Monday, 4 March 2013

I  have had one of the best weeks of my mission. It has seriously been full of miracles. Ever since Katlynn asked me to baptize her last weekend I've really felt like I needed to stop fighting God in some things and give my will completely to His. I felt like I needed to be "purified even as he is pure" (Moroni 7:48). Little did I know that as I really tried to be everything my Heavenly Father wanted me to be, He was eager to open the windows of heaven to pour out blessings, so much so that there has been hardly room enough to receive them.

 

I just want to outline some of those blessings that I've experienced recently,

 

1) A member of our ward who had recently moved to the northern part of our area called Dillsburg has been reaching out a lot to the other residents of her retirement home. Last week she brought three of them into Sacrament meeting and excitedly ran over to me. She said, "these are three of my friends and they all want to investigate the Church." As you could probably tell, my jaw hit the floor. Never had any investigator been so easily placed in our teaching pool than Barb and Alyce (two of the ladies she brought). We promptly set up an appointment for a couple days later. At that appointment, they expressed how they had been always searching for a Church that "felt right," and they explained how as they went through all three hours of our Church services, they felt an insatiable pull towards our Church, so much that they knew this was the way to go. They described feeling the Spirit in such detail that we were not hesitant to talk boldly about joining the Church. Both women are in their 60's and both are widows. Alyce in particular told of how she had been married to her husband only 8 months when he passed away. She said she never allowed herself to cry about it, but as she relayed the story to us, she began to weep uncontrollably. We consoled her with the knowledge we have of the Plan of Salvation - about the answers to what the purpose of life is, where our spirits go after we die, and the sure fact that we would indeed live again. Alyce told me that the moment she met me, she knew I had something to share with her that would make a deep impact on the direction of her life forever. It was stunning for me to hear that and I just thank my Heavenly Father for the opportunity I have to be a missionary.

 

2) I mentioned last week about a young man named Aaron we're currently teaching. He's been dating a member of the ward on and off for years and they are currently engaged. Ever since he's been in contact with the family of his fiance (all of whom are active in the Church)  they've talked to him about the Church and invited him to come with little success in him gaining a testimony. The Bushey family even gave him a quadruple combination which has been in his possession for 2 years - without him ever opening it. Elder West and I stopped in on the Busheys a couple months ago and asked if we could start teaching him - he agreed and we've been teaching him steadily ever since. He currently has a baptismal date for 23 March (my last Saturday in the mission) and is working toward it like a boss. In our last meeting with him Brother Bushey was joking with Aaron saying that the reason we were meeting with Aaron so much was so that the family wouldn't influence him toward the dark side too much. Aaron cuttingly said back, "well, they've done a better job at getting me to join the Church than you have the last two years."

 

3) During a trying time this week, I asked Elder West to give me a blessing to be strong and faithful. Something just told me to ask him. Surprised at my request, Elder West agreed, and although he had only given two blessings before, I definitely felt that the words he spoke were directly from God. "You Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and are proud of the work you've done. But they need you still. Your investigators need you. This work needs you." His Spirit electrified me and helped me in more ways that he probably comprehends.

4) This last fast and testimony meeting was kind of painful, haha. And to top it off, it was one of our investigators' first time at Church. Zack had previously not been fond of the Church even though his wife, Becky was a fairly active member. We started teaching him about 3 weeks ago with slow progress. He doesn't have much of a Christian background, so the Book of Mormon seemed foreign, almost fictional to him. As I sank in my seat in Church, I wondered how we were ever going to recover from this strange blow to Zack's perception of our Church. But to my surprise during Sunday School he told me, "you know I've been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it, and have decided on my own that I want to get baptized. And I want to do it, before you leave." I'm sure the look on my face was funny, for Heavenly Father had made up where others, including me and my lack of faith, fell short. His wife was so happy, for she thought he would never come around.

 

Miracles. They happen.

 

Elder Low

February 25, 2013

I've learned so much more about life being on a mission than I ever could have anywhere else. When asked how much strength one should have left when one breaks through the finish line, a coach will always reply with "nothing!" So also as we run this race of life, the prize is not to the swift nor the strong but he who endures to the end. It's not enough for us to passively drift through life, looking for the end on the horizon, for if we do so, we'll waste the day in chasing tomorrow and find ourselves with many empty yesterdays.

 

I think I'm starting to realize why missionaries when they approach the end of their mission they start to dread the thought of coming home for fear that there isn't enough time to accomplish all that we feel needs accomplished, leaving many songs unsung. There is a reason that the great missionary section in the Doctrine & Covenants tells us that only an attitude of having an eye single to the glory of God qualifies him for the work, for nothing short of thrusting in your sickle with all your heart, might, mind and strength will bring salvation and peace of consciousness. Serving a mission is like living life. We may choose to waste our days fulfilling selfish desires and wasting the day away dreaming of our mansions in the future, but the only way to peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come is immersing yourself in service and holding nothing back.

