribute that he has been working on
this transfer, obedience (which is also the one I have been focusing
on.) Okay here goes the quote from my journal, "One of the things that
he (Elder Boggess) talked about was super helpful to me. He talked about
Zion's Camp and how lots of people though of it as a failure but that
it was really a proving grounds for much of the leadership in the early
church. There was a super good quote that really stuck out to me, in the
book "Our Heritage" that says 'The journey had revealed who was on the
Lord's side and who was worthy to serve in positions of leadership. The
Prophet later explained the outcome of the march: 'God did not want you
to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the
gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under
their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a
body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a
sacrifice as did Abraham... we gained an experience that we never could
have gained in any other way' When Elder Boggess talked about not being
sent to fight I felt the same kind of thing about me here, that I wasn't
sent here to baptize like crazy but that I needed to come here to be
tested and to prove myself to God. The men in Zion's Camp proved their
leadership capabilities and sacrificed greatly to be obedient to the
Prophet and to God. I don't think that it is a coincidence that I got
put into this harder area, with the potential of being here for a long
time, and then given a leadership position at this time when even
President Orgill told me I was ready a while ago, and then that this is
the time at which I have felt the greatest desire to be obedient to
mission rules. I think that more me the Laguna Hills 3rd ward and area
is my Zion's Camp and my refiners fire."
This
realization and other are part of what have contributed to my increase
in obedience. I know that the Lord has a great plan for me and my
mission and that if the early apostles had to go through something hard
to prove their potential to God than I probably have to too. The rest
of Tuesday, which was also my birthday ended going really well. We were
able to get out and talk to lots of people and we had a great lesson
with our investigator Raul about the Plan of Salvation taught through 2
Nephi 2. This birthday was much better than the one I had on the mission
last year, probably something about actually knowing people here and
having somewhat of a clue of what I'm doing here and where I am;)
On
Thursday we had our interviews with President and Sister Clark. They
are super awesome, super funny, and super loving. A big focus of
their's right now is exact obedience and President shared with me a
quote that his family used a lot, "All in, or in the way." Using this
and other counsel on exact obedience, Elder Butler and I have committed
to being exactly obedient in our conduct and efforts. We aren't perfect
yet but we are striving to be as obedient as the Lord needs us to be so
that we can see the miracles that this area so desperately needs. I have
already noticed a change from these efforts, I can feel the Spirit more
throughout the day and we have seen a lot more happen here. We have
picked up more potential investigators in one week than in the past 11
that I have been here and we have been more excited for the work. We
have had a change of heart, our eyes are clear, our hearts are full, and
our focus has narrowed and if we rely on the Lord, we can't lose. This
week we had 113 contacts (our goal each week is 70 and we have only hit
that once this transfer) and a couple of really cool experiences from
those efforts.
On Friday I had the amazing
privilege to go to the temple with my former companion, Elder Davies, to
attend the wedding of our good friend Nicole, from the YSA ward that we
served in. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to see this
glorious ordinance performed for somebody that I know. It is so amazing
that the priesthood authority to perform this eternal ordinance has been
restored to the earth and that because of it we can have the knowledge
and hope that comes from knowing that our families are forever. I was
also super grateful to even have been invited to attend, as I looked
around at the others there in the sealing room and I realized they were
either family or people she had been friends with long enough for them
to be considered family. So Nicole when you read this, thanks for
letting Davies and I be there for this special moment in your life.
On
Saturday night we went to visit a less active member of our ward and
walked and contacted as we went. Unfortunately he wasn't home so we
walked around the park by his house for a little while trying to decide
what to do. I felt like we should just stay over there even though there
wasn't really anybody out and then our investigator Raul texted us
attempting to let us know what he learned from reading the chapters we
left with him but because our phones aren't the most high-tech it wasn't
going through. We realized we were right in his neighborhood so we
asked if we could come by and he said sure so we walked over to his home
and ended having an amazing lesson with him. We pointed out a few
examples of prophecies set forth in the Bible that come about through
the Book of Mormon and scriptures that connect them. To close it out
Elder Butler shared the verses in 3 Nephi about when Christ descends
from Heaven and appears to the Nephites so that we could end on a super
spiritual note. As I gave the closing prayer I felt so much love for
Raul and I felt the words that I said being guided by the Spirit as I
asked that he would have the time and desire to study the Book of Mormon
more so that he can receive an answer to his prayers. It was probably
one of the times I have felt the Spirit the strongest during a prayer
and I know it wasn't my efforts that led to that. As we left we invited
him to come to church the next day and for the first time he expressed
that he would be able to and that he would like to go, he has been being
taught for about 8 months and never come to church, so we told him we
would set up a ride for him. Unfortunately he didn't make it to church
despite our prayers but late last night he sent us a text apologizing
for not coming and saying that he really wanted to but that he had left
his phone in his sisters car and because of that he missed our
reminders. He did tell us that he will try his best to make it next week
so that is going to be our big goal.
Last
night had some other cool experiences. We were contacting in a park in
our area after feeling like we needed to go there instead of to a
members home and it ended up being pretty great. We stopped at the
porta-potty in the park and while Elder Butler was in there I saw a
couple walking towards us so I knew I needed to contact them alone. As
soon as I talked to them they very boldly let me know that they were
born-again christians and that they "knew all about mormonism." I knew
immediately that the conversation wasn't going to be very pleasant but I
prepared myself to not bash with them. They began asking the usual
questions that people ask when they want to bash but for some reason I
was able to answer each one in some way confounded them. The biggest
turning point in the conversation was when they asked me who I believe
Jesus Christ to be. I bore testimony that He is our Savior and or
Redeemer and that it is only through Him that we can have a hope of
Salvation. The lady began to angrily question my response twisting my
words to seem as though I said He was only MY Savior, and MY Redeemer. I
honestly can't remember all of what I said after that because I know it
was led by the Spirit but it was along the lines of "Yes, He is my
Savior and my Redeemer but He is everybody's Savior. He came and died
for everybody in this world, for the people over on that playground, for
the two of you, for me, and for my friend here in the bathroom" (yes
Elder Butler was still in the porta-potty, and he did say hi from inside
it when I mentioned him, it added some humor to the conversation) The
power and the Spirit that could be felt as I said this was so strong,
probably the strongest that I have ever felt when bearing testimony of
Christ. The rest of the conversation went basically the same, them
angrily asking dumb questions to which Elder Butler and I just bore
testimony in an extremely powerful way, more powerful than we could have
done without the guidance of the Spirit and in the end they realized
they weren't going to get anywhere with us and that we truly loved what
we did. It was actually the first time that I have left something like
that feeling spiritually uplifted and ready to go bear testimony to
people who are ready and humble. I'm actually really grateful for the
opportunity that talking to them gave me to feel the Spirit and
strengthen my own testimony and to experience the promise given in the
Doctrine and Covenants that "it shall be given you in the very hour what
ye shall say." I know that I wouldn't have been able to bear this
testimony with the power and authority that was there, that we wouldn't
have been able to have the amazing lesson with Raul that we did, or have
been able to talk to as many people as we did, and to begin seeing
small miracles that we have without the change of heart that we have had
and the increased obedience we are committing to. Obedience truly does
bring blessings and exact obedience truly does bring miracles.
I
hope y'all have a great week and can find opportunities to do
missionary work in ways that you can and that you can find ways to bear
testimony of Jesus Christ and His love for all of us.
Love
Elder Cheever
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