Hey Everyone,
The title of today's letter comes from Moroni 7:28 which reads,
"wherefore he [Christ] advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens"
I chose this today because of some insights the Lord has blessed me with during my reading of the book of Mormon recently. In Alma 12-13 as well as 37-42, Alma discusses many many many deep and powerful doctrines, the ones being most meaningful to me at the moment revolving around missionary work. These doctrines clearly illustrate that the most important thing that anyone could be engaged in is the instruction of his fellow men with regards to the plan of redemption and salvation as enabled through Jesus Christ. I say that knowing full well that it is a serious claim, but let's discuss it for a moment.
Last week, a 19 year old mongolian boy named PJ was guided to us. He read the bible when he was younger but forgot what he learned and instead turned to drugs, alcohol, and other poor choices to find happiness. One day, he woke up and looked up at the sun streaming through his window. He then looked around at the mess his life was in, drugs and bottles and stuff laying around his room, and it hit him: Jesus wouldn't want me to live like this. His belief in the existence of a redeemer changed his life from that point on. When he met with us, we duscussed the Savior, the Book of Mormon and the testimony it brings us of him, and the Restoration. PJ is preparing for a baptism set for July right now. Since then, he has started learning of the gospel, of repentance and forgiveness, of the plan of salvation, and it's changing his life. Imagine, then, if the millions of PJs around the world had a chance to hear this message. President Ezra Taft Benson made a powerful statement once, saying that, “The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” Wouldn't it be amazing if every person had a chance to act according to this message? There is no better way to solve marriage problems, to solve hunger problems, to solve poverty problems. There is no better way to inspire and motivate a brother or a sister to become something greater.
In connection with missionary work, these concepts take a powerful shape. Christ called Apostles anciently and today, councils of 70 and Elders to direct the work as far as we have written records, probably further. These men were charged with the same call: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19) In light of this call to serve, I'd like to suggest that these men on earth, the Savior, and our Heavenly Father are all engaged in the same work, the work of "[bringing] about the immortality and eternal life of men." (Moses 1:39) The cause of the children of men is this work, the work of instructing and supporting others as they orient their lives with our Heavenly Father's life, and the blessings of the gospel in both temporal and spiritual dimensions are the blessings that all righteous hearts desire. How many times do the book of mormon prophets testify, "If you keep the commandments of God you shall prosper?" I've lost count, but it's enough to make a firm image of the importance of that principle.
I'm so incredibly grateful to the Lord for the blessing to serve a mission in the Czech Republic. When I first received my call, I was rather busy, distracted, and frankly dissillusioned with having to wait 3 months for the final answer. In the first part of my mission, I felt like I'd been thrown into deep water and had to make it to try land 100 miles away (Kind of hard to imagine that distance nowadays, everything is in kilometers...). Since learning these things and learning more about what it means to strengthen faith, to repent of my mistakes (repentance is more than just "what blatant sins have I committed this week" and then saying sorry, but the broken heart and contrite spirit aspect is just as important), and to live to keep my covenants. Living the Gospel brings the greatest satisfaction and happiness, and the blessings you see because of your efforts are priceless.
Last sunday, Daniel Šebek came to church in Olomouc unexpectedly. For those of you just joining us, Daniel was a man Elder Smith and I found in August just before transfers after a long, hot, and wet transfer. We were pretty sad and disappointed. We taught Daniel twice, and left Ostrava. He was baptized within a month, has the melchizedek priesthood, received his patriarchal blessing, and is now serving in ward callings in Ostrava. The thought fills me with incredible joy! Renata Blomberg was baptized a year ago next Sunday with Tomaš Koutný, and she's now in the relief society presidency. The gospel has made a difference in their lives, and is now making a difference in the lives of others around them. I think that's just a tiny fraction of what is meant by "the cause" of the children of men.
Hope this wasn't too much of an Epistle this week, we're nearing in on the last 3 weeks of the transfer at the moment, so I'll probably be here until around the 21st and then I'll be going elsewhere. This week we're heading to Brno and next week we'll be going out to Ostrava, however I'm not sure which day yet.
I can tell you all that the difference in the work is the Spirit of the Lord. He makes the work roll forward, and when we let Him take over our lives, when we surrender our will for His, that is when the windows of heaven open brilliantly and our lives are changed in remarkable and beautiful ways.
Keep reading in the Book of Mormon, keep pushing forward in your own lives, and live the way you want to live right now, today. Don't make excuses, but choose to be happy, obedient, and to follow the spirit. Live your life so the spirit is with you and envelops you always, you have a right to it! And then go out and do what you know the Lord would have you do. I love you all, I'm glad to hear from you when I can, and I'm looking forward to sharing a few minutes again next week to share the miracles we're seeing and performing every day to keep the work rolling along, but faster and faster.
Starší Brent Anderson
A pro ty, kteří neumí anglicky, chci, abyste věděli ode mne, že Já vím, že Kristus žije, a vede tuto církev i její členy, že skrze Něho můžeme najít pravdivou radost, vizi, a smysl, a že ta nejdůležitější věc je žít tak, jak by si přál On, v souladu s Jeho přikázáními. A také mám vás všechny moc rád.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
An early P-Day and The Parable of the Washing Machine ( Week 23 in Olomouc, Week 58 in Czech )
Hey There everyone!
