Something to Rely On

Elder Griffiths and Elder Harper.

I've been reflecting on the past year of my mission and I've especially focused on noticing the difference in my capacity to recognize and act on promptings from the Spirit. There's a power that comes into missionary work when a missionary learns how to listen to the Spirit.

I've consistently tried my best to get better and better at following impressions from the Holy Ghost and it has helped me immensely. This is an ability that I'm going to heavily rely on the rest of my life.

Think about the word ''rely" and what it means. When you rely on something it means you can't get by without it. How good is life going to be when you decide that you can't get by without the Holy Ghost?

Just like an elderly man could rely on a cane, we should depend entirely and wholly on the Holy Ghost for help and direction. If it's a good thought, do it. Something bad will not happen from following an impression from the Spirit.

I invite each of you to begin working on this today. Test it. If you act on a good thought, it will reap a good reward. We may not see that good result immediately, but it will never hurt.

Goodbye, Sincere Robot

A photo of all the missionaries in Elder Griffiths' zone.

I was thinking yesterday and I realized that I've really been slacking on the sincerity of my prayers. One of the ways we use to approach people is by asking if we can say a prayer with them, so we end up saying a lot of prayers throughout the day and it can sometimes get repetitious because everyone always asks us to pray for their families. It's hard to be sincere each time. But that's an excuse. 

I was thinking last night about empowering experiences I've had with prayer and about how I need to truly take time to think about what I want to say with God, and how I'm going to find my answer from Him. Prayer works. We shouldn't take it lightly either. 

I slipped into a habit of praying like a "sincere robot." I would mean what I say, but I would pray for the same things each night and each morning. That's not how I should speak to God. This week I'm going to do better at that.

The Fruits of My Efforts

Elder Griffiths says these birds of prey all over the Bradenton/Palmetto area.
Sometimes he can see as many as ten of them circling outside his window.

This past week I learned that a person I had found and taught back in Plant City got baptized. His name is Elijah and he is a great man! When we started teaching him he immediately came across as someone who had been prepared by the Lord. When we gave him a Book of Mormon he read the chapters we assigned him and he took notes on what he learned (for those of you who have served missions, you know how rare that happens). 

It was really cool for me to see the fruits of my efforts in Plant City and it helped to motivate me to continue to work hard in Palmetto. You never know if someone you meet is going to remember what you say and how you act. My hope is that I can continue to improve so that people will automatically recognize me as a servant of the Lord. I would imagine that's what we all should strive for.

Hearken Unto His Voice

Chillin'.

This past week we met a man who had a master’s degree in theology. We offered to say a prayer with him and he said, "No thanks, we don't agree on who Jesus Christ is so I would be wasting my time." Then we asked him who he thought Jesus Christ was. For the next 15 minutes he explained his beliefs. He talked about the trinity and about errors he'd found in the Bible that he chose to ignore because he wasn't sure how to explain them. He talked about several other things, but the point I'm trying to make is that he was a man who believes he is wise but doesn't understand. He said he understood everything clearly and yet he still believed in the trinity. 

The scriptures are clear that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, but one in purpose. Despite his learning, he didn't know that. It shows that the wisdom of God and of His prophets is more than all the things that men try to learn on their own. It reminds me of 2 Nephi 9:21. 

I invite all of you to consider your testimony of the gospel. What areas are you struggling with in your testimony? Sincerely ask God for help and He will give it to you. 

That's What I'm Talking About!

Elder Griffiths and Elder Harper.

There might be something wrong with Elder Harper's tongue.

This past week was pretty fast! We met some great people.

Our ward mission leader has been working on getting his neighbors to listen to the gospel and a couple of them have agreed to meet with us to learn more. That's what I'm talking about! This is the kind of thing every missionary dreams of!

A common misconception is that missionaries are supposed to find all of the people to teach, but the most effective way is through the members. It's great when we get a member in the ward who reaches out to those who need the gospel. This is just a small thing that happened this week, but it makes a big difference!