Fort Madison Week #4: The Reality of Repentance

Oh, the grand old Mississippi River. And the Catholic Church in the background, too.

I have no idea why, but earlier in the week I just felt... heavy. What I mean by this is that I felt a lot of stress, guilt and sadness because of my past mistakes, and it was very discouraging for me as time went on. I am not necessarily saying that I have done anything serious while out here, because I haven't; however, I have come to learn that oftentimes some of the greatest pain we experience comes from the shame we feel over the small things. Being the oftentimes self-critical man that I am, I tried to fight these feelings knowing how much they have harmed me in the past. But I can tell you that now those feelings have long since passed on, and my testimony of the Savior has deepened in a very profound way as a result. I firmly believe that the reason why this is so is because He wanted to humble me, help me to recognize where I can improve and then give me counsel. And boy, did He ever give me opportunities to grow this week, starting with the insights I gained at Zone Conference last Friday.

All four of us (I'm on the right) at Fiesta Buffet after Zone Conference, the best Chinese buffet in town! Even though the name totally isn't Chinese...

This was probably one of the most insightful Zone Conferences I have ever been to, especially since basically all of the trainings that were given highlighted things I need to improve on. Here are the basic themes of all the trainings:

1. It does not matter who you talk to, you simply need to put faith in the power of the Spirit and invite everyone you meet to learn about the Restored Gospel. And then once someone has allowed you to visit them, invite them to be baptized! Everyone deserves a chance to gain a remission of their sins, and the truths we hold so dear can be given to them if only we boldly and lovingly share them. (Iowa City Stake Sister Training Leaders)

2. Commitment-keeping is absolutely essential towards helping those you teach to progress, because commitments allow them to have very specific goals as to how they may repent. However, once those invitations have been made, do your best to follow-up with - preferably on a daily basis, if possible. (Quincy Zone Leaders)

3. The Restoration of the Gospel is the most important thing that has ever happened in history ever since the Atonement. We need to understand what it means to ourselves, and then afterwards we must do all we can to share it effectively. The truths that have been restored through Joseph Smith can save the world, so pray to have the faith to understand them better and share them with others. (Assistants to the President)

4. Obedience is everything in missionary work. An important part of obedience is also that we do our best to avoid temptation when it comes, because if we do, our power to resist the adversary will increase. From there, we will be more worthy to help others on the road of repentance since we ourselves are striving to keep God's commandments. (Sister Jensen)

5. The Doctrine of Christ is simple: the Godhead's entire purpose is to work out our salvation, but this cannot happen unless we allow them into our lives. We missionaries must first develop a relationship with Them, and then once this happens, we can build a friendship with those we teach and connect these precious souls to their Father in Heaven, Savior and the Holy Ghost. Do whatever you can to involve members in this crucial conversion process as well. (President Jensen)

This is surely a lot to take in, but it gave me much for me to improve on, as well as for Elder Winn and I to apply in our companionship. In that I have already witnessed how the Lord wants me to stretch and improve in multiple ways, such as these: I first went on an exchange with Elder Baetz, one of the elders serving in our branch, in which we learned much from each other as we worked in his area. Elder Winn and I have also planned much for us to do to work hard and expand our teaching pool, and we will certainly be eager to see how these plans help us later in the week. The other major thing is that I was surprised on Friday to receive an assignment from the Branch Presidency to speak in Sacrament Meeting! So with that, the talk I gave yesterday was the first one I had not written out completely; I had heard about the success people have had in the past with planning out of all the points they wished to speak on and then opening their mouth, and that is what I did. I was grateful to see how much the Lord blessed me to have the exact words I needed to say to teach and edify the members, for afterwards a number of people came up to me and expressed their gratitude for my message, which was on receiving inspiration from the scriptures. I know for a fact that if we have faith in the power of the Spirit, we do not need to worry about what exact words to say, because they will be given to us in the very moment we need them.

"Behold! A royal army..."

In closing, I just wish to share with you an insight I had (and wrote down) this week during personal study as we studied the Plan of Salvation:

"We, in our finite spheres, cannot comprehend how much God loves us. But He loves us all - INDIVIDUALLY! In the beginning, our Heavenly Father organized all matter and intelligence together into our spirits; in His eyes, He sees us as His spirit children, just as He first witnessed us all after creating us in the Pre-Mortal Realm. Some may think that the plan He created for all of us, which involves the concept of placing us all on a "testing ground" of sorts (earth), could seem objectifying of mankind. But I testify to you that God cares about you, and is interested in your personal progress. Think on that for a moment. Out of all the infinite, inconceivable measures of responsibilities God needs to fulfill, He is invested in YOU. Even then, a single human being has mind-boggling amounts of physical, mental and spiritual complexity, so I hope you realize how deep and profound His perfect love for your soul is. Our parents have had to exercise much patience with us growing, so I can't even begin to imagine God's patience meter. Simply consider what Hebrews 12:7-10 can teach you. God knows all things, and with that, He knows what's best for you. Do not fret when He sees fit to discipline, rebuke or correct you, for such action would be out of love - love we cannot even fully know at the present time. Put your trust in Him, for He trusts you. I know with an absolute surety that God lives, and that His Son Jesus Christ paid the price so that we could return to live with Him again in a perfect, purified and glorious resurrected state. Never lose your faith in Him, for that faith - should you continue to foster it - will carry you through trials both great and small, and you shall find joy."

I will leave my week off with that. I love you all!

Rockin' that Kircher Boy Swag, bro.

Scripture of the Week: John 8:31-32 (It's that simple, if you have a testimony of the truth, that testimony can set you free from all manner of shame, guilt, sorrow and pain.)

Missionary Advice: Watch the newest Mormon Message, "Obedience to the Ten Commandments", and share it with your friends! The message it provides is a powerful one for all to hear and know.

If only this was approved for proselyting.