Lofthouse in Lisbon Chapter 7 - Apocalypse

The apocalypse is coming, I have heard here in Spokane, on September 23. So watch out.

Actually, I think the word apocalypse is really funny. It's the Latin word for "revelation." It's connected to the end of the world because the book of revelation, the book of apocalypse, talks about the end of the world. So General conference is an apocalypse for the church, and the Women's session in on the 23rd. So, it's coming. But until then, it can happen for us personally every single day. And it has for me a lot this week.

So, we're teaching a nine year old boy, and he's set to be baptized in October. We turned the Plan of Salvation into a board game for him, and played it with him and his little sister. It was fun.

We also met this really cool guy on the street who is just going through a lot right now. His tires got slashed, he doesn't have any money, his landlord is kind of crazy and mean, he has kidney problems and is supposed to be going to dialysis, but doesn't have a car, and other stuff like that. So we scheduled a visit with him. It was supposed to be a half hour, but it ended up being an hour and a half. He did most of the talking, and told us all about his time in prison, and all the fights he's been in. But he believes in Christ, and he knows the bible really well, and he liked the scriptures we shared with him from the Book of Mormon. He really wants to have the Lord in his life more, and I'd love to teach him more, but he's trying to move, and so I don't know how much longer he'll be around. But he's cool.

As I've been working out here and meeting a lot of people (a surprising amount of which actually know where Elk Ridge is. "Where are you from?" "Elk Ridge, Utah." "Oh, that's right next to Woodland Hills. I know where that is." "Really? I've met kids from Spanish Fork who don't know where Elk Ridge is."). But I've realized that I'm not the only one working out here. Satan is here, and he's really starting to get on my nerves. But I was reading an Ensign article about fighting Satan, and it talked about how Jesus handled Satan. Jesus told him, "Get the hence, Satan, for it is written..." and then he quoted scripture. I think this is a pretty great approach. So I was thinking about what scriptures I could quote at Satan when he starts slipping negative thoughts in my mind, and I found a lot of good ones, but then I realized that "Get the hence Satan" is in the scriptures. So lately, whenever negative thoughts have been getting in my head, I've been thinking, "Get the hence, Satan, for it is written, 'Get the hence, Satan.'" I just think it's kind of funny, but in reality, the scriptures bring the Spirit, and so using the scriptures to combat Satan really is a good idea.

My final thought for the week is the importance of goals. A lot of people don't like goal setting, and a lot of people aren't too good at it. I'm not. But the more I work with them, the more I know that goals, planning, and accountability are the best ways to improve and make dreams a reality. So my challenge to you is to sit down some time, and write down something you want to accomplish. Anything. Then, figure out how long it might take, whether it be a few months, years, weeks, or whatever. Then, chop it into smaller pieces. Make long term goals (yearly or monthly or both) and then make weekly goals, and then make daily goals. And then, after you make the goals, make the plans. Every day, just do a little bit to get closer to your goal. If you have planned out everything, you'll be able to see how far you need to go each day to eventually get there. It's hard, and kind of tedious, but it works. I would also invite you to read chapter 8 or Preach My Gospel. It's oriented towards missionary work, but the principles apply to lots of other things. When I was at college, the way that my professors were teaching me to learn music actually line up exactly with chapter 8. So I invite you all to try it, and see if God will not help you achieve your goals.

I love you all! I love it here in Washington. And, I didn't take any pictures. And I'm really not sorry. So, yeah. Have a great week.

Lofthouse in Lisbon: Chapter 6 - The Northwest

So, back home, I once read this book. I'm not going to say which one, because I kind of feel bad for how much I make fun of this book. One thing my family and I often make fun of it for, is the title. Most books have titles that relate to the story in the book. In this one, the title of the book didn't make any sense until the epilogue. There was a scene with a guy stuck in a chimney that was longer than the part about the title. And so I decided to only give my stories names that actually had to do with the story. So as I named this story Lofthouse in Lisbon, it was my sincere intent to tell a story about a boy named Lofthouse in Lisbon. But the first six weeks were in Provo, Utah. I didn't think that would be bad. An exposition not in Lisbon could still lead to a great story in Lisbon. And so, early Monday morning, I got on a plane and left Provo, and Utah, and flew and flew, and got here, to the Northwest. Not the northwest of Portugal, of course. I mean Spokane, Washington. Surprise! My visa isn't here yet, and I was reassigned to serve here in Spokane, Washington. I guess what I'm trying to say is, there is no Lofthouse in Lisbon. I'm sorry that my title is so misleading.

So far, being a missionary is amazing! I got a great new companion, Elder Francis. He's super friendly, and super good at goal setting and planning. We've been busy all day everyday so far. I hadn't been planning on getting to ride a bike on my mission, but I got one here. Bikes are great. In a car, you go to fast and can't talk to anyone. On foot, you can talk to more people. But on a bike, you can talk to people, and you're faster than everyone walking around, so no one can get away.

