Trials and Faith {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

September 23, 2013

"Crazy week!! So not a ton of missionary work went down this week.  My companion has depression and we had to go to Atlanta all day on Thursday so he could go to the doctor.  He got evaluated, and it took all day. Then Friday morning President Wolfert called me and asked me questions.  Then he he set up a time to meet with my companion, and told him he thought it was best for him to go home.  We had a long day... it is sad...I love my companion, he is a stud!  So the area sort of paused for 3 days because we didn't know what was going down.  Then the next day we had to bike to the church so my companion could tell his family in an email and it was just pouring rain! We got soaked and just biked through big puddles, but after all that fun we were still just out of it and didn't know what to do.  Then Sunday was finally a good day...Church seemed to take forever and until our after dinner appointment.  We had an awesome lesson with Zion.  He had gone to youth conference that weekend, and he was super depressed because he came home to his bad situation.  He felt terrible and we came over and talked about how, if there is light then darkness cant be there because darkness is nothing compared to the light.  My companion was just listening to me and another member talk about this, and when we got back to the apartment he called President and told him he won't go home.  It is awesome he is staying!! I'm excited, but now we have to catch back up on everything.

That's what went down...

Elder Hamer"

September 30, 2013

Elder Hamer

Hey family!!!!

This week was good...I actually get to go to the Atlanta temple next Friday! That is gonna be cool.  I haven't been in a while.  This week has been good.  We got a bunch of referrals, but right now its been kinda hard to find people who will progress.  I think it is just the missionary cycle find, teach, baptize, then find again.  

This week we had a 2 hour class on missionary work at church and a member of the Seventy was there.  It was awesome when he talked he talked about how the missionaries are here to help the member not the members help the missionaries.  He talked about how we need to be used to full advantage, and have us help their friends receive the gospel. It was cool.  I hope the Ward acts on it, if not then it will be sad.  We did find three people that seemed pretty interested! We are excited to go and talk to them and teach them.  This one guy named Marlon works for the Church and we see him all the time at Church.  He is legit and he has a wife and a 8 month old daughter in Columbia still. We are teaching another couple named Matt and Tammy.  They are a refferal from a member who is their boss so it should be legit, too. The mission president talked about how if we go door to door two hours a day that the Lord will bless us.   Luckily, I am known as one of the missionaries who does the most tracting in the mission so I already do it. 

I have been reading Ether 12 a lot this week.  I love how Moroni's story plays into it.  He talks about how he is weak in writing, but the Lord commands him to make the record and he trusts the Lord that the gentiles will be brought to the truth if he acts and he will be made strong in his weakness. I think that if we all apply that to missionary work more, we can invite a lot more people.  If we have faith, and just invite, the Lord will give us what we must do and we can be made strong. I just think we wait to long to invite.

Ether 12:26-27 "26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying:Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;  27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Elder Hamer!"

Faith and Miracles

I mentioned earlier this week about the Philippines and the typhoon and helping those in need.  I also briefly mentioned the LDS missionaries that were missing and unaccounted for, for a time.  Since missionaries are near and dear to my mother heart, this news article brought me to tears.  It is filled with Faith, Hope and Miracles.  I hope you enjoy it too,

Have an uplifting Sunday...

Post by Deseret News.

Wrapping up Gratitude Like a Gift

Source

You can read Part 1 here
You can read Part 2 here

I’m sure we are all familiar with the Great Oprah Winfrey.  We may snicker and giggle about Oprah and her counsel for happy living, but her advice on Gratitude Journals was surely inspired.  As we thank our Heavenly Father verbally for our many gifts, is it not also appropriate to write them down, to journal them for later reflection?  There have been studies done on the effect of keeping gratitude lists or gratitude journals.  Studies have shown that those who keep lists have

• A significant absence of stress and depression
• They make better progress toward important goals
• These people report high levels of energy and determination
• They feel closer in their relationships and build stronger relationships
• Feel an increase of happiness of more than 25% over those who do not list their gratitude's

I don’t know about you, but who doesn't want to live happier!  This gratitude thing is like the “Holy Grail” of happiness. 

In Luke Chapter 17 we read about Christ and the Ten Lepers.  We all know the story…Christ healed ten, but only one returned and gave thanks to the Savior.  What I find interesting is the Savior in verse 19 says “arise, go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.”  Hadn't the Savior already healed the Leper?  I wonder if the Savior was referring to the healing balm of gratitude in this man’s heart.  His heart was healed.  Thomas S. Monson said of this, ”Through divine intervention those who were lepers were spared from a cruel, lingering death and given a new lease on life.  The expressed gratitude by one merited the Master's blessings; the ingratitude shown by the nine, His disappointment." End quote.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to disappoint my Savior.  