 

I have so many goals for the last 4 weeks of my mission that I wish I would have accomplished a long time ago. And now I may not accomplish them without sufficient time.

 

But we should always appreciate what we do have. You asked about those I am teaching and preparing for baptism right now. Currently a young girl named Katlynn (I think I mentioned her a couple letters ago about how she bore her testimony) is preparing for the 9th of March and we have a guy about our age named Aaron preparing for the 23rd of March. Katlynn actually asked me to baptize her, which I am glad to do. It's nice to always be working towards something. And to know that I will have people working towards baptism up until my last Saturday here will help me be all that I can up until the end. For that is where the race analogy fails, for "they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we [for] an incorruptible.

 

"So run - that ye may obtain." (1 Corinthians 9:25, 24)

 

Elder Low

President's/Family Day 2013

From our puny perspective much of what happens in this life can seem unfair. President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles likened God's plan for us to a grand three act play. Act one is the Premortal Life, Act 2 is Life on Earth, and Act 3 is Life after Death. Because of a veil of forgetfulness placed over our minds so that we may walk by faith rather than by sight, we are like one who has walked into the theatre in the middle of Act 2 upon our arrival in mortality. Many things might not make sense at the time but when considering the entire play, we see the reason and the justice that has and will occur throughout this magnificent play. For the line "and they all lived happily ever after" does not appear in Act 2 but in Act 3 when all the mysteries are solved and the justices all settled. From the scriptures we can gain kind of a grasp on all of the acts and see that no matter what happens God loves His children.

 

Just as a parent disciplines their children so as not to have them get hurt - our Heavenly Father gives us commandments intending to benefit us in the long run rather than have us indulge in the temporarily-satisfying but not lasting pleasure of the moment. And those who disregard those commandments really only hurt themselves - perhaps not physically, but I believe that guilt is to the Spirit as pain is to the body; both mean, "You're hurting me. Stop what you're doing now or you will cause further damage and the healing process will be much harder." Donna and Marty had a lot going for them this week. In the wake of their marriage they were able to buy a car, rent an apartment, and find solid work. Unfortunately the gospel had fallen by the wayside. We were unable to talk to them all week because of how "busy" they were. We even came to the point where we told them that anytime during the next day that they could meet - even if for only a half hour - we would make that possible in our schedule, we would drop everything and make our schedule flexible to theirs whenever that might be. But the call never came.

 

We met with them after Church yesterday and discussed their baptism which was supposed to happen this coming Saturday. Unfortunately they are not prepared and the date must be rescheduled. Don't get me wrong, Marty and Donna are very sincere and want to get baptized more than anything, but for a week they lost sight of what was important and the consequence prolonged what they wanted so badly. Sometimes when we disregard the commandments and want to turn around we expect immediate results. But just as a physical wound takes time to heal, the Great Physician Jesus Christ can only heal us according to our commitment to the gospel. It's very hard to simply pray your way out of something you worked yourself into. But change is possible. The key is to allow the Lord to complete the healing process without reopening the wound. The more I help people become clean from their sins by living the gospel of Jesus Christ the more I can understand how badly our Heavenly Father wants us back, for "the nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 240–41). Marty and Donna are now working toward the 2nd of March for a baptismal date and I know that they will be able to get there. I believe in a God who has such shoulders.

 

As said in the new stunning Mormon Message on lds.org "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father" (and if you haven't seen it yet, watch it now - it's amazing), I am beginning to realize how this all came to be. 

 

Elder Low

 

P.S. It was announced on Saturday that I am not being transferred. I suspected so but it's nice to hear it for sure. I will be spending my last 5 weeks here in Dover with Elder West. Hopefully it'll be the best transfer of my mission! :)

 

Monday, 11 February 2013

I honestly keep wanting to type '2012,' I guess I haven't completely grasped that it's 2013 yet. Maybe I'm just not used to anticipating being in this year. Wasn't the world supposed to end by now or something?

 

Probably the biggest thing to report on is once again, Marty, Donna and Katlynn. Marty and Donna were married on Saturday and it was wonderful to see them be here, at this moment, at this time. They've come so far and worked so hard. So much has changed. And it has all been because of the gospel. If we hadn't run into them at the time we did. They would be somewhere in North Carolina, in a constant tug of war between what they feel like they have to do and what they should do. They feel at peace. To see them look at each other the way they did on Saturday, made me realize how transformative the Atonement can be. Repentance shouldn't be frightening or offensive, but just as Alma described after his repentance, "there [could] be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was [his] joy." (Alma 36:21)

 

I was looking back on my week and honestly it didn't seem like all that much happened. And yet I'm happy. I feel at peace. I feel hope for the future. I'm anticipating a lot of good things happening this coming week. I don't think we have a day where we don't have an  appointment or two in the evening, I feel very busy which is great as a missionary. But I think most of all I feel at peace with God right now.