So, the office sprung this one on us: We've got P-day today instead of Monday, because we're having a joint zone conference on Monday. Great to have that all together now, except you'll just be hearing from me today.
Couple of news flashes: Pavel accepted a baptismal date on Thursday! We've got him on date for the 12th of June, one month to the day that he was guided to us. I'm excited to see how things go down with him. He's reading through the Book of Mormon on his own, has great questions, and is starting to believe! He prayed for the first time on Thursday, which was amazing to see and experience. He's coming to church on Sunday again, and I have no doubts that all will play out just fine in his path to baptism.
A few interesting experiences from the last few days that have taught me a lot. On Wednesday, I felt that I could ask the lord for a perfect day. I did, and it was amazing how it played out. The Lord provided good weather, Pavel's willingness to accept a date so early, we were able to get in touch with another investigator who hadn't been around for a while and who thanked us for it because she was grateful to be doing things with us again, and we found a new investigator who has started to progress. Amazing! All things worked out perfectly, and it was all because of our faith in asking the Lord for it. I wonder what the Lord would give us if we simply asked? Perhaps that is what is meant when the Lord says that Eternal Life is a gift and that we should seek and simply ask for it.
Yesterday we had a zone leader's council in Brno. It was a very spiritual experience, and I learned many things from it. I have a renewed vision and focus for the rest of my mission now, focusing in on bringing the kingdom further through convert baptisms. Nothing else is going to bring the work forward here in the field except for baptisms! And that's where Pavel fits in.
Finally, an interesting parable from Wednesday. We got home and were getting ready for the next day, putting everything together with our plans. Elder McGowan had laundry in our washer and went to take it out, when we realized the machine had broken. The basin was full of water, the machine was making an electronic humming sound but nothing was going on. Following the example of my dad, I got the best tools I had (a couple of kitchen knives and a spoon) and started figuring out what went wrong. I drained the machine, tipped it over, and examined the electronics, pored over connections, tested components, and then started dismantling the front cover to see what had happened. Everything checked out, and all the pieces were in the right places. Puzzled, I put it back together, plugged it in, and it still made the same, low hum. I was frustrated, felt defeated, and felt I had done everything I knew how to do, relying on all my strength and skill to make it work. I was about to go and get the landlord. Then it hit me, and I glanced over at the water connection. Someone had switched the water connection 90 degrees to the right, thereby preventing water from flowing in. The pump was trying to suck water in but could only hum without the flow of water. As the washer continued to hum, I turned the knob. Immediately the familiar swoosh of water filled the room, and the washer began to finish it's cycle.
What do we learn from this? I think many things, but for me I learned that often times in life we take ourselves apart, looking at everything we're doing, trying to see what's broken, or what's not good enough, or what ought to be better. While draining the washer, I cleaned out some mineral deposits, but otherwise it was in good working order. The difference was when I simply let the water flow into the machine so it could do it's job. As a missionary, I'm encouraged to set goals, to repent, to live the gospel, to stretch myself and my faith, and to do all I can to fulfill my mission. But really, it's His mission and he's called us to His vineyard to do His work. How often do we forget that he's the senior companion, that it's His work, and that sometimes we simply just need to ask him and get ourselves out of the way so that He can effectively work through us. The washer was fine, but it was struggling because there was no water. How often are we just fine, but we feel choked and struggling without the flow of the Spirit, not because we're unworthy, but because we won't accept it? All too often, but I'm grateful the Lord teaches us through our experiences to help us become who we need to be.
That's all for now, you'll be hearing from me on the 31st of May. In the mean time, I love you all and I'm excited for another week of miracles in the Land of Miracles, the Czech Republic.
Love,
Elder Brent Anderson
So, the office sprung this one on us: We've got P-day today instead of Monday, because we're having a joint zone conference on Monday. Great to have that all together now, except you'll just be hearing from me today.
Couple of news flashes: Pavel accepted a baptismal date on Thursday! We've got him on date for the 12th of June, one month to the day that he was guided to us. I'm excited to see how things go down with him. He's reading through the Book of Mormon on his own, has great questions, and is starting to believe! He prayed for the first time on Thursday, which was amazing to see and experience. He's coming to church on Sunday again, and I have no doubts that all will play out just fine in his path to baptism.
A few interesting experiences from the last few days that have taught me a lot. On Wednesday, I felt that I could ask the lord for a perfect day. I did, and it was amazing how it played out. The Lord provided good weather, Pavel's willingness to accept a date so early, we were able to get in touch with another investigator who hadn't been around for a while and who thanked us for it because she was grateful to be doing things with us again, and we found a new investigator who has started to progress. Amazing! All things worked out perfectly, and it was all because of our faith in asking the Lord for it. I wonder what the Lord would give us if we simply asked? Perhaps that is what is meant when the Lord says that Eternal Life is a gift and that we should seek and simply ask for it.
