He will create a God

"What kind of person will you become? By this I do not mean what role in life will you take. I don't mean will you be a cowboy, lawyer, surfer, homemaker, engineer, computer programmer, accountant or the like. I do not refer to what kind of car you will drive; what kind of clothes you will wear; what kind of house you will live in; I mean, when all of that is removed and there you stand alone, who will you be? I mean, you."

This week I read a talk by Lawrence E. Corbridge called The Fourth Missionary. It really touched my heart and taught me a lot about not only serving with all my strength and might but with my heart and mind also. 

"The purpose and central blessing of life is change. It is to be changed to become more like Jesus Christ. This process of change, this process of evolving, becoming, is the object of the gospel. Redemptive change happens by the power of the Holy Ghost. But it happens only if and when your heart is right. It happens only if you do not fight against God. It happens only if you unconditionally surrender your will to the Lord."

Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 9:6:
6. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver.

I remember when I first came across this scripture. It must have been a bad day, or worse yet maybe my heart was in a bad way. I remember thinking, "Oh man! It isn't enough that I give and give and give, but now I have to smile when I do it, or it's not any good? What's next? Life blood?" Resentment. Why does God love and want us to become cheerful givers? Is it that He doesn't want any grumps in His house? No, it isn't that He wants a house full of happy campers. Rather it is that you can't be changed to become like him against your will.

"If you're not happy, if you are frustrated or resentful, look inside. It is within you. Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is within you." It is in your head and in your heart. It starts in your head and then your heart follows. You only need say to the Lord in your head, "I give up. I surrender. I won't fight anymore. Here it is. Here are my desires. Here is my will. I want only to do what you want me to do. That's enough for me. That's all 1 want, because it is the only intelligent thing to do."

"The truth is that it doesn't take eons of time to do this. Our nature, our hearts, our desires can be changed almost immediately upon the attainment of knowledge. Our nature can change almost immediately as we come to understand true doctrine. In this instance, as you come to understand that the only way to light, intelligence, strength, capacity, peace, contentment, grace, knowledge, power, happiness, mercy, joy and every other good thing, is to follow Christ, then you will want to follow Him because it is the only intelligent thing to do. Not because you are a saint, not because you are better than others; rather, because you are more intelligent than others. It is the only intelligent thing to do. When you understand that, then you will forget about yourself, and your will. and your only desire will be to do the Lord's will."

"In the end, your heart and your will is all that you have to give that the Lord does not already have. If you give your time, and your strength, you give only that which He grants to you with each beat of your heart and each breath that you draw. If you dedicate your gifts and talents, you only return to Him what He already has given to you. Everything that you have to give to the Lord, has its origin in Him, except one thing: your will. He does not have your heart, nor your mind, unless you give them to Him. It is the only gift you have to offer that He does not already have. And so when you give yourself, you truly give everything to Him."

Just give it up. Surrender your will to Him. Unconditionally. Withhold nothing. Turn it all over to Him; all of your desires, wishes, dreams and hopes. Be true and faithful in your head and in your heart, not just in your behavior. Trust in Him. Trust Him who knows all things. Trust Him who has all power. Trust Him whose love for you is perfect. Trust Him, who alone suffered, paid and atoned for your sins, and for your weaknesses as well. Trust Him that He will make of you, immeasurably more, than what you will ever, ever, in all eternity, make of yourself. He will create of you a masterpiece. You will create of you only a smudge. You will create an ordinary man. He will create a God.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

As I prepared for my mission I realized pretty quickly that God was asking me just how much I really loved him. Do I love him more than my Iphone, do I love him more than my car? How about my job or my friends? Do I love him more than I love my family? As my MTC arrival date drew closer I gave up each of my comforts one my one. I was being asked to show God that I would love him above all else.

As a missionary I am put through the same test again and again. Do I love him more than than my comfort zone? Do I love him more than familiarity, or new friends? My life is in constant motion. When life is becoming comfortable and familiar it's time to move onto the next place, or next companion, or new investigators.

