Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Letter 10-01-2013

Utah winter already bit pretty hard earlier this week. It was only 50 degrees but we ended up wearing sweaters. It felt way cold, especially coming right after such a hot summer. I wonder how much fall we're actually going to get...

Jasmin's baptism went great! Tyler did everything perfect the first time, which is always nice. It was quaint because it was at the same time as the general relief society broadcast but I think that's how Jasmin wanted it anyways. They're awesome.

We've got a pretty good number of other people we're working with right now to fill up the teaching pool again. The Zone Leaders left a lot of work hanging when they left. We want to make sure that we don't miss anything they might have left untied as well as start our own foundation for work. We've got a couple others (Chris and Eric) with baptism dates right now. We're not sure how solid they are but we'll get them to the font at some point.

Since people have asked me about being district leader the last while... It's not really different than being a regular missionary. You don't all of a sudden baptize weekly. The people in my district's baptisms count just as much as each of ours. My first priority is still the same - baptize twice a month in my area. Once I accomplish that then I'm capable of helping the others in my district baptize twice a month. With the help from my zone leaders who are awesome, Bennion Zone is seeing a pretty good turnaround from the old "banished to Bennion" stereotype it had been given earlier in this mission's history (a phrase that I may or may not have coined...).

Thanks for all the support--
Elder Chandler
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thought: more on wills

It's kind of ridiculous that it takes a month and a half to get through Alma, then a month and a half to finish the rest of the Book of Mormon if you read at a steady pace...

In Helaman 10, Nephi gets the sealing power. The Lord gives him power to do anything because he would not "ask that which is contrary to [the Lord's] will". That's a lot of power. Definitely a lot of responsibility to -always- act in God's will. So where does Nephi turn to find the Lord's will? Does he just go around, "bossing the Lord around" so to speak in Helaman 11 as he petitions the Lord to send a famine instead of war, and then to take away the famine?

I think it's interesting he uses the scriptures to divine God's will, and acts accordingly. In Hel 11:14 Nephi quotes scripture in his prayer, and tells God why he knows that taking the famine away is His will at this time - "for thou saidst that: If this people repent I -will- spare them".


As we study the will of God as stated in the scriptures and act according to those principles we can come closer to having our will "swallowed up in the will of the Father". (Mosiah 15) I think that it's cool, anyways. Nephi son of Helaman is my favorite.

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