Yesterday we had a zone leader's council in Brno. It was a very spiritual experience, and I learned many things from it. I have a renewed vision and focus for the rest of my mission now, focusing in on bringing the kingdom further through convert baptisms. Nothing else is going to bring the work forward here in the field except for baptisms! And that's where Pavel fits in.
Finally, an interesting parable from Wednesday. We got home and were getting ready for the next day, putting everything together with our plans. Elder McGowan had laundry in our washer and went to take it out, when we realized the machine had broken. The basin was full of water, the machine was making an electronic humming sound but nothing was going on. Following the example of my dad, I got the best tools I had (a couple of kitchen knives and a spoon) and started figuring out what went wrong. I drained the machine, tipped it over, and examined the electronics, pored over connections, tested components, and then started dismantling the front cover to see what had happened. Everything checked out, and all the pieces were in the right places. Puzzled, I put it back together, plugged it in, and it still made the same, low hum. I was frustrated, felt defeated, and felt I had done everything I knew how to do, relying on all my strength and skill to make it work. I was about to go and get the landlord. Then it hit me, and I glanced over at the water connection. Someone had switched the water connection 90 degrees to the right, thereby preventing water from flowing in. The pump was trying to suck water in but could only hum without the flow of water. As the washer continued to hum, I turned the knob. Immediately the familiar swoosh of water filled the room, and the washer began to finish it's cycle.
What do we learn from this? I think many things, but for me I learned that often times in life we take ourselves apart, looking at everything we're doing, trying to see what's broken, or what's not good enough, or what ought to be better. While draining the washer, I cleaned out some mineral deposits, but otherwise it was in good working order. The difference was when I simply let the water flow into the machine so it could do it's job. As a missionary, I'm encouraged to set goals, to repent, to live the gospel, to stretch myself and my faith, and to do all I can to fulfill my mission. But really, it's His mission and he's called us to His vineyard to do His work. How often do we forget that he's the senior companion, that it's His work, and that sometimes we simply just need to ask him and get ourselves out of the way so that He can effectively work through us. The washer was fine, but it was struggling because there was no water. How often are we just fine, but we feel choked and struggling without the flow of the Spirit, not because we're unworthy, but because we won't accept it? All too often, but I'm grateful the Lord teaches us through our experiences to help us become who we need to be.
That's all for now, you'll be hearing from me on the 31st of May. In the mean time, I love you all and I'm excited for another week of miracles in the Land of Miracles, the Czech Republic.
Love,
Elder Brent Anderson
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Truman Show ( Week 22 in Olomouc, Week 57 in Czech )
So, who's ever felt like their life was on film? I know I have, Elder McGowan and I have spoken about that idea a few times, and it seems rather appropriate in connection with life as a missionary where the Lord is literally providing us with what He needs for us to do. Let's talk about a few highlights real quick.
Monday night at 7:PM we had finished with an appointment and were going to spend the remainder of the day out on the namesti talking with people. We parked the car, hopped out and started praying to be guided in our efforts and to be guided to those prepared for our message. During the prayer, we were interrupted by a man who invited us to come worship with him at his church, but we declined and he rushed off. We bowed again to wrap it up, and one of our less active members walked up, apparently shaken and rather troubled, and interrupted the prayer. We had some work to do. The first man had just spoken with our member (no idea how they got on the subject of religion, let alone our church - faith in this country is an attribute of great weakness and dependence, not something people just chat about on the street), and had started to share with him all of the "truths" about mormonism, including a particular passage from Galatians 1 which says that angels won't reveal the gospel. We whipped out our scriptures from the trunk and started talking it over with him, including pulling references from the scriptures, bearing testimony, discussing his testimony with him, and recommending some passages from the book of mormon. He was somewhat put back together afterwards, but it took several days of quick meetings to work the matter over with him. We wrapped up the meeting and, with other commitments on the plan, we hopped back into the car and drove home. We didn't find anyone new that night, but the one who needed it most found us.
Tuesday we had a full day of teaching/finding efforts. It was very exciting to look at our opportunities, and up until about 4 PM we were on track. Some members here have been struggling recently and we were rather dissapointed when an appointment with one of them was cancelled. From there, our plans slowly unravelled as other individuals cancelled/came late, with less time/commitment. Amazing what happens when your plans don't work out, but even more amazing what happens when you get a good backup plan kicked in. English then started up, during which my companion taught our class and I prepared the home teaching plan for the branch. My mom was pretty frustrated last week when I didn't mention that they don't have an Elder's Quorum president here, so they've got me filling in that responsibility. So, there you go - I've been the Elder's Quorum president here since February.
Wednesday was amazing - it was rainy, we had finding on the plan. As we were out going through parks and streets and stopping and testifying and pulling out books of mormon, we were not seeing much success. Finally, we found Pavel. Pavel is our shining light of progress among weeks worth of searching, our diamond in the rough. He's studying to become a locksmith and is an atheist, but was interested in our message enough to come to our chapel and to hear from us. He's a little goofy and would fit the part of a quirky professor, but we love him. We gave him the book of mormon and Alma 32 to read about faith and how to get it. He left, and we looked forward to our friday meeting with him.
