April 7, 2014

Week 58

Before I left on my mission, I had to choose a verse of scripture for the plaque that they have in your home ward with your picture on it. Not really  knowing why, I chose D & C 84:88, "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I think I sort of felt like my Grandpa Poppy and Grandma Karla would be looking out for me as an angel to bear me up, and that could've been a reason why I chose that scripture. Never in my whole mission have a felt the truthfulness of that promise in such a real way as I did this week...here's why:

This week was such a hectic week, filled with getting companions back to health, finding pools to rent, meeting with and preparing our investigators for baptism, getting things organized for the Catholic Mass performance, etc, etc…I could never even write a list of all the things that were on my mind this week! It was a goal (one that I lost sight of mid-week) to not stress and do all I can and let the Savior take care of the rest. I will admit that I let the stress of things get to me  at a few points during the week, but once I reminded myself that the Savior is at the head of the work,  I would recognize that I have been focusing so much on the things I have to stress over that I was not opening my eyes to see the amazing blessings! But looking back now, I know that it was angels that were helping me though this week. I never felt like I was going to pull my hair out or cry, and I know that is because the Lord’s promise in D&C 84:88 was being realized! 

I know I had divine help bearing me up and helping bear my burdens. This was only confirmed when we went to the Catholic church to sing! We had missionaries come from all over the mission to help us out. Singing songs of the Restoration of the gospel and songs of Christ was a truly amazing and unforgettable experience!  I know that we had angels singing with us. Heavenly Father is the only thing that we can truly trust in....not our situations or in the weather or over other peoples' free will...because that is uncertain... but the one thing in the universe that is not uncertain is Heavenly Father, His unwavering love for us, and the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ. God ALWAYS keeps His promises. I know that because I experienced it all throughout this week as I felt concourses of angels constantly around me bearing me up.

The LDS Missionaries were invited to sing and speak in a Catholic Mass in Lodz on April 6th. The fact that they performed here on April 6th is significant because we believe it to be the actual birthdate of Jesus Christ and also the day that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to it's fullness and established as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, April 6th 1830. 

The LDS Church respects other faiths and recognizes the truths in all churches. We invite people to bring all the truths that their faith and experiences has given them and then let us add to those truths. We believe that over the millenniums that many of the truths of Christ's gospel were altered  and we believe that the fullness of Christ's gospel has been restored through living prophets starting with Joseph Smith in 1820. We believe that the fulness of the Gospel and principles, and priesthoods and ordinances that Christ established in His time have been restored  to the earth for these Latter Days to bless and guide all those who learn of Him and are seeking for truth. 

We invite you to learn more about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can begin by going to mormon.org or to hear talks from our prophets and spokesmen and woman of our faith in this past General Conference on lds.org. You may also request to hear from missionaries wherever you live in the world by going onto mormon.org. 

Outside the Catholic Church in Lodz, Poland. Kendall mentioned before that this church was founded in the year 1820, the same year that Joseph Smith received his First Vision, where Christ and His Father God appeared to Joseph as a 14 year old boy in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, NY.