Tuesday, June 7, 2016

MISSIONARY WARS CHAPTER IV: A NEW HOPE

May 23, 2016

A LONG TIME AGO (Oh my gosh it was just a week since you last wrote. dude stop being so trunky!) IN A CRAPY ARGENTINE CYBER FAR FAR AWAY (If you´re not in Argentina)....

MISSIONARY WARS
CHAPTER IV:
A NEW HOPE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ELDER BURKE AND HIS NEWLY TRAINED MISSIONARY ARE FOUND IN THE AREA OF LAS PALMAS WHERE IT SEEMS TO HAVE MANY OPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. THEY HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SUCCESS IN BRINGING OTHERS UNTO CHRIST, WHICH NORMALLY MEANS HAVING THEM MAKE BAPTISIMAL COMMITMENTS.  SO FAR IT SEEMS FOR THE TWO MISSIONARIES THAT FINDING SOMEONE TO BAPTIZE HAS FAILED.  THE AMOUNT OF WAITING FOR ESPIFANIO AND FRANSICA IS WAINING ON THEIR PATIENCE AND MANY HAVE NOT BEEN DEDICATED TO KEEP THE SMALL COMMITMENTS; SUCH AS READING THE BOOK OF MORMON OR COMING TO CHURCH.  HOW FRUSTRATING RIGHT?? 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
BUT THE TWO MISSIONARIES HAVE FOUND A NEW HOPE IN AN OLD INVESTIGATOR WHO HAS BEEN TAUGHT BY MANY, INCLUDING ELDER BURKE, IN HIS TIME TRAINING YOUNG MISSIONARIES IN LAS PÀLMAS. LORENA THE MOTHER OF THREE HAS SEPARATED FROM HER REBELIOUS SPOUSE WHO WASN’T VERY SUPPORTIVE OF HER TO GO TO CHURCH.  THEY HAVE SEPARATED FOR GOOD.  IT SEEMS THAT THERE MAY BE A CHANCE OF HAVING HER BE BAPTIZED IF SHE CAN OBEY ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.  CAN THE MISSIONARIES BRING HER TO THE LIGHT FROM THE DARK SIDE? .............................................................
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Yes it is true... I enjoy writing these letters more than my mom does to read them.  But as the super- duper awesome intro states…there is a huge opportunity to see a lot of progression in Lorena.  Hermana Sylvya is helping us with the relief society to help her feel more welcome at church and Lorena stayed for two hours instead of one this time!  Progress is small, but to me in seeing the big picture, this was big for her!  So we are helping her quit smoking.  It’s really awesome to have the spirit with you when people doubt about the things that seem impossible for them to do.  We comforted her with the assurance that if she does her part she will be able to quit smoking and feel the spirit even more. 

After this week we have been struggling to find people who are willing to commit, and what happens, just as we pray for more people who are prepared, we get them.  Heavenly Father is reliable and never fails us.  We are talking to some people who are pretty cool like Dora (Jehovah’s Witness who had a member of her church be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints before he died and she is dying to see what he saw), Narcisa (a woman who has talked to the missionaries in Buenos Aires before and wants to be baptized when she can be married to her boyfriend who lives with her, shes waiting for the divorce papers to go through) and more.  It’s a great time to be a teaching! 

Over all I feel like if there is anything that makes us progress it’s the opposition and adversity in our lives.  Think of it this way, the more resistance you have, the more you have to push.  God can’t tempt us outside of our capacity, nor try us beyond our limits.  As it says in:

Mosiah 4:27 "...for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. 

We should be diligent in all times. If we find ourselves in what seems like the impossible, God is waiting for us to realize that we can do all things by him.  If we find ourselves with a really hard trial that seems to go on forever we should rejoice because that means that our Father who is in heaven sees us ready to grow and learn.  The trees are made stronger when the wind constantly tries to blow them down, our muscles become stronger after stressing them to their limits, and the missionary always runs faster when he has a dog chasing him down!

Doctrine and Covenants 136:31
"My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom."

As I look at all the obstacles that our investigators have, I only see it as the things that will make them stronger.  And as a missionary, I am so happy to be there to tell them what they need to hear and more than anything, shine my light so that they may see that God is real and has all the power to save. 

 Keep going, keep pushing, don´t focus on impossible,
you´re qualified, you´re worthy, and above all capable
If you don’t believe in me and don’t think me true,
All I can say is confide in God and He will strengthen you.

Love you all and I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Redeemer and Savior, amen.

Love,
Elder Burke


No comments:

Post a Comment