Thursday the Assistants came down from Prague to help us out, and we found many people who had interest in our message and many phone numbers. It was really nice working with Elder Hatch again and I learned an awful lot from him and from the exchange. Friday we had Pavel on the plan. We weren't sure if he'd come, but he did! And he said the following about the Book of Mormon. "I read the chapter, and I read the introduction. This book is true and very powerful, and I believe that this is my life's chance to believe in God. Tell me about Joseph Smith." We were thrilled! Working in a country of people who struggle to exercise faith in another person, let alone in a book or a prophet our our Heavenly Father, that kind of a response is brilliant. We watched the film The Restoration with him and gave him another reading assignment as well as invited him to come with us on an excursion with the branch. The forecast was rain, but something I've found is that when the Lord has things to get done and servants in place to get it done, it doesn't matter what the environment is like - it will get done. We asked him for good weather, he gave it to us, and it was a beautiful clear morning. We almost missed the train and, while standing on the platform, realized that Pavel was standing in the train station still. We ran inside, grabbed him, and hopped on to the train just before it departed. The vylet was great, however I got a cold from it (yes mom, I'm taking supplements and have a pomelo, a kind of cross between a grapefruit and a pinecone, which should boost me up from it). Sunday came around, this was the really neat moment for us.
Sunday morning we were standing, in the rain, in front of the building. I'm wondering if that volcanoe in iceland is messing with the weather over here, because it's been pretty cold and pretty wet. I saw a man walking kind of goofy down the street, a big umbrella and a mothballed suit on his person. He stopped at every shop on the way just looking at the windows. Then he came up to us. "Good morning!" Pavel came to church! Oh, we were thrilled! He feels uncomfortable around strangers and groups of people, but the night before we convinced him to come, and he did! The other elders here got their man from india preparing for baptism to church, and we had a less active at church as well with her whole family. Yes!
Church was great, we watched part of priesthood session, and then afterwards we saw some neat miracles. Lada, a recent convert gypsy, came up to me. We're really good friends, and he needs a lot of support but he's making great progress. Recently his life has been in chaos and I've been really worried about his personal responsibility for his life, particularly when it comes to keeping covenants and getting the priesthood or going ot the temple, but he told me something that happened over the weekend. "I had a dream last night. The vylet we went on saturday was really great for me, and it gave me a chance to think and get away from everything. The nature and forest really helped me clear my mind out. That night my dad came to me in a dream and told me that he wants me to be good and live the gospel completely, because he wants to get baptized and get his temple work done." We were both in tears as he related how he knows now why he needs to make changes in his life - because his dad is involved. I couldn't have prayed for better miracles for him.
Well, that's basically the bulk of our weekly highlights. The zone is taking small but sure steps forward every week, we vaccumed and cleaned our car today, and we've become the owners of a used hand mixer. Oh, I've got some plans for some really awesome tortillas, cookies, and other baked stuff that has been out of reach for a while now. Life is good.
We're planning on giving pavel a baptismal commitment this week, getting a stack of new people put into our plans, and otherwise making some amazing things happen.
I do have to say one thing about the power and authority of my calling as a missionary. For a while I think I've been doing what I'm supposed to, giving where I need and want to, and trying to fulfill my purpose effectively. But what I haven't done is realized the power and authority of my setting apart as a missionary. Missionary work is the answer to solving the problems of the world. I personally can't go out and feed every starving child, fix every broken marriage, or heal every person's wound. But, the knowledge of the gospel and the living of true principles will feed us all with surplus, and heal all wounds and injuries. Really, missionary work and our efforts to establish Zion upon the earth are the most noble and meaningful labors we can be engaged in. Things I did before my mission when it came to computer programming or marketing and business were all good and constructive. But, if we truly are engaged in improving the cause of our fellowmen, then it is the living gospel of the Living Savior that will bring about the happiness and peace we are all looking for. I think I'm starting to know what is meant by the passage in Mosiah 15, and I am grateful to know that I am a part of that. This week has been one of those life changing weeks, and I feel that I have been oriented on a path for the rest of my life that will lead me to that which is best for myself and for those whom I live and love to serve.
Love you all, grateful for your support, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you all soon.
Love,
Elder Anderson
Monday night at 7:PM we had finished with an appointment and were going to spend the remainder of the day out on the namesti talking with people. We parked the car, hopped out and started praying to be guided in our efforts and to be guided to those prepared for our message. During the prayer, we were interrupted by a man who invited us to come worship with him at his church, but we declined and he rushed off. We bowed again to wrap it up, and one of our less active members walked up, apparently shaken and rather troubled, and interrupted the prayer. We had some work to do. The first man had just spoken with our member (no idea how they got on the subject of religion, let alone our church - faith in this country is an attribute of great weakness and dependence, not something people just chat about on the street), and had started to share with him all of the "truths" about mormonism, including a particular passage from Galatians 1 which says that angels won't reveal the gospel. We whipped out our scriptures from the trunk and started talking it over with him, including pulling references from the scriptures, bearing testimony, discussing his testimony with him, and recommending some passages from the book of mormon. He was somewhat put back together afterwards, but it took several days of quick meetings to work the matter over with him. We wrapped up the meeting and, with other commitments on the plan, we hopped back into the car and drove home. We didn't find anyone new that night, but the one who needed it most found us.