I really don't know what to put in these emails. I talked with people. I helped do some gardening. I'm learning a lot. I don't have any super powerful spiritual experience to share. I have been surprised by how many people up here know where Elk Ridge is. I think about twenty or more people have asked where I'm from, and then known someone in Elk Ridge, or Woodland Hills. I even met one of my cousins mission companions. I didn't realize that Spokane was so close to home.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a wonderful week. Make sure to read from the Book of Mormon every single day. Daily scripture study is probably more important than eating.

Also, I haven't taken any pictures. You should all probably get used to it. I think about it sometimes, but I just have so many other things to be doing, and there isn't really too much to see here in Spokane. So, sorry.

Chapter 5 - The Spirit of God

I did a lot of stuff this week. It was fun.

Now, it's time to talk about spiritual things. First, with God we can do anything. One of my goals here at the MTC has been to run a sub-6 min mile. I've been working at it almost every day, but I got stuck at 6:10. I ran three miles at that exact time. But then, this week, I had a day where during exercise time, I was feeling a bit distraught, and I just wanted to find comfort in something. So I prayed, and asked God to help me run a mile in less than 6:10, and I would push myself as hard as I could, and if it worked, He could have all the glory. And then I ran, and by the third of ten laps I was gasping, but I kept running, and running, and finished in 5:53. So, again, all the glory goes to God. Without God, I can't run a sub-6 mile. But with God, I can cut a full 17 seconds (and yes, that is a lot in distance running) and achieve any goal.

Next, the Spirit will always testify of truth. My class was doing role-plays, and I was playing a young man whose dad and brother had died in a car crash the previous month. Elder Baker began teaching me, and when he found out about it, he began preaching about the Resurrection, and life after this one. The Spirit came over me like a wave, and I felt the power of the message, and knew that I would live with my dad and brother again. It was so strange, because I knew that I hadn't really lost anyone, but I still knew, in that moment, that when God says families are eternal, He means it. Death has absolutely no hold on us, and our families ties surpass any power of darkness.

Third, praying for something will bring answers and blessings, but fasting for something will multiply the answers and blessings a dozen times over. I've done full fasts before, and I have almost always fasted with a purpose. But on Saturday, as I was playing a different investigator, Elder Cox and Elder Lemmon taught me the importance of fasting, and promised me that if I would fast, it would increase my faith. So I decided to really fast with a purpose. I asked God to let me have a powerful spiritual experience to help me know that I could survive in the mission field, and I also asked Him to fill me with gratitude, because I'd never done a fast of gratitude before, and I want to start counting my blessings more. Saturday, after dinner, I started fasting. That was the hardest time for me, because I'm always drinking water, and so for the three hours of studying we did, I was pretty thirsty. But I didn't drink at all. Sunday came, and we had our normal three hour block, and it was good. However, we had a mission conference (they happen every fast Sunday) and before the conference we were all singing "How Firm a Foundation" That song is full of great lyrics, but the ones that hit me are in the second verse. "In every condition, in sickness in health, in poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, at home or abroad, on the land, or the sea, as thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be." That last line "as thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be" hit me hard. The Atonement is infinite. But what does that mean? It means that we can use it whenever, and in any amount. We aren't allotted some amount that we can use up. Every moment of every day, we can have the full power of the Atonement helping us in our lives. "As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be." So if your days demand that you have the strength to lift a mountain and carry it on your back across the whole Earth, you will be given that strength. No matter what my mission demands of me, Christ has already promised to be with me through it all. This realization hit me so hard that I wasn't able to sing the rest of the song because I was crying. And then, after that, I was filled with gratitude for the Savior, the Atonement, and everyone that has testified of these things and helped make the scriptures for us. We live in the fullness of times. For the first time in history, a dispensation will not end in apostasy, but will end with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I know this is true.

In other news, our devotional on Sunday was moved up to an earlier time. Everyone was guessing that it might be an Apostle coming to talk to us. We got there, and it was Jenny Oaks Baker. She's the daughter of Elder Oaks, and she's a world renowned violinist. She talked with us and performed with her family. It was really cool. But then, after, they announced that everyone would be watching Elder Bednar's devotional "The Character of Christ" (usually there are more films we get to choose from). So, we all watched it, and then when it was over, they announced that Elder Bednar was here to answer questions we any questions we had. It was so cool! An Apostle came and spoke to us, face to face. It was amazing.

Last thought of today is just the power of hymns. In D&C 25:12 God says, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." Singing in the MTC choir has been one of the most spiritual uplifting things I've experienced, and I know that this promise is true. If you do something as simple as singing praises unto God, He will bless you. Good music is one of the most powerful tools we have in fighting the adversary and inviting the Spirit.