 

During our Zone Training this week (did I mention that my son, Elder Spohn is my Zone Leader?), our leaders were talking to us about redoing our area books in a new format and alphabetizing potential investigators written in there and for some reason they were making it sound like it had to be done. I threw up my hand and protested about how much time this would take us and they told us it would save a lot of time in the end. I persisted further, "But I don't have that much time left!" My zone leaders just kind of stopped, looking at me sheepishly, not wanting to make me do anything, but still upholding what they had been told in Zone Leader Council. All of a sudden how short my time is has come crashing down on me. And not in a trunky way, but in a "I need to do everything I can NOW" kind of way. Our ward is behind us fully now and we're all working towards many baptisms in the coming week but I feel like there is no time to waste. I'm seeing the need to not procrastinate everywhere, the need for me to "come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto [me]... while his arm of mercy is extended... in the light of the day" (Jacob 6:5). I called my mission President this week because I felt the need to apologize for not being the best that I could in these last two years. I wish that I could have more fully thrust in my sickle with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. But the past has passed and I'm not done yet.

 

But like I said, right now is good. This letter may seem extremely schizophrenic, but it's an interesting feeling that I have. One of hope, one of faith, one of the anticipation of the harvest, just on the horizon.

 

Elder Low

Special Day

Groundhog Day(?), 2013

I was unaware that it was Groundhog Day today. I guess it's just another one of those holidays just to have a holiday. I'm sure it's nuts in Punxsutawney right now.

 

It has been a WONDERFUL week here in Dover. A lot of teaching went on with member and nonmember alike, of which the nonmembers are progressing toward solid baptismal dates. Marty and Donna, who had cooled off for the past couple weeks, are on fire again. All of a sudden they saw how important the gospel was to them. They had become discouraged a couple weeks ago when Satan through some curve balls their way, knocking them from spiritual high ground, despite my warnings to them when Elder West first got here of building that strong foundation upon the gospel and never looking back (Helaman 5:12). Then, as soon as they reached heavenward, our Heavenly Father open the windows of heaven and blessed them four-fold, dwarfing the seemingly insurmountable hurdles Satan had so deviously tried to construct on their ways. The sudden blessings of job interviews, a potential apartment, a convenient and well-manageable car, and progression in their relationship toward marriage, made them realize that God is more powerful than the Devil, all we need to do is reach out, for "his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 9:12).

 

Ever since the panacea of that realization, we've been meeting with them and teaching them every other day - their baptismal date now set for 23 February. They worked out the financial problems and are now planning on a wedding day of this Saturday, of which I will be in attendance. It's amazing how much people can change when they want it that badly.

 

Yesterday was probably the most spiritual fast and testimony meeting I had ever been in. As a missionary, fast and testimony meeting can either make or break your investigators' experiences with Church, because you have no idea what some members can say. Usually you just grit your teeth and pray for the best. But it was all different this time. My attitude unfortunately hadn't changed but my environment shook me in my seat, with the Spirit being the catastrophic cause. Backing up to the beginning of Ward Council just before Church started, somebody from the Lewisberry 2nd Ward, came in and handed us two letters that had been sent to the Church's address. They were from someone we had street contacted in downtown Dover and gave them the address of the Church. The member  spoke facetiously but seriously when he handed us the letters, saying, "it's from a fellow you met telling you how wrong you are." The sheer audacity that that member entitled the letter with, made my blood boil. Now the Spirit kept telling me all through the meeting, "don't read that letter, Elder." Somehow I just knew I wasn't going to like what I read. I knew exactly the guy it was from and I knew exactly how the conversation between us had transpired - somehow I just knew I was going to be mad. Despite the constant whispering of the Spirit, I ripped open the letter at the beginning of sacrament meeting, hungry for how I could possibly retaliate and destroy this correspondent scripturally. But of course, he hadn't put on a return address. I sat during the opening hymns brewing, his words kept echoing in my mind, "read your KJV of the Bible and you'll discover the true Jesus, a Jesus that Joseph Smith was warned about going against (Galatians 1:6-8). You'll be glad you did." By now I had completely lost the right Spirit of the sacrament meeting and sat in despair. Nobody likes being told they're wrong - especially in such a cowardly way. It wasn't that I felt doubt about my beliefs, but contention drives the Spirit away (3 Nephi 11:29), and contention is probably the best word you could use to describe my feelings toward this guy.

