Good Morning Universe and all that inhabit it! This is your favorite
Elder from the Colorado Fort Collins Mission, the funny and
charismatic Elder Z.S.Weber, reporting in once again with a quick
update on life in the Mariana Butte Ward. But before I get to my
dealings this past week, I feel I should apologize for last week's
summary—or rather, lack thereof. After I got through describing my new
companion, Elder Oaks, I sort of just speedily summarized the rest of
the week into a quick paragraph and then rushed into the Spiritual
Thought. So, this week, I'm happy to declare that I've got some actual
details for this week's update. I hope you enjoy every moment and
message I have to share. With that now said, let's go!
This week started out pretty rough for me, as late Tuesday evening I
came down with a rough bout of nausea that forced us to go home early.
Luckily, after receiving a blessing from Elder Oaks and laying down to
rest, I woke up the next morning ready to get to work, and get to work
we did. Wednesday started off with a Zone Meeting with the other
missionaries in our Zone. It was, by far, the most interesting Zone
Meeting I'd ever had on my mission, because there were a lot of
testimonies given, and several more trainings than what we would
normally have. Perhaps one of the most profound messages was given by
this Elder Hancock, who bore a powerful message on the importance of
continually keeping the commandments of God and not straying from the
path beside the iron rod.
However, because of the depth of the testimonies and the powerful
presence of the Spirit, we ended up going over by about an hour than
what we'd been planning with the meeting, so we had to rush straight
off to service the moment the closing prayer was given. As we went to
work after the meeting, I couldn't help but notice that Elder Oaks was
visibly irritated, obviously because of how late the meeting had run.
I tried to find a way that I could help alleviate his anger, but
finding none, I just hoped that something would happen that would
distract him from his frustrations. As it so happened, Heavenly Father
was able to give me a hand there, as we had a wonderful chance to
teach this woman named Carolyn about the Plan of Salvation and the
purpose of the temple. The spirit was powerful, and afterwords, both
Elder Oaks and I were just broad grins, all thoughts of the meeting
lost in the past.
Thursday was also another awesome day, as we had another wonderful
chance to do service. This time, it was at the local thrift shop,
called the ARC. Our duties at ARC are very simple—we put clothes out
on the racks and keep the clothing area of the store nice and
organized. It can be really rough sometimes—last week especially, with
all of the people coming in last-minute for a cheap Halloween
costume—but it's actually a really nice experience, one that I really
enjoy. Though, I will say that it never ceases to amaze me what you
can find in those thrift shops. Some of these clothes are practically
brand-new from the store! They aren't out of fashion, either, which is
what really has my head spinning. Anyways, it was a great way to spend
the afternoon, just helping people out and doing some very simple
service.
Not much happened on Friday, besides a few meetings with some of the
members in the area and some further digitizing of our area book
records onto our iPads, so we'll be moving on to Saturday! Initially,
not much happened on Saturday, at least for the large bulk of the day.
However, come evening, that changed greatly. Come evening, we had the
happy opportunity to teach the recent convert in the area, one
Richard, right after we had dinner. The lesson—or rather, the
follow-up lesson—was on the Plan of Salvation, a topic that I happen
to know a lot about...perhaps too much about...Nevertheless, the
lesson went great, and we were able to leave the house with a great
feeling in our hearts. Even better, Richard's friend and
fellowshipper, Sister De Giulio (Dee-Jew-Lee-Oh), had her less-active
son over as well, and he seemed to be listening in on most of the
lesson!
So, yeah, this last week was great! It's been a long time since I've
had a week this good—far too long, if you ask me. Now, with our weekly
summary done with, I think it's time we get to our Spiritual Message
of the week!
This week's topic comes from the Zone Meeting we had back on
Wednesday. Towards the end of the meeting, one of the Elders that was
going home at the end of this transfer, Elder Torres, was asked to
give his testimony. His testimony was directed towards being someone's
hero—the person to introduce them to the gospel, or to lead them into
the waters of baptism. At the end of his testimony, he showed a short
clip from the movie, The Other Side of Heaven (if you've never seen
it, I highly recommend it. It's a great movie). The clip showed Elder
Grober and his companion walking down the beach, and Elder Grober
asked his companion why he has so much faith in him. His companion
gave a stunning and powerful testimony about his faith in the church,
of his conversion story, and how he knew Elder Grober's message he has
to share is true and powerful.
As part of this elder's testimony, he shared a story of some of the
first missionaries from the restored church leaving their families
behind as they left for a mission in England. Though they were sick
with fever as they left, still they soldiered on, proud to go about
serving their brothers and sisters. To them, the sacrifices they were
making were small in comparison to the work they were being given the
happy occasion to fulfill. As they rode off, they stood in their
wagon, looked back at their families, and proudly cried out with
voiced like angels, "Hurrah for Israel! Hurrah for Israel! Hurrah for
Israel!"
That same cheer that those missionaries declared is the one I echo now
in my message today, geared towards all those who have been called to
serve—in missions, in callings, or in family. In other words,
everyone. It is expected of us to sacrifice much for the Lord, and
indeed for others. Dreams and visions we have for the future must be
put on hold, or completely set aside, so that the work our Lord has
for us can be accomplished today. Yet, there is still cause to rejoice
and raise our voices in praise. We are doing a marvelous work in our
day. We are building the Kingdom of the Lord where we stand now. Be
not weary of the sacrifices we have given—for the blessings our Lord
has in store for us for serving Him, and serving our fellow men, will
more than make up for it.
Some might say that this is simply wishful thinking, that the
sacrifices in our lives are meaningless, and have no true weight or
value. In truth, they would say that we are wasting our lives in our
service to our God. But these beliefs are false. I bear solemn witness
that the sacrifices we make as members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints—as servants of the One True God—are not simply
wastes of our time, nor are our beliefs that our blessings out-weigh
our sacrifices unfounded or foolish. I know from experience that when
we give our whole selves over to the Lord and let Him lead, He can do
far more great things with us, and make much grander beings out of us,
than we could on our own. This I bear proud witness of, in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
—Elder Z.S.Weber
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