Foust in Fort Worth: It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me.... And I'm feeling good

Monday, January 30, 2012

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me.... And I'm feeling good

The sun is shining, the breeze is cool, and people are happy. It has been a great week.

This past Wednesday was leadership training. This is my second one in my mission. It was awesome. We had trainings from President Sagers, Sister Sagers, the Assistants, and some Zone Leaders. I learned a lot. It is interesting being in leadership training because President Sagers takes the opportunity to let us know what the current problems are in the mission, usually including obedience issues. The nice thing about being the leaders in the mission is that, as Sister Sagers reminds us, they are preaching to the choir. So now we, as the leaders, get to help the missionaries which we have stewardship over to fix these issues so the work will progress. The first thing President Sagers brought up is obedience. There was not anything specific brought up, but just general obedience. He told us "If you want 75% of the lord's help, be 75% obedient. if you want 50% of the lord's help, be 50% obedient. But if you want all of the lord's help, be 100% obedient. And that is possible." This is applicable in all of our lives. We all fall short of the glory of God in our lives, but that is exactly what the atonement is for. We have made covenants with our Father, and if we want his blessings, all of them, we need to be 100% obedient to those covenants. If we want to experience all the blessings god wants for us in our earthly lives, we need to be 100% obedient to all of god's commandments in our earthy lives. If we are not yet experiencing all of the blessings God has for us, we are not fulfilling our side. Maybe we are not having the Faith we should. Maybe we are not repenting of everything. Maybe we have not kept our baptismal covenant, or not been baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God. Maybe we aren't living worthily to have the Holy Ghost (or again, have not received the gift of the holy ghost through the priesthood), and maybe we are not striving to endure to the end. Maybe we're not paying our tithing, or fasting, or serving others, or keeping our thoughts clean, or fulfilling our assignments and callings. Maybe we are all falling short. So fix it.

We also talked in Leadership training about being effective leaders. About how to serve those we work with. How to love those we serve. How to apply fundamentals of Preach my Gospel. It was a great meeting. President Sagers also talked about how the missionaries are like their leaders, who are like their leaders, all the way up to the mission president, and he is very sober and seemingly unexcited. But he really does love the work and is excited, just in general he is quiet. We discussed how the whole mission needs to be more excited and enthusiastic, so that is my goal, to follow Elder lao's example of being extremely Excited all the time.

After Leadership, we went on exchanges with the Assistants. Elder Fibke came to Denton with me, and Elder Lao stayed in Euless with Elder Wagner. The APs serve in a Tongan ward, so they were excited to have Elder lao in there. He met a couple people he knew in SLC, and, being tongan, was able to find his relation to most of the Tongans they met. Anyway, Elder Fibke is a good guy. He is quiet, which is a huge contrast to Elder Lao, but it was still good. We did a lot of contacting the next day, and he was very sober and relaxed. But we are supposed to be excited! So I went out of my comfort zone to be extremely enthusiastic and show how much I love the work. It was really fun, and Elder Fibke even loosened up a bit. THe last door we knocked on was rough though. This guy came out and brought his two little kids out to show them how good he is at confounding the Mormon missionaries. As soon as he came out we could see in his eyes that this was going to be a bad experience. The smile he had was arrogant and honestly made me feel sick. We knew this was not going to go well. He started off by telling us that he had investigated the "mormon church" before and prayed over 2000 times to know if the Book of Mormon was true, and then one day told god he wanted in answer in the next 5 minutes and he didn't feel anything. then he started on this rant about how everyone can have testimonies (which is true) and told his daughter (who was probably like 7) to tell us her testimony and she looked at her dad and said "which one? the I saw two angels one?" and he looked a little embarrassed that she asked that and said yes, then she looked at us and said "i saw two angels" and then he smiled and said, you see, she has seen angels, have you seen angels? see, we have accepted Christ." and then, he started attacking us with a bunch of random stuff, and Elder Fibke and I turned and walked away. He followed us all the way to our truck down the street, yelling at us the whole time. The spirit was completely gone, he shattered it, destroyed it. I have not felt that void of the spirit since I talked with Eli, the soap box preacher at USU, or when I went in the sanctuary (or whatever it is called) in the old Spanish mission in California on the band trip. Honestly, the spirit was completely gone. We got to the truck and prayed hard for its return, and then drove away. I am grateful for the experience though, because of something they told us in the MTC. Sometimes on your mission, you get so used to the presence of the spirit that you forget it's there. You begin to wonder if it is with you all the time or not. It just becomes normal. So this experience helped me feel the complete difference of having the spirit and not, and reminded me that I did in fact have it. I am blessed to recognize that the spirit's companionship is normal, not just this thing I get once in a while when something big happens, although the more powerful spiritual moments are still special like that. And instead, it is the moments without the spirit that are different and therefore uncomfortable. I would much prefer to have the scary moments be the few and far between where I lose the spirit and recognize change, than to have no spirit most of the time and have few and far moments where the spirit is with me. This church is true.

So that was Thursday. On Friday we went into another companionship's area and did and exchange with them to help them be better missionaries, that was fun.

On Saturday we decided to work in Ponder Texas, the furthest part of our area. We have a lot of miles saved up because we walk and use our bikes quite a bit. We had a great time driving the truck out in the dirt roads and with big fields surrounding us. I like our area because we have both city life and country life to experience. I got a great picture that is pure Texas, nothing but flat fields and cattle, with a good looking Mormon missionary standing in front of his Truck. But I forgot my camera cord, so it'll have to wait, sorry. While we were out there we had another pretty violent guy yell at us, his fiancé is a member and he was getting really aggressive. He had a broom that he was gripping like he might swing, and I was thinking "try it". Luckily, once we got close enough to him and he realized that I had about 8 inches and 50 lbs on him and Elder Lao is Elder Lao, he cooled off and tried to act like he was chill the whole time. It was pretty funny. We left a little frustrated at his arrogance, but whatever, he has his agency and there's no reason to be upset about things you can't control. Life goes on. That is one big lesson I have learned on my mission.