Tuesday we had a full day of teaching/finding efforts. It was very exciting to look at our opportunities, and up until about 4 PM we were on track. Some members here have been struggling recently and we were rather dissapointed when an appointment with one of them was cancelled. From there, our plans slowly unravelled as other individuals cancelled/came late, with less time/commitment. Amazing what happens when your plans don't work out, but even more amazing what happens when you get a good backup plan kicked in. English then started up, during which my companion taught our class and I prepared the home teaching plan for the branch. My mom was pretty frustrated last week when I didn't mention that they don't have an Elder's Quorum president here, so they've got me filling in that responsibility. So, there you go - I've been the Elder's Quorum president here since February.
Wednesday was amazing - it was rainy, we had finding on the plan. As we were out going through parks and streets and stopping and testifying and pulling out books of mormon, we were not seeing much success. Finally, we found Pavel. Pavel is our shining light of progress among weeks worth of searching, our diamond in the rough. He's studying to become a locksmith and is an atheist, but was interested in our message enough to come to our chapel and to hear from us. He's a little goofy and would fit the part of a quirky professor, but we love him. We gave him the book of mormon and Alma 32 to read about faith and how to get it. He left, and we looked forward to our friday meeting with him.
Thursday the Assistants came down from Prague to help us out, and we found many people who had interest in our message and many phone numbers. It was really nice working with Elder Hatch again and I learned an awful lot from him and from the exchange. Friday we had Pavel on the plan. We weren't sure if he'd come, but he did! And he said the following about the Book of Mormon. "I read the chapter, and I read the introduction. This book is true and very powerful, and I believe that this is my life's chance to believe in God. Tell me about Joseph Smith." We were thrilled! Working in a country of people who struggle to exercise faith in another person, let alone in a book or a prophet our our Heavenly Father, that kind of a response is brilliant. We watched the film The Restoration with him and gave him another reading assignment as well as invited him to come with us on an excursion with the branch. The forecast was rain, but something I've found is that when the Lord has things to get done and servants in place to get it done, it doesn't matter what the environment is like - it will get done. We asked him for good weather, he gave it to us, and it was a beautiful clear morning. We almost missed the train and, while standing on the platform, realized that Pavel was standing in the train station still. We ran inside, grabbed him, and hopped on to the train just before it departed. The vylet was great, however I got a cold from it (yes mom, I'm taking supplements and have a pomelo, a kind of cross between a grapefruit and a pinecone, which should boost me up from it). Sunday came around, this was the really neat moment for us.
Sunday morning we were standing, in the rain, in front of the building. I'm wondering if that volcanoe in iceland is messing with the weather over here, because it's been pretty cold and pretty wet. I saw a man walking kind of goofy down the street, a big umbrella and a mothballed suit on his person. He stopped at every shop on the way just looking at the windows. Then he came up to us. "Good morning!" Pavel came to church! Oh, we were thrilled! He feels uncomfortable around strangers and groups of people, but the night before we convinced him to come, and he did! The other elders here got their man from india preparing for baptism to church, and we had a less active at church as well with her whole family. Yes!
Church was great, we watched part of priesthood session, and then afterwards we saw some neat miracles. Lada, a recent convert gypsy, came up to me. We're really good friends, and he needs a lot of support but he's making great progress. Recently his life has been in chaos and I've been really worried about his personal responsibility for his life, particularly when it comes to keeping covenants and getting the priesthood or going ot the temple, but he told me something that happened over the weekend. "I had a dream last night. The vylet we went on saturday was really great for me, and it gave me a chance to think and get away from everything. The nature and forest really helped me clear my mind out. That night my dad came to me in a dream and told me that he wants me to be good and live the gospel completely, because he wants to get baptized and get his temple work done." We were both in tears as he related how he knows now why he needs to make changes in his life - because his dad is involved. I couldn't have prayed for better miracles for him.
Well, that's basically the bulk of our weekly highlights. The zone is taking small but sure steps forward every week, we vaccumed and cleaned our car today, and we've become the owners of a used hand mixer. Oh, I've got some plans for some really awesome tortillas, cookies, and other baked stuff that has been out of reach for a while now. Life is good.
We're planning on giving pavel a baptismal commitment this week, getting a stack of new people put into our plans, and otherwise making some amazing things happen.
