things are going awesome for me right now, we have a baptism november 5th, and the work is a little too legit to quit! this last weekend we had stake conference, and it was soo good! i want to talk a little bit about a talk that a 21 year old gave who is preparing to serve a mission to the marshal islands! All his life he played soccer and got a lot of sweet offers to a lot of schools for college, at this time he was concidering either a mission or go and play soccer. He got a full ride scholarship to i dont remember what school, and was playing all the time. When he got his scholarship was when he decided that he didnt want to go on a mission. He was traveling all the time to london and others places to play, and it was his life. He came home to visit his family and attended church that weekend, and one of the teachers taught something that gave him a for sure answer that he needed to drop what he was doing and serve the Lord. His talk was a lot more powerful then i am making it sound and his testimony was so strong. it made me think of a quote by James E Faust he said: "Without the gospel we learn by sad experience that making the easier choice, the selfish choice, the sinful choice never leads to real happiness. It’s ironic that choosing what often seems easiest—sin, pleasure, laziness, selfishness—makes our life more difficult and unhappy in the long run." I really got to thinking about the agency that God has given us in this life to ultimately give us happiness, and how the only way that we dont recieve that joy and happiness is by yielding to temptation and sin. I was reading this morning in 2 nephi 2 and we find out that Satan wants us to be miserable like he is. and when we sin it gives him counterfeit joy (3 nephi 9:2). The experiences that this 21 year old had in his life really showed me how hard Satan is working to get us to not progress in this life. As i was reading this morning i read that this life is a probationary state? i looked up the word probation and found two answers, 1: An early release of law breakers who must be under supervision and must report as requested to a probation officer. and 2: A period given to test qualifications and character of a new employee. The way that i look at the first one is that because of the fall of adam and eve we are now able to break the law. What we have to go to our probation officer (Christ) listen to his words and choose eternal life (2 Nephi 2:28). In number 2, we can see it as we are all new employees sent to earth, to qualify, and to build our character to return to God.
"We have been given agency, we have been given the blessings of the priesthood, and we have been given the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost for a reason. That reason is our growth and happiness in this world and eternal life in the world to come. Today I ask, have we received that Spirit? Are we following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination." Robert D. Hales
This 21 year old got a hold of this spirit and is now able to be on that path. What we need to do everyday is feel that spirit and stay on that path. The hard part is that Satan "lies at our door" (moses 5:23) everyday, and the choices we make either lead us to him, or lead us to Christ. "The promptings that come to us to flee evil reflect our Heavenly Father’s understanding of our particular strengths and weaknesses and His awareness of the UNFORESEEN SIRCUMSTANCES IN OUR LIVES." R.D.H. "We need to remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, and to lift and strengthen others in their trials." It is so awesome that because of this one choice that this kid made in his life to serve a mission, he will be doing exactly that. One thing that has always helped me to make better choices is knowing that as we choose to follow Satan it gives him power to bring us down where he is and there, we wont be able to make choices at all, he will reign over us(2 Nephi 2:29). The last thing i want is to give that noob any sort of power. hahah if anyone is struggling and thinks that maybe there agency isnt so strong, i know that through faith and obedience it can be strengthen. and that all spiritual light is found within Christ, and as we use our agency to follow him, that light will grow within us. I love being on a mission, it has helped me grow soooo darn much! i know that through living the gospel is the only way to true happiness. I love you all and cant wait to see you again! :) i am doing great, so dont worry about me. Ta Ta!
