IF YOU READ ANY OF THIS, PLEASE READ THE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS.
This week has been absolutely amazing. It flew by, but it was awesome.
First strange thing that happened. We taught a less active this week who is less active because she doesn't think we put Joseph Smith on a high enough pedis tool. I was seriously like, Sister so&so... people literally have yelled in my face because they think we worship Joseph Smith and you think we don't praise him enough?!?
Needless to say, she has a very strong and firm testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel, but she seriously needs to understand that the church is called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" because we believe that Jesus is the Christ. Yes, we do believe that Joseph Smith has done a whole heck of a lot for us in these latter-day, but we don't worship him neither do we think we should. I mean, the first of the "big ten" is Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me.
I was confused.
Another strange thing that happened. We met a very "spiritual" man while tracting. If you've been a missionary, you know what I mean by spiritual.
Seriously, he was legit though. He was basically talking about the creation and everything in nature. He said, "You look at everything in this world - everything that God has created - and you just can't help but think there is no possible way everything just happened to work out."
I was like, "yes, I understand my friend."
Seriously, I look and everything from the mud that we drive in while we go to the reserve (basically went off-reading/muddling while trying to get to a supper appointment) to the giant pine trees that have been growing here for who knows how long; as I look at all of God's creations I think to myself there is truly a supreme creator who is the author of diversity.
Anyway, we talked for a while. Turns out he is from Victoria, BC. However, he is so interested in the Book of Mormon. He GAVE us his information so we can talk more about the Book of Mormon with him. He was truly a miracle.
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This is the part you should read:
We had the amazing opportunity to shake Elder M. Russell Ballard's hand and to hear from him for two hours and fifteen-ish minutes.
First, I thought he was a pretty big guy (like broad shoulders and tall), but he is shorter than I am.
Second, while I was listening to him. I learned that he is a human. He talked about his mission, and said something like "if you don't know the gospel, if you don't know the scriptures, it's okay. Even I don't know everything."
Then he said, "Don't ask me where Kolob is because, I do not know."
There was also one part of the meeting that really just hit me hard.
At the very end, it felt like he was looking very deep into my heart (he was looking at my section, but directly at who I don't know) and said, "you cannot realize what it means to Him for the effort that you are making."
As soon as he said that, I had tears streaming down my face. What he had said literally just pierced my heart. Lately, I have felt like everything we have been doing - going to the reserve every other day, hours upon hours of knocking on doors, getting our hopes up when an investigator tells us they are coming to church - has been in vain. And in that moment, Elder M. Russell Ballard had calmed my troubled heart by one sentence.
Friends & Family,
Jesus Christ has taken upon himself every single one of our pains, sins, and sorrows. He knows what it is like to feel alone. He has experienced that. Although he never sinned because he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, he knows what it feels like to make mistakes.
What I learned from the meeting with Elder Ballard is, Christ knows exactly how I feel when we drive a half hour through mud and rain to get to the reserve and have every single one of our appointments fall through. He knows what it is like to feel disappointment. However, our efforts our not in vain.
I am so so thankful that I know about the knowledge of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is my friend. He is your friend. The knowledge that I have of him has blessed my life and please remember that the invitation to each of us is always the same, "Follow Him."
Thank you everyone for your time, and if you made it all the way through, you're a champ. 🏆🏆🏆
Also, HBD to me next Monday #20 🎉🎁🎈🎊
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