Que es la fe?

Mi familia,

 

My goodness, this week started out slow. We had nothing set and just went by people and knocked and contacted and drove and drove and drove...But it ended up being a good week. We've found some neat people. Some are truly interested and some aren't yet, but we've noticed that a large percentage of the people we talk to show signs of being elect, of being people who will accept the gospel. Maybe not while we're here, but someday. We really are being led to the elect, even if they don't know that's what they are. They are being put in "favorable contact with the gospel" and will recognize it someday.

 

This week I tried to follow anything that even might be a prompting. Because the worst thing that can happen is nothing. One day we were driving down a highway in the middle of nowhere trying to find a referral. We passed the street and had to turn around in front of a trailor. I said, before really even realizing it was a prompting, "We're gonna knock this trailor."

 

So we did. It was really run down. As we walked up to the door we heard some woman yelling that she was going to throw something at someone's head or something. We knocked and a little woman came out. We talked about a living prophet or something and asked if we could come in and teach her and the other people in there more. She said they wouldn't be interested, but ended up letting us in. When she opened the door we smelled smoke and alcohol. There was a little old lady and two men, one of which was completely drunk. As we walked in, I thought to myself that we must be crazy. I even whispered out of the corner of my mouth to Sister Regan, "I'm scared!" Don't worry, we really do try to stay out of dangerous situations. We skip doors when we even kind of feel like we should. But sometimes you just know you'll be protected.

 

Anyway, we went in and sat down. The drunk man was mean and mocking and loud. But I felt strongly impressed to teach them about repentance. It was a powerful lesson. We taught and testified with power and the Spirit was strong. That run-down trailor was a holy place for those couple minutes. We gave them a Book of Mormon and set a return appointment, but we didn't invite them to baptism. I felt constrained from doing that; the drunk man was just too irreverant.

 

It wasn't until we left that I realized how much we had truly been guided and directed there. From stopping to knock on the door, to actually getting in, to teaching and testifying with power, it all felt almost effortless. Like a dream, almost. I have learned that that only happens when divine assistance is involved. We went back for our appointment and they weren't there. I don't think we'll end up teaching them. But I know we were meant to be there that night.

 

Another time this week I felt like we should stop and knock some doors in the middle of nowhere. We found and incredible woman who is totally prepared. We hopefully have another appointment with her tonight.

 

My whole mission seems to have been centered on one thing: faith. I keep thinking I've finally figured out what faith even is, and then I realize there's so much more to it. Or that it's so much more simple. Somehow those two ideas work together perfectly. This week President gave a training called "Faith in Finding." He expounded on an analogy he shared a while ago; I might have already shared it in an email. But I'm going to share it again.

 

Say you're standing at the edge of a cliff. A huge wind comes and blows you off the edge. You manage to grasp a branch sticking out from the cliff and hang there. Then you hear God's voice saying,

 

"Do you believe I made the wind that blew you off the cliff?"

"Yes, yes! I believe, Lord!"

"Do you believe I made the branch that you're holding onto right now?"

"Yes, or course, I believe!"

"Do you believe I can make another wind to blow you back up onto the cliff?"

"YES, of course! I believe!!"

"...Then let go."

 

That's the difference between belief and faith. Are we willing to let go? Do we trust enough in God?

 

President added this part in his training:

 

So you let go. And you fall. And you think, "Hey! Where's the wind?" And you hit the ground. Where is your faith now?

 

We don't have faith in future events. We have hope in future events, and that is important to the growth of our faith. But we have faith in God. Period. When we do exactly what He says and things don't work out the way we had hoped, we STILL have faith in and trust in God. When we're at the bottom of the cliff with two broken legs, we still trust Him. Our faith is outside of our situation. We trust that His ways are higher than ours. And we can always retain the final hope that we will one day be perfected and have eternal life.

 

That really changed the way I think. It's ok to hope for miracles, to hope that today we will find a family that is ready to be baptized. And it's ok to pray for that. But I don't put my faith in that. I put my faith in Christ. I have faith that those things can happen, through Him. But if they don't, my faith isn't shaken. Hope comes from faith and faith comes from hope, but my faith is in Christ and nothing else.

 

I thought that was neat.

 

I love you all! Have a fantastic week and put your faith in the one true source of truth.

 

Con mucho amor,

 

Hermana Lund 

Just Out With It!

Mi Familia,

What a fantastic week. I heard from President 3 times! On Tuesday we had a zone meeting/President interviews, which is always really nice. Then on Friday we had MLC and on Saturday he spoke at our stake conference. He wanted us to be there because we were doing some role-plays with the members, right there in the chapel. Anyway, it was a really good week.

At Stake Conference he showed us really simple, easy statements members can use to share the gospel, with friends and strangers alike. There are: "Would you be willing to listen to a brief message about_____?" (The key words being "willing" and "brief") and "We would love to have you and your family join us at church this Sunday!" Easy, right? And he talked about how we make it SUCH a bigger deal than it is. We think we need to "prepare" our friends for the gospel. But, as Preach My Gospel says, the LORD is preparing his children. We need to have faith that He will put them in our path. 

He told a story about a woman (actually one of Sister Regan's converts) who was working at a blood bank. She was complaining about relationships or something with the man who was giving blood, who was a member and had brought his Ensign to read with him. He said to her, showing her the cover of the Ensign which had a picture or a happy couple, "You need a husband like THIS. You need to come to our church!" And she did! And she got baptized soon after. 

