Dear Family!
This week has just flown by. Bailee is working on her bug collection eh?? Hmmm... Well we've found/killed like 4 cock roaches inside the church building so far and they are the most disturbing lil' creatures I've ever come across. They're huge! It's disgusting. Sounds like fun though!
Saturday night we were out riding around contacting people when we came across a young lady named Jenise who was just sitting by herself on the curb. We went up to her and started talking and she mentioned to us that she had just had a terrible day at work and was extremely stressed. She said that she is a waitress at Marie Calendars and gets constantly harassed by customers and also her manager. She said that she also works with a member of the church who puts up with the same crap as she does, but is always so happy and doesn't get stressed from it. To cope with the stress, Jenise smokes a few cigarettes. So typical for this area. I'd say almost everyone we contact smokes! We sat down next to her and began having a conversation about why she smokes. She told us that she hates smoking, but that while at work when the stress gets so bad all she can think about is a cigarette. She knows how bad it is for her and as we talked she threw the pack of cigarettes in the gutter. Well, being the good missionary that I am, I asked her if I could have them as well as her lighter. :/ She agreed and I placed them in my pocket. Haha. Such a weird feeling. We continued talking about the Book of Mormon and HOW it blesses our lives and she pretty much agreed with everything. It was a sweet conversation and hopefully something good will come out of it!
Today while visiting the Chiropractor, Dr. Cathcart (2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency of the Glendale Stake), told us a sweet story that happened last week while Elder Hales was visiting their stake for a special stake conference. They have a couple in the stake who has been questioning the truthfulness of the church. This is because the wife's father, who is a former bishop, has recently been "[lead]...by the neck with a flaxen cord, until [Satan bound him] with his strong cords forever" (2 Nephi 26:22, emphasis added). He has been excommunicated and is extremely anti towards the church. He has been providing the couple with loads of anti material which has slowly but surely bound them with the flaxen cord as well. The bishop of their ward now, as well as the stake president went over to this couple's house the week before Elder Hales came to answer their questions and see what they can do to help. After answering many anti-instigated questions, the meeting with them began to be extremely contentious. The Bishop stood up pointing his finger toward each of them, and told them exactly what Elder Holland so passionately said one year ago this conference regarding the Book of Mormon. "You and I both know that the only way for you to make your exit is to do so by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit. I know, and you know as well, that you have felt the spirit testify to you of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and how can you deny that?" The couple sat their dumbfounded and wouldn't deny that truth. The bishop then invited them out to church the next week because and Apostle of God would be in attendance and he PROMISED them that the apostle would answer their questions. Most of their questions were regarding the trinity, which in my opinion is absurd. They made sure they were at the conference early and had prayed the night before that Heavenly Father would show unto them that this is the true church. When Elder Hales began speaking, he said that he had received a prompting from the spirit to share a few words about John 17, which happens to be all about the separateness of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost yet the oneness in purpose. Their prayer was answered, and they confirmed the reality of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints being the true church.
I love that scripture in 2 Nephi. A flaxen cord is a thin string I often relate to a weak strand of yarn, easily broken. But Satan's plan is to bind us with a flaxen cord, and then slowly but surely add to it until the cord becomes strong, so that it will take some extra tools and power to be relieved. We all have these thin cords continually trying to bind us but what are they and how can we overcome them? I've seen flaxen cords be disguised as something as innocent as not reading your scriptures or praying. It all leads somewhere and that somewhere has no feeling of joy. I remember in my own life prior to the mission, when I was reading and praying, I was more apt to receive blessings of a positive attitude, retention of information I was studying, and also other personal needs that I desired help with. As I read now, I've noticed that Heavenly Father just wants us to put Him first in our lives, do what He asks, and as we do so the things we do next will be done with extra, much-needed help from His hands. As stated in D&C 11:21, "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men." I love that as well, and in D&C 42:14 it says that if we don't have the Spirit, we shall not teach. Kinda scary but so true!
Here are my quotes for the week:
"Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success. Genius undoubtedly is little more than the capacity for hard, sustained work." - David O. McKay
"Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you." - Henri F. Amiel
I love you all so much. If at all possible, I would love some more pictures of the family! Like some of those last ones that we all took together. I love those.
Love,
Elder Mouritsen
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