 Joseph B. Wirthlin goes on to say in his article Living in Thanksgiving Daily, “Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, have a way of opening their eyes and seeing the wonders and beauties of this world as though seeing them for the first time.  I encourage you to look around you.  Notice the people you care about.  Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the birds.  Notice and give thanks for the blue sky, the color of the leaves, and the white of the clouds.  Enjoy every sight, every smell, every taste, and every sound.  When we open our eyes and give thanks for the bountiful beauty of this life, we live in thanksgiving daily.” End quote.   

When the Lord went up to teach the people in what has been called the Sermon on the Mount.  After realizing that the multitude was 5,000 strong and that there were only a few loaves and fishes to feed them, the disciples became concerned.  But Christ, blessed the food and gave thanks, and it was enough.  Brothers and sisters, it was enough.  Thanksgiving precedes the miracle, and it will be enough!

I really love Psalms, in Psalms 69:30 & 32 it says “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving…The humble shall see this, and be glad; and your heart shall live that seek God.”  A thankful heart is a heart filled with God.  I’d like to close with the words of President Thomas S. Monson, “Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings but it also unlocks the doors of heaven.”  

**Sources:

• Bible
• Book of Mormon
• lds.org
• A Holy Experience
• (in)Courage

**Originally published on 11/28/2012**

When Prayers aren't enough...

Source

When you believe, prayers should always be enough...But sometimes you are the answer to someone's prayers.  In the wake of the horrible typhoon that hit the Philippines this past week, there are so many opportunities to help and serve those in need from afar.  Numerous organizations are collecting goods and money towards this relief cause.   I'm grateful to be a part of an organization that had relief and aid on the way almost immediately.   They delivered food and hygiene kits to the  evacuation centers.  They are even providing temporary housing to over 14,000 people in many of the church meetinghouses throughout the Philippines.

There are approximately 200 LDS Missionaries serving in Tacloban.  That is 200 eighteen to twenty one year old young men and women who have volunteered of their time and money to teach and serve the people in Tacloban, Philippines.  For a time, there was no contact with them.  Then all but twenty-four were unaccounted for...then they were all found.  Safe.  Such a blessing and a miracle, considering...Their church mission has turned from one of proselything to one of serving and helping to rebuild this hard hit community.

We can't all be in the Philippines to help rebuild, but we can all offer prayers and aid from home.  I can think of no better way to show my Gratitude to my Heavenly Father right now than by helping my fellow brothers and sisters.  I am not touting one organization over another.  As long as they are legit, they are all good...

If you can, think about donating this season to those who are truly in need.

Source for facts in article

A Little More on Gratitude

Source

Read Part 1 here...

"Isaiah 11:6 says, “And a little child shall lead them…”  I am reminded of the prayers of my own children when they were young.  They would often say things like, “Thank you for our matchbox cars, for bugs, milkshakes and butterflies.”  Their young, innocent spirits still could recognize all the God given gifts in the world around them.  As an adult, I have found that my prayers of thanksgiving often become rote, maybe saying things like, “Thank you for our many blessings” but never actually spending the time naming them one by one.  Perhaps a meaningful mother’s prayer could include gratitude for the car noises her young son makes or for butterfly kisses from her daughter.  In the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, Ann reflects on an epiphany she has.  She is a farmers wife and a homeschooling mama.  She works all day long.  Standing before her 3^rd sink of dishes of the day she is feeling tired and despondent.  In that moment, the sun reflects on the bubbles in the sink and she sees the rainbows and a display of bright colors.  She realizes that even in the mundane task of washing dishes that the Father blesses us and she gave thanks. 

Elder Wirthlin states that “Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual.  However the opposite is true as well:  The more often we see the things around us-even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us.  Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.”  End of quote.    Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.” End of quote.  The opposite of Thanksgiving is ingratitude or apathy.  Apathy to our blessings creates greed, resentment, jealousy, covetous living, dissatisfaction, depression and as some prophets have said is a very serious sin.  Apathy is like a cancer eating away at our soul.  When we can’t open our eyes to our God given blessings, not expressing thanks, then we are living empty lives not filled with the capacity for true joy.  An Author wrote "Both abundance and lack of abundance exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present-love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us happiness-the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth." End of quote.   

Let us not forget to thank the Lord daily.  As a popular hymn tells us, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one  and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.  Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.  When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.  Count your many blessing money cannot buy, your reward in heaven nor your home on high.  So amid the conflict, whether great or small do not be discouraged, God is over all.  Count your many blessing, angels will attend, help and comfort gives you to your journey’s end. “ Alma 34:38 says “…Humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessing which he doth bestow upon you. “  The Lord makes us a promise in D&C 78:19 , “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

Some ways that we can show gratitude to our Heavenly Father besides the obvious Thanksgiving in prayer are.

• Choosing not to complain
• Being good stewards of our possisions and people
• Writing Thank you notes and expressing gratitude to others
• Enjoying the little moments and not letting them slip by unnoticed
• And Making lists

To be continued....................

**Originally published on 11/27/2012**