I do have to say one thing about the power and authority of my calling as a missionary. For a while I think I've been doing what I'm supposed to, giving where I need and want to, and trying to fulfill my purpose effectively. But what I haven't done is realized the power and authority of my setting apart as a missionary. Missionary work is the answer to solving the problems of the world. I personally can't go out and feed every starving child, fix every broken marriage, or heal every person's wound. But, the knowledge of the gospel and the living of true principles will feed us all with surplus, and heal all wounds and injuries. Really, missionary work and our efforts to establish Zion upon the earth are the most noble and meaningful labors we can be engaged in. Things I did before my mission when it came to computer programming or marketing and business were all good and constructive. But, if we truly are engaged in improving the cause of our fellowmen, then it is the living gospel of the Living Savior that will bring about the happiness and peace we are all looking for. I think I'm starting to know what is meant by the passage in Mosiah 15, and I am grateful to know that I am a part of that. This week has been one of those life changing weeks, and I feel that I have been oriented on a path for the rest of my life that will lead me to that which is best for myself and for those whom I live and love to serve.
Love you all, grateful for your support, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you all soon.
Love,
Elder Anderson
Monday, May 10, 2010
Of frustration, learning and Pop Tarts ( Week 21 in Olomouc, Week 56 in Czech )
Hello All,
So it's been an interesting week. We're seeing right now a lot of miracles, but we're not seeing follow through with people. On saturday night, for example, it was 8:40 and we said we'd talk to 5 more people. The first four didn't go very far, but we knew the Lord would bless us with the fifth. Then the fifth came along, we taught him about the restoration, and he said, "I've been looking for the true church too!" We were thrilled! So exciting to hear that from someone, particularly after a long day. We went in to get his phone number, and he was taken aback. "Oh, I think the information is interesting, but I'm not very interested in meeting again. Thanks though!" It was shocking to see how often that happened this week. So, if you're praying for missionaries, I'd ask you all to pray that the right people will be led to us and will want to commit. We're looking at everything we're doing to improve and grow, and your prayers make a huge difference, believe me.
We started last week as an entire mission re-reading the book of mormon at 10 pages a day. It's remarkable seeing the details that come out every time you read the Book of Mormon again. Something great that stuck out to me was that Nephi never once complained, even though he could have so many times. The biggest example I think was one of his toughest trials: being tied up on a boat in a storm for four days wondering if his children would drown, his parents make it, his family and extended family included, meanwhile his brothers wanted to kill him and he was defenseless. His wrists hurt, his legs hurt, and he could have thrown up his hands and said "Why me? Why now? Where is the Lord? What's going on? Where is that promised land?" But, he didn't. His brothers, upon coming to terms with their emminent destruction, they loosed him. And he prayed with gratitude for the Lord and for all that he had received from Him. He was grateful! How often do we go through trials frustrated or grudgingly? All too often. But he did not flinch. What a great example!
Another thing that stuck out to me this week was Accountability. I read the Preach My Gospel passage on Accountability this week, and it might have changed my mission. We have to want to be accountable in many instances, and our understanding of our accountability to the Lord can truly make us great leaders. Leadership is a highly lacking attribute in the world today, the ability to stand as an example and to help others to find thier way to success, happiness, and progress, to help them to become better. But it all comes from our personal understanding of our relationship to the Lord and to others, and when we feel that accountability for our personal progress as well as our accountability for blessing the lives of those around us, particularly through prayer to the Lord regularly, then we become enabled with the vission and the direction we need in order to want to invoke those blessings.
Grab bag: My dad is doing well and is recovering well from his surgeries, etc. Really glad to hear about that. Another random grab bag: My parents sent me several pouches of pop-tarts the other day. Yes, several - I haven't seen so many pop-tarts since I said my parting goodbyes last year to Dennis, the pop-tart toaster at school. Oh, it's the simple things in life you treasure.
Have a great week everyone, and I hope that you see the hand of the Lord in your lives as we have in ours.
Love,
Brent
So it's been an interesting week. We're seeing right now a lot of miracles, but we're not seeing follow through with people. On saturday night, for example, it was 8:40 and we said we'd talk to 5 more people. The first four didn't go very far, but we knew the Lord would bless us with the fifth. Then the fifth came along, we taught him about the restoration, and he said, "I've been looking for the true church too!" We were thrilled! So exciting to hear that from someone, particularly after a long day. We went in to get his phone number, and he was taken aback. "Oh, I think the information is interesting, but I'm not very interested in meeting again. Thanks though!" It was shocking to see how often that happened this week. So, if you're praying for missionaries, I'd ask you all to pray that the right people will be led to us and will want to commit. We're looking at everything we're doing to improve and grow, and your prayers make a huge difference, believe me.
We started last week as an entire mission re-reading the book of mormon at 10 pages a day. It's remarkable seeing the details that come out every time you read the Book of Mormon again. Something great that stuck out to me was that Nephi never once complained, even though he could have so many times. The biggest example I think was one of his toughest trials: being tied up on a boat in a storm for four days wondering if his children would drown, his parents make it, his family and extended family included, meanwhile his brothers wanted to kill him and he was defenseless. His wrists hurt, his legs hurt, and he could have thrown up his hands and said "Why me? Why now? Where is the Lord? What's going on? Where is that promised land?" But, he didn't. His brothers, upon coming to terms with their emminent destruction, they loosed him. And he prayed with gratitude for the Lord and for all that he had received from Him. He was grateful! How often do we go through trials frustrated or grudgingly? All too often. But he did not flinch. What a great example!