 

But like I said, I was completely changed by the tone of the meeting. The ward had gone on a temple trip the day before and all the children were flocking toward the pulpit, all desiring to describe the feelings they felt while being around this holy structure. It was touching to see, but what really got me, was when our investigators disappeared from beside us and got up to bear their testimonies. In Donna's testimony, she testified of what great things the gospel had done for her family and that none of those things could have happened had I not asked her what she thought of the Church. She said that no missionary had ever done that before among all the many missionaries going in and out of her Mom's (an active member) house. Donna's 7-year-old daughter Desiree said a few simple sentences of how she was so happy her Mom and Dad were getting baptized, because she was so excited to be baptized herself in a couple months. But perhaps the biggest wave of the Spirit came when Donna's neice stepped up to the pulpit. 12-year-old Katlynn had been attending Church with her grandmother (Donna's Mom) for months and yearned for the opportunity to be baptized. In her testimony she expressed her thanks to me and Elder West for teaching her and how excited she was for her next lesson. She mentioned her mother (Donna's sister) who had passed away a couple months earlier and how excited she knew she would be for her to be baptized as well on 23 February. There was not a dry eye in the whole congregation, and I put my arm around Elder West, with a warm confirmation within my soul of this is what we're here to do. This is why we're here. These are the days of our lives.

 

Elder Low

Monday, 28 January 2013

It's been a slower week this week. No where does Murphy's Law more true than when missionaries are planning. "If anything can go wrong, it will," he penned and it almost is uncanny how something that seems so solid and sure can fall through, only to have us rushing through back-ups that should have been planned the night before. I'm sure I'm going to come home and be that weird RM who asks a girl out for the following week and calls her every day until it is supposed to transpire to make sure that it is still OK; and just to be sure, I'll have a back-up planned for that evening, just in case.

 

I don't remember everybody reminding Elder Zaleski of how little time he had left when he was training me, but perhaps they might have and I just can't recall. It seems everybody feels the need to ask when I'm going home and if I'm excited. My District Leader (who happens to be Elder Gerratt - I was his District Leader when I was serving back in Hershey and he was in Lebanon) keeps asking Elder West if I'm getting trunky just to push my buttons. He said to me at our recent Zone Training, "I haven't ever seen a missionary less trunky than you are, so I have to bug you about it." In our PEC yesterday, my Ward Mission Leader and the Bishop, both knowing of what I was to accomplish whilst serving her, felt the need to announce to everyone that I needed to "get in the water" sometime in the next two months, as if physically baptizing someone were an ordinance I must go through myself. Whatever.

 

It's in this crunch time when I do only have two months left, that I need to make time count rather than just counting time. Ministering has become so much more important to me than administration. Talking to someone to help with their needs seems more worth my time than checking off principles on a teaching record. For the first time I contacted a media referral from Church Headquarters and the result was so intangible that I had no idea how to report it. "Not interested" didn't seem to properly describe it, but nor did the alternative of "New investigator," the result was less systematic than that. The referral was for one Karla Wolfe, the mother of a missionary who is currently serving from our ward in Salt Lake City. The text included this information and asserted a command right at the end - "baptize." Needless to say I was really excited about contacting her and we did so on Thursday afternoon. It had started to snow in York County that day and it was starting to accumulate on the roads and sidewalks. We parked outside of a nice neighborhood and walked over to the designated house. Coincidentally, Karla was shoveling her driveway and we quickly seized the opportunity to help her clear it. We didn't leave her much choice but she caved when she recognized who we were. She said she hadn't had much exposure to the Church since her divorce with her first husband (this missionary's father), but that she wasn't too interested in learning the doctrine for herself. However we continued to talk with her, discussing her son and the few people she recognized from the ward. From our conversation, it was apparent that she didn't understand why her son had chosen to go on a mission nor what he did everyday as an elder. I think when she looked at us she could see her boy, shoveling someone else's driveway somewhere in Utah. In her I think I could see my Mom, worried for her son so far away that she had little contact with and little knowledge of where he was every moment. However, the main difference is that my Mom knows why I'm here while Karla seemed almost lost and deserted, destitute of any hope. I felt sorry for her, how she just didn't understand but yet, didn't want to understand. It was a heartbreaking scene and we assured her of all her worries about us as missionaries. We talked with her as we would a friend rather than a faceless referral. She lingered even after we completed her driveway asking questions about our life and routine. I left her with our number assuring her that she could call us if she needed anything whether that was service for shoveling her walk again or just a question and answer session about missionary work. She graciously accepted and felt compelled to give us something. We assured her that such wasn't necessary but she insisted, rushing into her house with a look of concern at us in the cold, reminding me of a plea my mother once used to say, "I take care of the missionaries because I hope that when they're on their missions, someone will be taking care of my sons."

 

A mother's maternal instinct for a distant son is perpetuated around the world, no matter what their faith is. I'm sure in this longing, we get a glimpse of the divine; a Father ever longing for the triumphant return of His children.

 

Elder Low