Foust in Fort Worth: Week 6 Already‏

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Week 6 Already‏

This transfer has definitely been the fastest so far. I'm sure y'all are sick of me saying that every six weeks, but it is true every time. It just gets faster and faster. I am pretty sure I will be leaving, so refrain from mailing anything to me after Saturday in case I leave on Wednesday Morning of next week. I'll let you know for sure next Monday once I know my transfer doctrine.

Anyway, this week has been awesome, mostly in the general "I'm on a mission telling people about the restoration" kind of awesome way.

We had some awesome lessons this week. First was on Wednesday with Mary. Like I told you before, she moved her baptismal date back to the 19th of May, which was ok, we'll work with that. We are now in lesson 4 with Mary. The cool thing about lesson 4 is you can teach it in any way you want. It is the Commandments. Including the Ten Commandments, the Word of Wisdom, Prayer, Obedience, Sabbath Day, Fasting, Law of Chastity, and others. We decided to focus on Prayer and Scripture Study this lesson. It was great because she has been struggling with prayer.

I think many people have the same problem with prayers that Mary has been facing. Sometimes it feels like our prayers are not being heard, like we're talking to the wall.
We talked about the structure of prayer, and how we can talk to our Father in Heaven about literally anything. It is a conversation between us and God. It was really good. Our exchange from the ward talked about how his son needed help with Spanish but never came and asked him for help. But because he is his son he has every right to ask him for his help with anything. It was an awesome analogy that helped Mary understands prayer better.

On Thursday we had Free Speech on campus again. I am pretty sure I have told y'all about free speech before. It's where we get to stand on some grass and talk to people about the church as they go to and from classes. It was a lot of fun. We have new Mormon.org pass-along cards with a QR code on the back (you know those scanner boxes that are on everything now) and we gave out a whole box of 100 in the first couple hours. It was awesome. We also gave out several copies of the Book of Mormon and a lot of pamphlets. It rocked.

On Friday all the missionaries going home between now and October had a super secret meeting in Hurst. Really it was just like a normal zone conference, but was focused on getting the Doctrine of Christ into your heart so fully that it will remain as a part of you forever, and how to constantly be nourishing it after the mission. Obviously I was not there, but Elder Fa was, so I got to go on exchange that day with Elder Lancaster. We had a good time knocking doors pretty much all day long. That night was the best part of the day though.

So there is this family we met from Albania. They have lived in Texas for 20 years, and haven't gone to church during that whole time. We met them while knocking doors a couple weeks ago, but were not able to get in until Friday. When the father, I will call him Art, let us in, he told us to sit down and wait for him to get his whole family there so they can all listen. It was awesome. We taught the first lesson very simply so their two sons, who I will call Fabio and Adi, could understand. They all loved it, especially the mother, who I will call Era. (all the names are not their real names, but close enough for me to remember). They committed to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it, and to be baptized if they find out it is true. It was awesome.

Saturday was a good day. There was one guy we talked to that goes to a big non-denominational church out here that we had a really good conversation with. He has a hard time accepting the need for priesthood authority, but we talked about Luke 6:13, where Christ chose specific disciples to be his Apostles, as well as John 15:16, where Christ ordains those apostles. After we clearly showed the need for authority, he changed to the subject of grace. One thing people don't realize is that Mormons do believe that we are saved by grace. It's the only way. There is nothing we can do to deserve salvation. The thing he, and other mainstream Christians, didn't get is that in order to receive grace we have to be obedient to the commandments. It was interesting to me that he told us that baptism is not essential, but it's just a thing we can do if we want to. I quoted Christ as he said "Unless a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God" but he ignored it and went on about something else. It is simple; we are given commandments to obey them. Period. If we do not obey them, we won't receive grace. We are saved after all we can do. "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." We have to be obedient.

Sunday was a great day, other than the fact that I was speaking in Sacrament. It wasn't that bad, in fact I found it easier than I have in the past. The problem this time was that I am so used to giving trainings and having energy and participation, that a talk in sacrament where everyone is being quite and I shouldn't really ask for participation was a little rough. But it was still good. I spoke about the Doctrine of Christ. I used the story of hiking to delicate arch when I was 12 (it took me forever to remember what the arch was called. I kept wanted to call it centeniel arch because of the license plates and that’s as Jessica thought it was called because of the license plates, but that is also why I knew it wasn't called that). Anyway, I compared the doctrine of Christ to hiking to delicate arch, and how because I have experienced it I can tell others about it and invite them to try it out, and tell them how and why they will enjoy it. In the same way, we cannot invite others to partake of the Doctrine of Christ and the Atonement with a knowledge of it's power until we experience it. I then told of experiences I have had in my life and on my mission of people inviting others to learn about the gospel, and then invited everyone to do the simple things of reading scriptures, going to church, and praying for opportunities to share the gospel and the knowledge of how to do it.

Third hour was the combined meeting with the youth, RS and priesthood, and our Ward Mission Leader presented the new ward mission plan to everyone. It was a great lesson. We had dinner right after church, and then we went to a baptism in the zone with Mary so she could see how it goes. After that was a fireside that we stayed for, and Elder Fa kindly volunteered me to play the piano for right then, so I had to quickly learn to play 302 and 157. But I figured them out and didn't embarrass myself too much. The fireside was awesome. Three of the recent converts in the stake bore their testimonies and Mary really liked it.

I have learned a lot about the gospel. I have learned a lot about faith, grace, mercy, the atonement, and many other aspects. It is all very simple. As you read the scriptures, go to church, and pray fervently, your faith will increase. (As you do works, your faith increases, hmmm interesting...) As your faith increases, you desire to be more like Christ and you repent of your sins (something else you have done). In order to fully repent, you will be baptized by the priesthood authority for the remission of sins (wait... you have to do something?) and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (again, an act) and live worthy of his constant companionship (in order to live worthy, you have to act) and we endure (another word that shows action) through this life by constantly increasing our faith (how? Oh Yeah! Through obedience, which requires effort) constantly repenting (more effort) and renewing our baptismal covenant through the sacrament (renew = doing something). and listening for and following the promptings of the spirit (listening and doing). And all of this for what? It is a pattern for partaking (Action word) of the Atonement. Lets look at the work Atonement, to be At One with God, or to be reconciled with God. "to reconcile" = verb. So let's get up, and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Let's follow (action) Christ.

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.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Week 6 Already‏

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