Hello everyone! This is your favorite Mormon Missionary from South Jordan, Utah, serving in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission--Elder Z.S.Weber! Once more, I am sending out a newsletter to all my friends, family, and wild admirers (if I have any) that want to know what's been going down in that small corner of the garden my Heavenly Father entrusted me with, Kimball, Nebraska. Before I get in on that, though, I'd like to make an announcement. Today, March 2nd, marks the end of my sixth month out on the mission! Amazing how fast time flies, right? Already, a quarter of my mission-life has come and gone, and it's amazing just how wonderful it's been. I've truly loved my mission, and am really looking forward to the coming three-quarters that are just around the corner!
Now then, on to this last week. To start off, I'd like to go back to Wednesday of last week. As usual, Elder Tapia and I started off our day with a few hours of service over at the Recycling Center, and then we went about our business as Missionaries as usual. That day, however, we found it fairly difficult to do work, due to how crazy the weather was. Now, I know, the weather is crazy wherever you are. In fact, back in my home state of Utah, the saying is that "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." But, seriously, I swear I saw all four seasons pass by in the space of maybe three hours! Rain, snow, sunshine, clouds--you name it, we had it that day. Still, we were able to get a fair amount of work done, and meet more of the less-active members that live in our area. Hopefully, we'll be able to meet with them more often, as chance permits it.
Thursday was another interesting day. Earlier in the week, we had had some problem with our Subaru...we got a crack in the windshield. This wasn't any little crack, either. This crack was probably about five feet long, and went from one side of the window to the other. Now, it wasn't bad enough that we couldn't drive anywhere (at least that's what Elder Tapia told me), but it still needed to be fixed. So, we called up the nearest window-replacement shop (which was about forty miles away) and set up an appointment. Well, the guy that was going to replace our window came over, checked it out, and then said that due to the snow, the wind, and the cold, he couldn't fix our window and feel good about us driving away safely afterwords. So, we just rescheduled another appointment for this week, and prayed that things would go over better than they had Thursday.
Though we faced problems on Thursday, Friday was much more wonderful and amazing, and easily made up for the problems from the last few days. As y'all probably remember from my last few emails, we've had an investigator we've been working on named Brian McKay. Well, two weeks ago, we committed him to baptism, and asked him to pray and ponder over a date in the coming weeks that he would feel was the best date for him to be baptized on. So, Friday, before we taught him again, we prayed one last time, together and separately, that we'd know what day to ask Brian to be baptized. And, after praying, we both felt inspired to ask him if March 14th would be a day that he could be baptized on. He said that he'd think about it, but seemed very positive and excited about the possibility of getting baptized very soon. Being there, saying that, and feeling the Spirit so strongly...oh, how I wish my mission could just be filled to the brim with moments like that!
So, once again, I'm happy to declare that this week has been amazing. And, with that, I'd like to share a quick spiritual thought with all y'all. It's something that I've been pondering over a lot recently, and I feel it's something we all can gain something from.
There's a certain scripture in Mosiah, from the Book of Mormon, that reads as such; "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Mosiah 2:41)"
What I'd like to focus on is that statement near the beginning of the scripture,"the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God". As followers of Christ, we all realize that in order to receive Salvation, or Eternal life, or Exaltation, or the Highest Degree of Glory, or call it what you will, we have to keep the commandments of God. However, do we ever stop and think about the joy that keeping the commandments brings? Too often, I feel, we see the commandments as restrictions that keep us from enjoying the "finer" things of mortality. "Because of the Word of Wisdom, I can't have alcohol." "Because of the Law of the Sabbath, I can't hang out with my friends on Sundays." "Because of the Law of Tithing, I have to give up 10% of my income for the Church." These complaints, as well as all others, are a very narrow-minded way at looking at the commandments of God.
Let's take a step back. God is our loving Heavenly Father. Therefore, whatever He tells us to do must therefore be good for us. Whatever is good is of God, and whatever is evil is of the Devil. Therefore, we can't have a commandment that is bad. But more than that, because our Heavenly Father loves us, He'll make the commandments things that can give us joy. The worst thing a parent can ever see is a child who is in misery. I can't say that from experience, but from the opposite end of the spectrum--being the child that was in distress, and seeing my parents' reactions. Therefore, all commandments given to us, God's children, must not only be for our benefit, but must also give us joy. So, the secret to a happy life, and a happy eternal life, is to keep the commandments of God. They will give us more joy than we could ever find in breaking them, I know that with utmost surety.
This I say in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
--Elder Z.S.Weber
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