Another thing that stuck out to me this week was Accountability. I read the Preach My Gospel passage on Accountability this week, and it might have changed my mission. We have to want to be accountable in many instances, and our understanding of our accountability to the Lord can truly make us great leaders. Leadership is a highly lacking attribute in the world today, the ability to stand as an example and to help others to find thier way to success, happiness, and progress, to help them to become better. But it all comes from our personal understanding of our relationship to the Lord and to others, and when we feel that accountability for our personal progress as well as our accountability for blessing the lives of those around us, particularly through prayer to the Lord regularly, then we become enabled with the vission and the direction we need in order to want to invoke those blessings.
Grab bag: My dad is doing well and is recovering well from his surgeries, etc. Really glad to hear about that. Another random grab bag: My parents sent me several pouches of pop-tarts the other day. Yes, several - I haven't seen so many pop-tarts since I said my parting goodbyes last year to Dennis, the pop-tart toaster at school. Oh, it's the simple things in life you treasure.
Have a great week everyone, and I hope that you see the hand of the Lord in your lives as we have in ours.
Love,
Brent
Monday, May 3, 2010
Another Crazy Week Crazy Transfers Week ( Week 20 in Olomouc, Week 55 in Czech )
Hey Everyone!
So, Elder McGowan and I are getting along amazingly. We have so much in common, it's ridiculous. For starters, we had the same mission prep class in college. We had the same season tickets to BYU football (Well, same row a few seats down). Turns out we have the same taste in music, entertainment, and inside jokes. Really, it's been crazy seeing how it's all worked out this transfer this week. We had zone conference on Wednesday and provided a training on teaching freshly by using effective commitments. Elder McGowan dressed up in a Nike shirt with "Fresh" plastered over the front and a subway sandwich. "Eat fresh!" It was a pretty fresh training, if I do say so myself, full of fresh ideas and fresh improvements to keep our mission fresh. Yeah, I'm trying to use the word "fresh" as much as possible. It's one of those fresh inside jokes we're passing around now.
In other news, we found a really super golden man the other day. He's a math teacher here, and all we did was start talking to him, show him the book of Mormon, and teach him like we're supposed to. No convincing, no jumping around ideas and trying to help them see faith as a strength and not a weakness. Just simple, powerful testimony. We were really excited to see his response. We'll be meeting with him soon to talk more. Other people we're working with have started coming to home evening activities, meeting members, and starting to progress slowly but surely. A man from India in the other elders' area has committed to baptism, so we'll be working with them very closely to help them move through that process correctly. I think that in the entire zone there's Elder Lance, Sister Hill, and then me in terms of seniority. Everybody else is less than 10 months in the country, which is pretty exciting. The Lord is blessing us, however, as we can all see when we look at the stories of finding, baptising, and teaching across the mission.
I do have to say that anyone that reads my letters need to take it as a personal favor to me to set one small goal on a way you can help the missionaries where you live to push the work forward. Make them a meal! Drive them to an appointment! Share a friend the gospel and invite them to meet the missionaries! Referral work really is the only way the church is going to keep pushing progress forward. No other ways work nearly as well.
On a more spiritual note, I'm learning right now that the most important thing in doing missionary work (probably in doing any work) is relying on the Lord. We are here as His servants and representatives, basically His proxies. He would be here doing this if it were possible, but it would through off a lot of the plan so he sends us around instead. Thus, to get the work done, perhaps it's not so much "how close can I be like the Savior right now so that I can do this work by myself", that's probably part of it, but maybe it's more "how much can I rely on the Lord right now so that He can do this work through me". We're instruments, not androids. The Lord can accomplish much more in us and in others when we get ourselves out of the way and let him work through us as we listen to the spirit and act accordingly.
Otherwise, things are great. I have several letters that have come in recently (yes, your replies will be in the mail today). I'm happy, healthy, and looking forward to a week of work in the rain. I've found that the Lord does answer prayers, however, so if we really need sunshine, he sends it. Then, when we're inside, he'll get the rain pushed through anyway. Or, if it's going to rain anyway, he sends sunshine to us on the inside, so we are out working despite the wet. Speaking of wet, we're getting our suits dry cleaned. My suits have taken a pretty good beating this year/winter, but they'll be coming back in a week looking as good as new (I hope).
Grab bag: Elder McGowan is really sharp and on top of goal setting and fulfilling. I think that sometimes we try to set too big of goals and we get frustrated at the results. But, I'm seeing that I can set goals to do the little things and it's within my power to fulfill those goals and see the results. Cases in point: Language performance is going way up this transfer between the both of us due to solid goals and resolve to reach them. The same thing applies to apartment cleanliness. We've upgraded our cleaning supplies from old wooden broom to new plastic one, replaced the vacuum bag, and have about 80% of our spring cleaning behind us. Yes, our missionary apartment is in good shape. Now, I've got 7 weeks to get into a good cleaning habit so I make sure that it happens in the future. I've been pretty good on the whole, I think, but sometimes cleaning falls from being a priority.
