Oct 7, 2019
 |
| Elder Trezise and his district |
 | |||
| Elder Trezise and his MTC companion (his favorite companion) |
Good morning family! This week was a good one. To start out, I had a good conversation with President. He called me to train again this upcoming transfer. I will be staying in my area, and 2nd half training. Elder Luekenga is going to Menan. Crazy stuff. President also talked to me about the future. He said that a General Authority told him, "If you have an Assistant for more than 6 months, you are a weak mission President." Meaning he won't call missionaries to be AP's until 18 months out at a minimum. 20-21 months is more likely even. So I was pretty happy about that. He said it's a great learning and growing experience and he wants many missionaries to get the opportunity to grow and learn from it.
Anyways, we got 2 more people on date to be
baptized... bringing us to a grand total of 7! Crazy stuff! And we had
11 nonmembers watch conference this Sunday. The average amount of people
at church is 2, and our area averages roughly 9. So I'm super excited
to stay. Although, we just picked up 3 more wards... meaning we cover 10
wards now. An entire stake. So that's super stressful. But it'll be
okay. Elder Smith and Elder Palmer are staying as my district leaders,
so overall I'm pretty happy with the way transfers have turned out.
General
Conference was amazing, and I hope you all got the opportunity to watch
it. I took a lot less notes than I normally do, thanks to Elder Bednar.
But I was able to hear the Spirit more, which was cool to see. I felt
like the overlapping topic in Conference was finding joy. Finding joy
despite circumstances, despite trials, and despite our own thoughts.
Joy, lasting happiness, comes from and through Jesus Christ. I found it
so cool that I read a talk about a week ago called "Joy and Spiritual
Survival" by President Nelson, and I believe it was quoted 3 times this
conference. My favorite part of that talk is when he talks about how the
Atonement was an act of joy. I found that difficult to understand at
first. The Savior, bleeding from every pore, suffering, is an act of
joy? President Nelson goes on to explain the joy the Savior must have
felt to offer each of us a way back to God. The joy of helping us
overcome our trials. The joy of strengthening all of God's children.
During Elder Uchtdorf's talk this conference, he said that the only way
to progress along the covenant path is to help others progress along it
as well. Isn't that exactly what the Savior was doing in the garden?
Helping ALL of us progress along the covenant path. This is one major
way we can feel joy. So yes, the Atonement was an act joy. Despite the
fact that it was the hardest thing ever done in history. This is the
prime example of how we can find joy despite difficult circumstances.
So
please, if you are struggling right now. If life is hard for you, if
you are doubting your faith, doubting God, or even just doubting the
things of the world. If you are discouraged or down, stop looking
inward. Go out and serve others. One of my favorite scriptures of all
time is found in Matthew 25. It was also quoted in conference. The
Savior says, "I was hungry, and you gave me meat. I was thirsty, and you
gave me drink. I was a stranger and ye took me in, naked and ye clothed
me. I was isck and you came unto me, in prison and ye visited me....
inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
you have done it unto me." When we cross reference this with Mosiah
2:17; "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in
the service of your God." We can understand that by helping others we
are actually helping the Savior. He has to suffer less in the garden as
our brethren around us have to suffer less. He is open to more joy in
the garden as we help others overcome trials. And soon, as we are
helping them overcome their trials, we will see that ours is no longer
there.
In conference, I don't remember who said it, but one of the
speakers talked about feeling broken. Ever since the death of JD I have
felt broken. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, and spiraled down a
path that brought more and more misery. As this speaker said that, I
reflected on my own life. I expected to look inside myself, to find I
was still broken, and, like touching something sharp, quickly retreat
back out of myself. But, for the first time since his death, when I
reflected on my own brokenness, I found it was no longer there. There
was no pain. There was no misery. I felt healed. Much to the surprise of
my district, I broke into tears and had to leave the room. I don't know
when this healing happened. This was the first time I have reflected on
myself in a long time. Without knowing it, I could have been healed for
months, even as far as a year. Without realizing it, my deepest problem
slowly dissipated. Because I didn't constantly look at it, as I have in
the past. I focused on others. I focused on helping others receive the
Gospel. That is definitely the best part of being in leadership in the
mission. I don't have time for myself. My time is my district's time. Is
my zone's time. Is my mission's time. I can't possibly express in words
to you the peace and happiness I have felt out here on my mission.
I
promise each of you that this Gospel is true. I promise you that our
Savior, Jesus Christ lives! He is real! He has the power to heal you!
Please let Him in! Stop holding on to your pains and trials. Stop
clutching so tightly to the past. Let go. Everything will be okay.
Everything IS okay. Right now. Today. I love each of you. I promise you
that this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the Earth today.
Restored through a prophet who really did see God. Who really did see
the Redeemer. And I invite each of you to know this the way I know it.
Open the Book of Mormon. Lay your pains out in front of God, and read
it. You will find the peace I have found. I testify of this in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Elder Trezise
Comments
Post a Comment