Dear Family,
I am just getting the worst luck. I sat down to Email you guys for an hour and the lady comes on the intercom and announces that they are closing in 20 minutes! But, other than that, I am doing really well.
Before I get to Zone Conference and answering your questions, I want to announce that Hma S. and Hmo R. were both baptized yesterday in Huntington Park in my old area. They were investigators who were really progressing well when I first came up here. I taught them both for about a month and a half. It was awesome to see them baptized and start in the right path back to Heavenly Father, but probably even more awesome was what I found out after the baptism. Hma P., the woman who was like a mother to me in Huntington Park, told me that earlier that week she finally got her temple endowments! Now even though she was already a member, Elders K., H., and I were working with her a lot trying to get her to the temple and she made it! I wanted to scream for joy when she told me!
Zone Conference went really well. I learned so much, including how to set up everything that needs to be set up for President to run all of his stuff like projectors, audio equipment, etc. and I am thoroughly convinced that after this past week I could hold my own in setting up for a rock concert haha.
It was cool to be able to give our training to all the missionaries in the mission and hear President and Sister B's presentations three times. I learned so much. I think the main thing that I got out of it was that to God there are no winners and losers. There are only finishers and quitters. With that in mind, life perspective is changed. It isn't about finishing first or last, it is about finishing. He illustrated it well with a video clip of John Steven Acuari from the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games and talked about how it is the light within us that keeps us going when times get hard. The word "winner" isn't even in God's vocabulary because, quite honestly, He doesn't care. To suggest that someone comes in first or second in gaining exaltation is to suggest that Heavenly Father is bound by time. But He isn't.
I also learned that salvation can never be earned because we can't earn something that we will never be worthy of receiving alone. Therefore, our good actions don't earn us salvation in the kingdom of God, rather they simply show Heavenly Father how badly we want it. And, if we desire it badly enough then we are willing to give up ALL that we are and have and turn it over to Him. It is the consecrated core. Pretty cool, huh?
My biggest desire right now, and something I have been working on for a while, is letting my will be swallowed up in the will of my Father in Heaven. So, if I am trying to do something for a training or something and it just isn't working, then I know that it is not what Heavenly Father wants me to do, and I pray and try to understand how He would have me do it instead and then yield to what He tells me.
I also came to realize this past week that me talking to someone to share the gospel message is the most important thing that has ever happened in their life up to that very point. Now, I do not say this to be cocky, rather it drives me to talk to them because I realize that fact and the majority of them don't ...OK, none of them do haha but it is cool to think about.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the Lord has blessed me with a lot of experience and learning this week from setting up Zone Conference, to training a group of 75 people three times, to revelation that is going to take me weeks to fully sort through and understand, but more importantly internalize which will take a lifetime and even longer.
I feel so blessed to be able to serve Him and to let His will become my own as I continue in the journey to consecrate the very core of my being.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I want each of you to think a little bit more about the things you are thankful for in relation to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and how we can even attempt to repay Him for His sacrifice. The only thing we truly have to lay upon God's altar is our will and desire.
President also challenged us to read the entire Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year, so that is the book that my nose has been in lately. I challenge all of you to do the same. It is a great book, and even better, it's true!
I love you all so much and can't wait to talk to ya' in a month and a half :)
Love,
Elder Molinaro
No comments:
Post a Comment