July 29, 2013

Mom,

I'm glad that helped out. My companion and I were talking about those protesters that go to those Church pageants and how dumb they are. We were talking about how we would handle them if they started to talk to us. I think the best thing to do would be to smile at them and tell them that they're wasting their time and keep moving on. Because really, that's what they're doing. Haha, dumb people!

Faith is such a great topic. Some people have such a hard time with faith though. They can't accept the fact that they need to walk by faith sometimes. I've met a few people that think that it's just a basic human need that we need religion to answer the questions that we can't answer. So we create religion and God to settle our minds. It's crazy how Satan has a hold on some people. He twists the smallest things to confuse people. Yes there are questions that we can't answer. But our attitude towards that is what makes the difference. The adversary would have us believe that it's ridiculous that we leave certain questions unanswered just because somebody says that 'God' tells us to. However, with our great light and understanding, we know that having faith brings power. (Jacob 4:6) Those people don't understand the convincing power of the Holy Ghost and since they already have a belief that they're not willing to give up, the Holy Ghost cannot let them know of the truthfulness. (2 Nephi 33:2) But that's there choice!

I haven't studied too much on the three Nephites, but that's because there's not a lot to study. I found out something the other day about their Priesthood authority. My question was, if during the Great Apostasy the Priesthood authority was lost from the earth, what happened to their Priesthood? Well, they never lost the Priesthood, but they were not allowed to exercise the Apostolic Keys during the Apostasy. They still hold the Melchizedek Priesthood to this day, but they are on inactive status. For example, President Jeppson was a stake Patriarch before his time as Mission President. He still holds those Patriarchal Keys, but he can't exercise them during his ministry as Mission President. That's what the three Nephites and John the Beloved are right now! But during the Millennium they will eventually have to die, because that's an essential part of mortal existence. That's all I can think of right now.

How could I not watch that movie with Kaylee?? Haha! How sweet.

Q of the W:

1.  How often do you work with your Ward Mission Leader?  Does he go with you to appointments?

Quite a bit. He works a graveyard shift all the time, so he doesn't come out too often. But if we specifically ask him to come with us, he'll make time and wake up for us. Every Thursday we have a coordination meeting with him, the ward missionaries, and any other ward leaders that decide to make time to come coordinate with us.

2.  So, you have stayed in 5 different cities in NJ.  Which one is your favorite?

I would have to say Union City. That place is pure Central America! It's a lot of fun. I don't think I could live there though.

3.  For in-actives, what is it that makes them most likely to come back to church?  A friend?  Reading the Book of Mormon again?

Usually by reminding them about the Spirit they felt. That can be through many ways: Church, friends and family in the Gospel, the Book of Mormon. But it all comes back to how they feel the Spirit.


This last Friday was a pretty good day. We had a total of five lessons for the whole day, which is pretty good. Our last appointment we had was with the Munoz family (who by the way did not come to church yesterday). We had a really good lesson with them though. When we showed up, they drove up in their truck with some sandwiches they had just bought along with Lays and Hawaiian Punch. I felt kind of bad because I thought they had just bought dinner for the family, but it turns out that they had remembered our appointment and wanted to feed us! They're awesome! We watched the short movie "Finding Faith in Christ" with them. I don't know if you've ever seen that movie, but it's way good. It should be available to buy for just a couple bucks on LDS.org if you want to watch it for FHE or something. If you don't know what it is, remember all the scenes from The Testaments about Jesus Christ in Israel? Finding Faith in Christ is all about His life in Israel. It's way good. I'd recommend it! It was a good lesson with them, and the Spirit was strong. That's why I was surprised that they didn't come to church...

On Saturday, we ended up doing some service for a family in the ward. They needed some help with yard work, so we went to go help out Saturday morning. During that time, I was wondering why I complained so much at home when we had to do yard work. It was such a great stress reliever this last Saturday! I don't think I'll ever complain about yard work again. I guess as well, I'll be a little more grateful for a big house and a huge yard when I get back that I'll feel obligated to take care of it. That Saturday morning was the first time I've been on a well kept lawn for months! It was great!

It was a cooler week last week. It's so much better when you don't show up to appointments wet from sweat. I can't wait for fall!!

Love you mom!
-Justin