This week was a fun week. We had a lot of training meetings though. We were super busy, but surprisingly we were able to use the time that we did have really effectively and get quite a bit done. We had an excellent week, and we were able to help out a lot of people.
On Thursday we had some people from the
missionary department come and give us some training. Brother Lee
Donaldson and Roger Web came to speak with us. That was really fun,
but it was really long though (haha). It went from like nine in the
morning to four. It was a really nice meeting, and helped me to focus
a lot.
On Friday we had our specialized
training. We have one of those every other transfer. It was nice.
On Saturday we got to do some service.
We got to help out the post office with their service food drive,
"Stamp
Out Hunger," I think it was called. All the mail carrier
trucks would go out and pick up the food from the mail boxes. They
bring it back and we helped them sort everything out and unload all
the cans and boxes. It was fun.
We were also able to Skype you guys. It
was a nice highlight and nice Mother's Day.
We pretty much play basketball every
P-day. I need to start taking pictures -- my bad (haha). I will make
sure I get some pictures before I leave Anchorage. Exercise is nice.
We were able to start teaching this
little nine year old girl. It's kind of fun. It's like being back in
Primary. She is very nice and very quiet. She is very smart and it's
fun to teach her. She is the niece to one of the members in the ward.
We had a lot of people to Church on Sunday. It was really nice.
Sunday was packed, because in the Samoan culture, Mother's Day
apparently is a really big deal. I'm guessing that's why we had a ton
of people. They also changed the bishopric a little bit. Not
entirely, but a little bit. We had some people there for the first
time, who had never been there before.
Studying... I've been reading the Book
of Mormon. I have been going over that training because I recorded
it. I've been listening to it over and over again. Oh!! I really
liked D&C section 19, because that is the only first hand account
of the atonement. There is a particular part in their that I like. In
D&C
section 19 verse 20 it says:
"Wherefore, I
command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty
power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these
punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea,
even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my
Spirit."
So when we feel that suffering, you
know that punishment for sins or whatever, that only happens because
he withdraws his spirit because the Spirit cannot be with us when we
are being wicked. So he says, "in the least degree you have
tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit." I reference that to
Mormon
chapter 2 verse 13 where the people are crying out. Mormon gets
happy for a sec because he thinks they are repenting, but they're
really not. They are just miserable because of their wrong choices,
because God is not going to always allow them to take happiness in
sin. Since he withdrew the Spirit from the people because they were
so wicked, they became really, really miserable. That's just what
happens when you sin, it makes you miserable even if you don't
realize it. And that's only because God withdraws his Spirit because
he can't be there. It's not because he is punishing you or anything,
it is just because he can't protect you anymore because you won't let
him.
Brother Donaldson gave a little insight
on verse
18. When the Savior, talking about the atonement, says:
"Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—"
Regarding the ending dash "—",
he said, the Savior was either going to say more and didn't --
because it just ends -- or after eighteen hundred years it's still
too painful to talk about. I thought that was kind of neat. The words
on the page are from someone with feeling talking.
Anchorage is starting to get really
pretty, so I will start to take more pictures. It's starting to get
kind of green. The trees are starting to blossom.
I want to bear my testimony that I know
the
Book of Mormon is true. I know the Church is true. I am thankful
to be a missionary. It's helping me out a lot, especially with my
focus (haha). Although I'm still not very focused because I'm still
really tired. But it's really nice, and I enjoy it. I know that as we
do our best, the Lord is there for us and will help us out. When we
do sin, and he withdraws his Spirit, we can repent and do better.
Mostly through not doing that thing again and going to Church and
partaking of the sacrament and reading your scriptures -- that helps
a lot too.
Love, Elder Record
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