May 27, 2019

Elder Trezise and Elder Brazier (his companion)

Elder Trezise and his MTC companion

His Zone along with the Mission President and his wife

Elder Trezise and Elder Smith

Elder Trezise and part of his zone all in ties Elder Rich made

Elder Trezise and Elder Rich

Doing the Work

Gangsta

 

 Here is Elder Trezise's letter for the week:

It was a really good week this week. We met all the goals we set, and had a lot of fun. I have some good pictures. On Wednesday I went on an exchange with my District Leader, Elder Steele. He's an amazing missionary, and I learn a lot from him every exchange. We ended up talking to 57 new people and finding a new person to teach. It was awesome. We worked our butts off. It was awesome. Other than that, it was pretty good. I can't remember much. We gave talks yesterday which was good. I figured that would be a good one to send as an email, cuz everything is closed down and I have to write with my phone which takes FOREVER. 

 

"Good morning Brothers and Sisters. For those of you who know me, you probably don't remember my name, it's a hard one, sorry.
As a short introduction; My name is Elder Trezise, and I am from Chandler Arizona. I have been out on my mission about 8 months, and Shelley is my 2nd area. My first was in the Idaho Falls North Stake, up by the temple. I have three brothers, one older, two younger. Needless to say, it was a chaotic house growing up. And the topic I'm speaking on was a huge one in my home. 

I am here today to talk to you about a subject that has been drilled into your heads over and over again. So I hope to bring some new thoughts to your mind concerning the topic. The topic is repentance. Yes, it is one you all know well. But have you thought about why repentance is talked about so much in our church? Because repentance is the key to the gates of Heaven. Repentance is how we achieve exaltation. 

Now this is a hefty topic. And one I could talk about for hours. But I have a very limited time, so I'm going to break it down to the basics. What is repentance? Doctrine and Covenants section 58: verses 42-43 teach;
"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.
By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them."

Repentance is confessing and forsaking our sins. Confessing them to God, and, depending on the sin, to church authorities, and those we've wronged. Often times the difficult part seems to be the part where you confess it to a church authority. That is where the fear kicks in right? Why? Fear of what? These are men that are called of God. They have a sincere love for you. A Godly love. A love that you, if you are procrastinating repentance, don't understand. They aren't going to rebuke you. They love you and want to help you. Please understand that.
And the other part of repentance is forsaking. Getting rid of the sin. Turning away from it. But, this side is often viewed as changing our behavior. That's what it is right? A behavioral change so you will no longer do the sin? No. No. God is not asking you to change just your behavior. If you change your behavior, you WILL stay away from the sin, but your thoughts will still wander to it. God doesn't want a behavioral change. He wants you to change your nature. Not just your actions but your very thoughts. To change who you are. To grow and improve. That it what God wants. A permanent change. 

Now the 'how' part. How is it possible for us to repent? I guess more accurately, who makes it possible for us to repent? The answer is one we all know. Christ makes it possible. Because of Christ's Atonement, we are able to grow. We are able to change. To be better. He paid the price for all the stupid mistakes that we make. ALL the dumb things we've done. Because of His suffering, we can be forgiven. Through Christ's grace, we can repent. When we repent we will feel forgiven. We will feel a true change. But there are times that even after we repent where we will still feel guilty. Guilt is of the devil. Sorrow is of God. Sorrow is feeling remorse for something. Sorrow is wanting to change. To be better.
I'm going to give an example from one of my favorite talks. It's called 'His Grace is Sufficient' by Brad Wilcox. And in it, he describes Christ's grace as; "Christ's arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. Because mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child's practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child's practice repay mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for mom's incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom's joy is not found in getting repaid, but in seeing her gift used. Seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.

If the child see's mom's requirement of practice as being too overbearing ("Gosh mom! Why do I need to practice? None of the other kids have to practice!") Perhaps it is because he doesn't yet see with mom's eyes. He doesn't see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane.
In the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, He can now turn to us and say, "Follow me." "Keep my commandments." If we see His requirements as being way too much, ("Gosh! None of the other Christians have to pay tithing! None of the other Christian's have to go on missions. None of the other Christians have to serve in callings, or do temple work!") Maybe it is because we do not yet see through Christ's eyes. We have not yet comprehended what he is trying to make of us."

That is the truth of Christ's Grace, but is is also the truth of repentance. We don't repent because it is hard, or scary, or whatever. For one reason or another, we put off repentance. But that is because we don't truly understand the healing power that it has in our lives. Repentance has the power to heal any spiritual, mental, or emotional wound we have. It is power progress.
In the last Priesthood session of Conference, President Nelson, in his talk called, "We Can Do Better and Be Better," said, "Too many people consider repentance as punishment - something to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, and purify, and sanctity us."
That is the truth. Christ is standing, waiting for us to push through and accept His Atonement. Ready to heal and forgive us.
My favorite scripture is found in the Book of Mormon. It is Helaman chapter 5, verse 12, and it reads,
"And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that you must build your foundation. That when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind; yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, that it shall have no power over you to drag you down to that gulf of misery and endless woe. Because of the rock upon which ye are built. Which is a sure foundation. A foundation wheron if men build, they cannot fall."

Yes it's going to be hard. Yes, trials are going to come. The devil IS going to send it forth. But if you are built on Christ, it has NO power over you. If you are built on Christ, "you cannot fall." You can't fall because Christ will catch you. He is waiting with open arms, right behind you for when you feel like falling. He lifts the pains that drag you down. He takes the sorrow that discourages you. He has born your pains, your sicknesses and your trials. He has paid the price for you, for me, and for each of us.
That is the beauty of repentance. Trials come, we make mistakes. We fall short. Maybe we miss the finish line by a mile, maybe we miss it by a foot. No matter what sins we commit, He will push us through that finish line. We just have to turn to Him and say, "Help me. Please." And He WILL help you! He will lift you! He loves you.
The story of the storm found in Mark is a great symbol for repentance. The Disciples are sailing and Christ is sleeping. A great storm comes forth, shaking the boat, throwing things overboard. By all means it looks as if it's the end for the Disciples. The storm represents the trials and temptations of our lives. It represents our sins. They try to fix the problem themselves at first, to no avail. And finally they turn to the sleeping Master. They wake Him up and say,
"Master, carest thou not that we perish?And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?"

Christ is right there. He's on the boat with us. When those sins and mistakes happen, when the storms of life start to destroy our lives, He is just waiting for you to turn to Him and say, "I need you." And He will stop the storm. He will fix the mistake. He has the power to heal us. We just need to have enough faith."
And at the end of the talk, I bore my personal testimony about repentance. I don't remember what I said, so I'll just bear my testimony to all of you. I KNOW, with an absolute knowledge that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. That it has the purifying power to heal any wound. To write any wrong. To fix any sin, and calm any storm. I know that God loves us. More than we can comprehend. He loves us enough to send His son to bear our trials, our pains, our afflictions, and every stupid, dumb decision we ever make. He loves us enough to forgive us. He loves us more than a mother loves her child. We don't even understand the love God has for us. He isn't trying to make repentance this hard, long process. He wants us to repent. He wants to see us become better. He loves us. I testify of this! With all of my heart! And I do so in the name of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.