That means Hello Everyone
in Samoan!!!
That's one of the perks of
having a foreign companion!!! I'm learning so much Samoan!!!! He is really cool
and teaches me alot! Not just the language but also how to better teach the
gospel!
This week has flown by!!! :) My companion and I have been working very
hard to try and find new people to teach. Right now we have 13 investigators, 9
with baptismal dates and 3 potential investigators (those who we have met and
they told us we could come back some time) But the thing is that all those
investigators are from 2 of the 4 wards we cover in our area. It’s interesting
that the two wards we don't have any investigators in, happen to be the two
richer ward areas.
This concept is illustrated in the Book of Mormon quite
well. In Alma 31-35, the prophet of the Lord, Alma is trying to preach to a
group of people called the Zoramites. These people are members of the Church
but because of time and their distance from the body of the Church, they have
begun to pervert the ways of the Church. So Alma along with other
"missionaries" try to preach repentance and teach them the gospel.
The Zoramites are a rich and elegant people and because of this pride and hard
heartedness, they reject Alma and will not listen. As Alma is preaching in
vain, a group of poorer people approach Alma and ask him to preach unto them.
Because they had been kicked out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of
their apparel. Or in other words, because they didn't have fancy clothes. Man
that has got to stink. I mean everyone likes to look nice but the LDS faith
isn't going to kick you out if you don't look nice.
Anyways, Alma preaches to
these people and they accept the gospel. The people who are meek in heart, who
are humble because of their situation are more accepting of the Gospel than
those who feel they have all that they need and want. I can definately see that
in my area. But we are working hard and I know that we will find those who are
ready to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. :)
This week we also had the
opportunity to have a Zone Conference. This is when all the missionaries from 2
or 3 zones (areas in the mission) come together and have speakers and training
on how to be better. It was a great experience not only because we learned a lot,
but it’s also nice to see other missionaries than just your companion for a
change ;) One of the speakers was our mission doctor, Dr. Liljenquist talked
about our role as a missionary and how to put off the natural man. He said our
role as a missionary is to suffer. Weird right??? But it kind of makes sense.
Christ suffered ALL things for us. We wear his name next to our hearts. We are
on a mission to suffer for him. To try to repay him for even a little of what
he did for us. We suffer by leaving our family and friends, we suffer bitter
cold, or blistering heat, we suffer hostile people, late nights and early mornings.
All these things so that we can bring people the happiness that we have felt in
our lives. And all of that suffering is worth it!!!! Even if we only bring one
soul unto Christ!!! Think about all the happiness in your life. Why wouldn't we
want to share that happiness that comes with the knowledge that God is our
loving Heavenly Father and he wants us all to be happy! Everything a missionary
teaches leads right back to that, God loves us. He gave his only begotten Son
to die on the cross, BECAUSE HE LOVES US. He gave us a plan in which we can
return to live with Him, BECAUSE HE LOVES US. He has made it so that we can be
together with our loved ones FOREVER, BECAUSE HE LOVES US. :) It is an
overwhelming concept that the Creator of EVERYTHING loves me, and you, and you,
and you. And he knows you, by name, and he knows your trials, and struggles,
and everything you need.
Even more overwhelming is the concept that we can
COMUNICATE with such a Being and that He HEARS us!!! It fills me with such joy
knowing that even though I'm away from those I love, My Heavenly Father is
always mindful of me and has got my back. It's like a parachuter, plummeting
towards earth. He hasn't seen the parachute in the backpack, he just strapped
that bad boy on and jumped. But he has faith, faith that when he pulls the
cord, the parachute will eject and he can float down to safety. We can't see
God, and we are falling towards the earth, but we have faith he is there. As we
pray, as we pull that cord, He will be there for us. I KNOW this is true. I
have seen the power of prayer in my life so many times, even more now that I'm
out on my mission. I invite all to pray to their Father in Heaven in all
things, big or small. I know He is there, and he is willing to bless you.
I love you all and I hope
all is going well :) I pray for you and think of all of you often :)
Love Always,
Elder Rash
Ps. I love all your letters….keep
them coming.
Elder Rash typing this letter today
Elder Malau'Ulu
The Family History Center they use the computers at to write home.
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