This experience has taught me many things about myself, and about the gospel. The biggest lesson I  have learned is to Center my life on Jesus Christ and rely moment to moment on the Holy Ghost. The only true constant any of us have in our lives is the Savior. My mission is a pressure cooker for this kind of experience, but each of us needs to strip away all the excess in our live. We are then left with the ultimate source of comfort and strength, Jesus Christ.

"Grace is not a boaster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here, right now."

A missionaries job is to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It has taught me to rely on my Savior. I know that he loves me, and that he will guide my future. He is mindful of each of us, and if we can strip way the clutter we will find him waiting with open arms.

3Nephi 13: 28-33

I'll go where you want me to go

"There's surely somewhere a lowly place

in Earth's harvest fields so wide,

Where I may labor through life's short days

for Jesus the crucified."

We sang the song "I'll go where you want me to go" in District Meeting this week and the last verse really stuck with me. For the past few months I have had a front row seat to "Earths harvest fields so wide". I've seen the green waves of June turn into the gold of August, and the harvest of September. This verse really did a beautiful job of describing the place I have been blessed to labor. 

Montana really is unique. The people here have such a strong love of God. Each person I meet has a wonderful story full of blessings and experiences that they have had with the Spirit. The people are so kind and down to Earth. This really is God's country and I'm happy to labor here in my missionary work. But the point of the song is that it doesn't matter where you live, Gods work is everywhere.

General Conference was saturated with Member Missionary work, as well as the Oct. Ensign. I take most of my thoughts from these.

"Our task is not insurmountable. We are on the Lords errand; we are entitled to his help".   -Monson

There are two fundamental reasons people return to activity, change their attitudes, habits and actions.  First, someone has shown them their eternal possibilities and helped them decide to achieve them. Second, others return because loved ones follow the admonition of the Savior and "have loved their neighbor as themselves."

My work as a missionary would be nearly impossible without the amazing help I have received from the members of the church.  I have found a true testimony in the vital role members play. There truly is a difference when the members take an interest in the people in their area.

"Full time missionaries help the members with the members missionary work, not vice versa. Members and missionaries are thus partners in bringing the gospel into the lives of those the Lord has prepared."

So how do members fit into the picture of Hastening the Work of Salvation?

-Become true disciples of Jesus Christ 

-Pray for missionary experiences

-Immerse your life in loving and serving those around you

-Comfort a co-worker in need

-Invite a friend to a baptism or other church event

-Help an elderly neighbor with his yard work

-Invite a Less Active Member over for a meal

-Help a neighbor with family history

-Share your testimony with those you care about.

These are all natural, joyful ways to invite Less Active Members and those not of our faith into our lives and conseqently into the light of the gospel.  Success comes by following the inspiration that flows into our minds and hearts and simply inviting others into our gospel-centered lives. 

I am thankful to all the members who have given so much to help me fulfil my calling as a full time missionaries. I pray that each of us can gain a renewed excitement about our missionary work and reach out to our brothers and sisters.

"So trusting my all to thy tender care

and knowing thou lovest me,

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere

I'll be what you want me to be."   

Serving in His Kingdom

My mission has really given me a love of service. Doing good really can be become an opportunity. 

After Service Tracting for a couple hours this week we were on our way back home to change and continue the rest of our day. I felt like we should stop at one more door and I'm very grateful that we did. After hours of knocking doors we were finally given the service project we had been asking for. 

The next morning we headed over to the house and started racking leaves. It was a big job, a huge yard full of Cottonwood Trees.  I loved it!  Me and Sister Todd had such a blast! The weather was perfect, and the ground was dry so we could just enjoy the fall day. It took several hours but I really did enjoy that chance to "go about doing good".

Serving in God's kingdom is one of the covenants that we all make at baptism. This promise to love and serve our fellowman doesn't have to be a burden, it can truly be a blessing. 

Take the opportunity to do the small things.

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they

 know how much  you care."