Dear people,
Things are pretty busy over here in Midvale. We actually just got our
weekly email from president which told us that our district, Midvale District 2,
is leading the mission so we get a bbq at president's house tomorrow. :) When
Elder Ciavardini and I set our goal for six baptisms this transfer, we've really strived to try and do our part to obtain our goal so the Lord can fill in the
rest, and it's been amazing to see the miracles happen not just in our area but
in our whole district. (It also helps that the Spanish elders in our district
have eight people on baptism date... little mexico over here)
The nine-year old boy, Chris, is really a star. Elder Ciavardini and
Martell talked with his mom outside her house and set up a lesson. While he
hasn't been to church yet still, he is developing such a great testimony. In our
last lesson, talking about him needing to church, I asked him, "Chris, why do
you want to come to church? Why do you want to be baptized? Why do you like our
lessons?" He was silent for a while. Finally I told him, "I'm going to read your
mind if that's alright... It's because it makes you feel happy!" He gave me a
high five for reading his mind. Then we turned together to 2 Ne 2:25 and
repeated "men are, that they might have joy" until he had it memorized. Ha. I
love teaching kids. (He now tells me every day about how 2 Ne 2:25 runs through
his head EVERYWHERE, from school to skateboarding to karate. hahaha)
I love teaching this much. It's seriously a blessing. Now if only they'd
come to church... but they will.
--Elder Chandler
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thought: D&C 121:34-46
I said I would give this thought two weeks ago and still haven't, so here
it is. Sorry family for having to hear it twice, both over phone and written
now.
I had been thinking a lot lately on a couple of random topics, mostly
questions posed by less actives that I wanted to answer for myself because they
seemed to be leading to something fun:
1) Why would the Lord work through priesthood authority given to only a
select few? Would a loving heavenly father not accept ordinances performed with
good intentions as sufficient? Doesn't that kind of contradict the idea that the
Lord wants all of us to be with him?
2) Why organized religion? Why is it not sufficient to just do your own
thing, march to your own drummer, while still keeping the commandments?
3) How does leading a principled life effect leadership? Why does success
follow those, not that do all the right things, but those who are the right
things? How can I apply this? What principles should I deem most important to
follow to begin to really lead a successful life?
So, yes, lots of random questions. They each would have a separate answer
if you were to answer them individually - #2 is answered by talking about the
need for continuing revelation from a prophet for instance - but I felt that
there should be one answer, together. And so I turned to D&C 121. And loved
it. And memorized the whole thing (starting from verse 34) (by that point I had
read it over so many times it took a total of like... 25 minutes to memorize the
12 verses).
1) Hence many are called but few are chosen (proceeding verses explain why
there is need for a select few "chosen")
2) Organizations led by men holding the powers of heaven can bring forth
blessings that include everlasting dominions and such... which is kind of the
point of our existence
3) By living principles of patience, humility, love unfeigned, kindness,
pure knowledge, integrity, charity, faith, and virtue (some of these are a
little different from the original text, but mean basically the same thing) we
are able to gain the blessings stated, most especially that "[success], without
compulsory means, will flow unto thee forever and ever".
I'd say more but there's too much... so maybe we can all look over it again
together.
What fun ideas! And so the work of shifting my paradigms continues...
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