Well, I am about out of time. I love you all, thanks for your love, support, and prayers.

The church is true. Repent and be Baptized!
-- --Elder Braxton C Foust--

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Be of Good Cheer

Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. My dear brothers and sisters, I express my love to you. I am humbled by the responsibility to address you, and yet I am grateful for the opportunity to do so. Since last we met together in a general conference six months ago, there have been continuing signs that circumstances in the world aren’t necessarily as we would wish. The global economy, which six months ago appeared to be sagging, seems to have taken a nosedive, and for many weeks now the financial outlook has been somewhat grim. In addition, the moral footings of society continue to slip, while those who attempt to safeguard those footings are often ridiculed and, at times, picketed and persecuted. Wars, natural disasters, and personal misfortunes continue to occur. It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 1 None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges—and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” 2 How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.” 3 The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious. Too numerous to mention are the examples of all the individuals who have faced difficult circumstances and yet who have persevered and prevailed because their faith in the gospel and in the Savior has given them the strength they have needed. This morning, however, I’d like to share with you three such examples. First, from my own family, I mention a touching experience that has always been an inspiration to me. My maternal great-grandparents Gibson and Cecelia Sharp Condie lived in Clackmannan, Scotland. Their families were engaged in coal mining. They were at peace with the world, surrounded by relatives and friends, and were housed in fairly comfortable quarters in a land they loved. Then they listened to the message of the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, to the depths of their very souls, were converted. They heard the call to gather to Zion and knew they must answer that call. Sometime around 1848, they sold their possessions and prepared for the hazardous voyage across the mighty Atlantic Ocean. With five small children, they boarded a sailing vessel, all their worldly possessions in one tiny trunk. They traveled 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the waters—eight long, weary weeks on a treacherous sea, watching and waiting, with poor food, poor water, and no help beyond the length and breadth of that small ship. In the midst of this soul-trying situation, one of their young sons became ill. There were no doctors, no stores at which they might purchase medicine to ease his suffering. They watched, they prayed, they waited, and they wept as day by day his condition deteriorated. When his eyes were at last closed in death, their hearts were torn asunder. To add to their grief, the laws of the sea must be obeyed. Wrapped in a canvas weighed down with iron, the little body was consigned to a watery grave. As they sailed away, only those parents knew the crushing blow dealt to wounded hearts. 4 However, with a faith born of their deep conviction of the truth and their love of the Lord, Gibson and Cecelia held on. They were comforted by the words of the Lord: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 5 How grateful I am for ancestors who had the faith to leave hearth and home and to journey to Zion, who made sacrifices I can scarcely imagine. I thank my Heavenly Father for the example of faith, of courage, and of determination Gibson and Cecelia Sharp Condie provide for me and for all their posterity. I introduce next a gentle, faith-filled man who epitomized the peace and joy which the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into one’s life. Late one evening on a Pacific isle, a small boat slipped silently to its berth at the crude pier. Two Polynesian women helped Meli Mulipola from the boat and guided him to the well-worn pathway leading to the village road. The women marveled at the bright stars, which twinkled in the midnight sky. The moonlight guided them along their way. However, Meli Mulipola could not appreciate these delights of nature—the moon, the stars, the sky—for he was blind. Brother Mulipola’s vision had been normal until a fateful day when, while working on a pineapple plantation, light turned suddenly to darkness and day became perpetual night. He was depressed and despondent until he learned the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His life was brought into compliance with the teachings of the Church, and he once again felt hope and joy. Brother Mulipola and his loved ones had made a long voyage, having learned that one who held the priesthood of God was visiting among the islands of the Pacific. He sought a blessing, and it was my privilege, along with another who held the Melchizedek Priesthood, to provide that blessing to him. As we finished, I noted that tears were streaming from his sightless eyes, coursing down his brown cheeks and tumbling finally upon his native dress. He dropped to his knees and prayed: “O God, Thou knowest I am blind. Thy servants have blessed me that my sight might return. Whether in Thy wisdom I see light or whether I see darkness all the days of my life, I will be eternally grateful for the truth of Thy gospel, which I now see and which provides the light of my life.” He rose to his feet and, smiling, thanked us for providing the blessing. He then disappeared into the still of the night. Silently he came; silently he departed. But his presence I shall never forget. I reflected upon the message of the Master: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” 6 My brothers and sisters, each of us has that light in his or her life. We are not left to walk alone, no matter how dark our pathway. I love the words penned by M. Louise Haskins: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than [a] light and safer than a known way.” 7 The setting for my final example of one who persevered and ultimately prevailed, despite overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, begins in East Prussia following World War II. In about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs, and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the government under which she had resided. She and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children. The occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600 km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions, she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith. She and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and plundering troops. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground, her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them, since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only protection against the cold. Soon the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin blankets from the wagon on top of them. She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination. And then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child. Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny, precious child. Death, however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel. Her despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left, and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland. In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train. And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life: “Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.” When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God. 8 From the holy scriptures we read, “Behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in [Him], they who have endured the crosses of the world, … they shall inherit the kingdom of God, … and their joy shall be full forever.” 9 I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Monday, January 30, 2012

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me.... And I'm feeling good

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