Grab bag: We bought a four whole punch the other day to keep our record books organizedejši. We're pretty stoked about it. They even had to order it for us.
Another good grab bag: We have started rewriting lyrics to our favorite Mormon tabernacle choir songs to make them more interesting, including calling people to repentance/baptism, singing out to the relief society with their arts and crafts activities, and serenading to Elder McGowan about taking care of his book of Mormon. In short, we're having a lot of fun.
Love you all, if you're in my real immediate family then you'll hear from me this week, for those of you faux family members (haha!) hang in there: I'll be getting this batch of letters out soon.
Thanks,
Elder Brent Anderson
So, Elder McGowan and I are getting along amazingly. We have so much in common, it's ridiculous. For starters, we had the same mission prep class in college. We had the same season tickets to BYU football (Well, same row a few seats down). Turns out we have the same taste in music, entertainment, and inside jokes. Really, it's been crazy seeing how it's all worked out this transfer this week. We had zone conference on Wednesday and provided a training on teaching freshly by using effective commitments. Elder McGowan dressed up in a Nike shirt with "Fresh" plastered over the front and a subway sandwich. "Eat fresh!" It was a pretty fresh training, if I do say so myself, full of fresh ideas and fresh improvements to keep our mission fresh. Yeah, I'm trying to use the word "fresh" as much as possible. It's one of those fresh inside jokes we're passing around now.
In other news, we found a really super golden man the other day. He's a math teacher here, and all we did was start talking to him, show him the book of Mormon, and teach him like we're supposed to. No convincing, no jumping around ideas and trying to help them see faith as a strength and not a weakness. Just simple, powerful testimony. We were really excited to see his response. We'll be meeting with him soon to talk more. Other people we're working with have started coming to home evening activities, meeting members, and starting to progress slowly but surely. A man from India in the other elders' area has committed to baptism, so we'll be working with them very closely to help them move through that process correctly. I think that in the entire zone there's Elder Lance, Sister Hill, and then me in terms of seniority. Everybody else is less than 10 months in the country, which is pretty exciting. The Lord is blessing us, however, as we can all see when we look at the stories of finding, baptising, and teaching across the mission.
I do have to say that anyone that reads my letters need to take it as a personal favor to me to set one small goal on a way you can help the missionaries where you live to push the work forward. Make them a meal! Drive them to an appointment! Share a friend the gospel and invite them to meet the missionaries! Referral work really is the only way the church is going to keep pushing progress forward. No other ways work nearly as well.
On a more spiritual note, I'm learning right now that the most important thing in doing missionary work (probably in doing any work) is relying on the Lord. We are here as His servants and representatives, basically His proxies. He would be here doing this if it were possible, but it would through off a lot of the plan so he sends us around instead. Thus, to get the work done, perhaps it's not so much "how close can I be like the Savior right now so that I can do this work by myself", that's probably part of it, but maybe it's more "how much can I rely on the Lord right now so that He can do this work through me". We're instruments, not androids. The Lord can accomplish much more in us and in others when we get ourselves out of the way and let him work through us as we listen to the spirit and act accordingly.
Otherwise, things are great. I have several letters that have come in recently (yes, your replies will be in the mail today). I'm happy, healthy, and looking forward to a week of work in the rain. I've found that the Lord does answer prayers, however, so if we really need sunshine, he sends it. Then, when we're inside, he'll get the rain pushed through anyway. Or, if it's going to rain anyway, he sends sunshine to us on the inside, so we are out working despite the wet. Speaking of wet, we're getting our suits dry cleaned. My suits have taken a pretty good beating this year/winter, but they'll be coming back in a week looking as good as new (I hope).
Grab bag: Elder McGowan is really sharp and on top of goal setting and fulfilling. I think that sometimes we try to set too big of goals and we get frustrated at the results. But, I'm seeing that I can set goals to do the little things and it's within my power to fulfill those goals and see the results. Cases in point: Language performance is going way up this transfer between the both of us due to solid goals and resolve to reach them. The same thing applies to apartment cleanliness. We've upgraded our cleaning supplies from old wooden broom to new plastic one, replaced the vacuum bag, and have about 80% of our spring cleaning behind us. Yes, our missionary apartment is in good shape. Now, I've got 7 weeks to get into a good cleaning habit so I make sure that it happens in the future. I've been pretty good on the whole, I think, but sometimes cleaning falls from being a priority.
Grab bag: We bought a four whole punch the other day to keep our record books organizedejši. We're pretty stoked about it. They even had to order it for us.
Another good grab bag: We have started rewriting lyrics to our favorite Mormon tabernacle choir songs to make them more interesting, including calling people to repentance/baptism, singing out to the relief society with their arts and crafts activities, and serenading to Elder McGowan about taking care of his book of Mormon. In short, we're having a lot of fun.
Love you all, if you're in my real immediate family then you'll hear from me this week, for those of you faux family members (haha!) hang in there: I'll be getting this batch of letters out soon.
Thanks,
Elder Brent Anderson
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