He also talked about his 15-year-old son who felt prompted to invite a rough-looking boy at school to church. When he did so, the boy told him that he was also Mormon, but that he didn't go to church because his dad wasn't a member and he didn't allow him or his mom to go. But the two boys planned together to have the missionaries come over and teach his family. They did come over, but the dad stormed out of the house. A little later, however, the missionaries got a text from him saying that he was sorry, and that he was ready to listen to them. He got baptized this Saturday. 

And President himself talked about an experience he had at a restaurant. His server was a Mexican man who introduced himself as Jesus. President said, "Jesus. I like that name. I've taken that name upon me. (leave it to President to say something like that) Would you be willing to listen to a brief message by some of my missionaries?" The server left the table and came back with his address and phone number written on a card. He said, "I haven't gone to church in a long time. Thank you for inviting me!" See? It isn't that weird! Y'all can do it, too!! 

He also talked about what to do if they say no. Just make it natural! Just say, "Ok, that's fine! How 'bout those Spurs?" (even us missionaries know the Spurs are killing it right now) or, "Ok! Well, just know the invitation's always open." It's only as big of a deal as we make it. And more people will say yes than you'd think.

Switching gears, I wanted to share a couple of my journal entries. The first one was written on November 5, 2013. About my 9-month mark.

"I cannot believe how slowly the work is going here right now. We're honestly about to sipe our investigators completely off of the board and start over. (I then proceed to write a long list of all my investigators and the woes we're experiencing with them.) I feel at a complete loss. Planning and setting goals is awful. I feel like we're scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's impossible to not think you're doing something wrong, especially when the Elders, who work in the exact same area, are thriving. What?! It's hard."

Sorry if that depressed you. Here's one from June 7, 2014, about 7 months later.

"Phew! Missionary work's been a bit rough lately. No progressing investigators, all the members are too busy for anything, and it's HOT. But I've never loved missionary work more. It doesn't hurt that we had MLC yesterday and that I went on an awesome exchange with Sister Breakall, either. Or that we just got back from an INCREDIBLE Stake Conference where President taught. I love being a missionary! I will always be a missionary. It's just the best! It's crazy that you can feel so good and successful with so little to show for it. But we work hard with faith every day. We talk to everyone. We are obedient and strive to improve. I feel successful, and that's because I am!"

Same kind of situation, completely different attitude. What's the difference? I think it's my faith. I have such a stronger conviction now that God is working miracles, even when I can't see it. I trust that He's with me and that He will give me the strength I need to do His work. I know that this church is Christ's church and that I am literally His representative. I still have my moments. I can do more and I can trust more. But my goodness, am I a changed person. It's my constant plea that I can keep what I feel and only build off of it when I get home.

I have so much more I could say! I can't wait to just sit and talk to y'all when I get home. I love you all! Have a fantastic week.

Love,

Hermana Lund

Texas Tornados (almost)

Mi Familia,

What a week. Really long..and short. I should probably just stop trying to fill you in on how time feels. It doesn't ever make any sense.

It rained quite a bit this week! On Tuesday there were tornado warnings. For a little while we were knocking a little neighborhood and it seriously looked like a tornado was forming right above us (I'm slightly exaggerating, Mom, don't worry.) and there was lightning striking within a couple miles all around us with super loud thunder. It was crazy! I was really hoping to see a tornado, but I was disappointed. 

We've been talking to EVERYONE and we're finding people, but they generally aren't sticking around long. That's ok, though. We're looking for those who will receive us, and we'll find them. We did find a really sweet, sincere couple this past week, though. He read 9 chapters of the Book of Mormon in 2 days! And they've been looking for a church! Perfect. It's hard here though, because, since it's so spread out, you can't visit people as often as you can in other areas. So we're hoping to see them again soon and keep teaching them! 

Mari bore her testimony in church yesterday! It was such a sweet, sincere testimony and that soul-filling joy that I've been so spoiled with these past 16 months hit me again. I was grinning from ear to ear. It reminded me of a quotation from Heber J. Grant:

"I believe there is nothing in all the world that can compare with the joy that a man feels when he realizes that he has been the instrument in the hands of the living God of reaching some honest heart, inspiring in it a love of God and the desire to serve Him."

Truth.

I've been surprised to see that, the further I get into my mission, the more I've knocked and contacted. It's not that I've stopped doing those other more effective things, it's just that we've learned how to teach shorter, more powerful lessons and to fill in the time talking to anyone and everyone. I don't make excuses and I actually want to talk to everyone. That's not to say that there aren't times (daily) that I just really don't feel like talking to another stranger on the street, but I've become a missionary who talks to everyone, and for more than just because I know I should. Which is really cool because I specifically prayed and fasted for that a month or two ago. God really does hear you and He will change you into the person you desire to be. It starts with a lot of "fake it til you make it," but He'll always make sure you make it. Honestly, I'm still not there. There's a lot I still want to add and become before my mission ends. And I'm sure I won't feel completely "fulfilled" when I go home. But that's ok, because I won't be! There will still be so much to do and learn. 

Life's good. I'm tired, I'm uncomfortable, and I'm happy.

Love you all! Have a good week!

Hermana Lund