Hey family!
That's too bad about all the damage that was done to the home. Hopefully it all gets worked out.
We had a pretty good week this week. Tuesday was Zone Leader Council. We talked all about our goals for the upcoming year and how we are going to progress. When Elder Kevin Duncan came and visited our mission he talked about Vision - Goal - Plan - Task. Our vision in our zone is to "Never Tract Again." When we presented that to our stake president he was like, "huh?" Then we told him the goals to accomplish that vision. The goal is to "Geo-Code" the wards, which has already proven to work in the areas where it has been implemented. I've talked to you about this before. The plan to accomplish the goal is to receive all the lists from the Bishops and Ward Clerks including the lists of part-member families, unbaptized children over 9, prospective elders, less actives, etc. Then the task is to categorize each of these (including potential and former investigators) and then to pound out the sections in the spare time that we aren't teaching. In our family ward that we just took over, we have already found a lot of good potential. It also seems that when you put forth the effort and hard work, the Lord blesses you in ways that you would not have expected. When I talked about this to the ZLC, some of the zone leaders called afterwards to get feedback and ideas on how they can present it to their stake presidents. I think it will help the work progress immensely. We put forth the effort this week and found a few potentials, but when we came to church on Sunday, some random kid named Skyler showed up telling us that he had already taken the lessons in California, lived in Rexburg for a while, and that he just wants us to help him prepare to be baptized. We were amazed. The Lord is truly blessing us every single week! Katie was last week, and Skyler is this week.
Katie's baptism was awesome. Elder Buttars baptized her and I confirmed her. She bore her testimony about how she has come to know the church to be true. She shared one experience that I thought was pretty cool. On Friday we went by to make sure everything was ok. I was on an exchange with a younger missionary. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and I asked, "Katie do you believe that the Book of Mormon is true?" She said that she did but that she hadn't really ever read it. In my mind I was thinking all about the phrase, "the feeling is enough." She said that since she has a testimony that Christ is real and the Book of Mormon talks about Christ then she doesn't doubt that it is. I told her to open up to 2 Nephi 33:10. “And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.” She read it, marked it, highlighted it, dog-eared the page, etc. because it spoke directly to her. Her testimony is very strong of the book and she's literally only read one verse. You don't have to eat the entire cake to know that it is a good cake. The feelings she gets when she bears her testimony and learns about the gospel are enough for her. Following her baptism, our good Relief Society President hung out with Katie for the rest of the day. Katie was able to meet almost the entire ward in one day - from going on a bike ride, to a RS party, to caroling with the elder's quorum, to chaperoning at a stake dance. She is already grafted in nicely.
Yesterday Mark Coleman spoke in church. I think the entire ward was in awe. His talk was phenomenal. He sent me a copy of it and I will forward it on to you. He seriously seemed like a general authority up there. I think he'll be up there one day. He is so intelligent and has such a strong testimony. He will definitely be one that I will stay in contact with my entire life.
Our zone is doing pretty well. Several families have succumbed to temptations and their baptism dates have been pushed back. As of right now we are at a total of 99 baptisms on the year. With the three scheduled this upcoming weekend, they will push us to 102, a new record. Not that the numbers are of any importance, but they represent souls. I'm grateful to have been involved in this great work for the entirety of 2011. I would not have wanted to be in any other place. I don't know a missionary who is able to say they stayed in one place for an entire calendar year either. I consider myself very blessed.
I have been reminded by a quote that was said recently. It's by Albert Einstein. "Great spirits often times receive violent persecution from mediocre minds." I was also reading in my patriarchal blessing recently and was reminded of the personal relationship that I have with my Heavenly Father. For some reason the picture that came to my mind was me returning to the feet of Him, shaking His hand and embracing Him, and telling Him of the effort and work I put forth in the errand He called me to run. I know that Heavenly Father knows each of us on a very personal level. I'm grateful that you shared with me the experiences that are going on in Grandpa Roger's life. I'm grateful to have the knowledge that our Father wouldn't send us to this earth to develop such powerful relationships with our family members to just have them end. That would give me no hope and desire to progress. I know that we will be with our families forever. This absolute truth gives me so much comfort and peace during the times of trial and distress in life. I love you all. Please, please know that!
Love,
Elder Mouritsen
Talk given by Mark Coleman on 12/11/10. It’s the remarkable story of his conversion and baptism. (We were on exchanges when Elder Buttars knocked on his door)
My Story
Good Afternoon, My name is Mark Coleman, I am 25 years old and I have been given the honor of telling you my story on this day.
Dear Heavenly Father gave us this gospel which has changed my life and brought me here. I would like to read a couple of verses that I found poignant. The first is from Jacob 5, during the parable of the Lord's Olive tree, the domesticated tree is withering and dying. Regardless of His and His servant's efforts of digging about and pruning and dunging, the tree continues to deteriorate. His final remaining option is to cut the dying branches from the tree and graft wild branches in their place so that he might preserve the root. He says He ought to cast the dying branches into the fire, but instead, writes in Verse 14,
14 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure.
He spared those branches they might take root and produce fruit for him again. He goes on to later in the chapter in verse 52 to say,
52 Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came.
Those branches have been saved. And I would like you to think about that second chance as I tell you my story.
I was born in California. I was raised there as well as in Texas and have been living in Arizona for the last decade.
I was raised a traditional Catholic and attended Catholic school for the majority of my childhood. I can only tell you that of my experiences within my church.
We prayed in that faith. We prayed a lot...
The prayers were pre-manufactured. To pray adequately you would say 1 of 3 or 4 prayers repetitiously until the desired outcome was achieved. One of the most common prayers goes like this,
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee, blessed are't thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus, Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen.
After prayer you make the sign of the cross. You say, in the name of the Father (while touching your forehead), the Son (while touching your chest), and of the Holy Spirit (while touching the left and then right shoulder), Amen.
I want you to remember the last part here, the ← Holy Spirit -> while I traverse into another story.
At the age of twelve, with the coming of hormones and cynicism, I decided that I no longer believed in God. I only believed in that which was true and proven. I had a fascination with the sciences and I would only put my faith into that which is truth and law.
I addressed faith this one time and decided I knew all I needed to about my beliefs.
Later in life I began self-destructive tendencies like drinking and smoking.
I worked in grocery stores pushing carts in high school. I later became middle management for Albertson's and Sprouts.
Almost 3 years ago found myself working in my present job as a legal secretary for one J. Vance Andersen. He is an attorney. He is also LDS. In fact, there are several attorneys in our office. They are all LDS. There are several more secretaries, they are all LDS.
And I was the only godless wretch.
My boss, Vance, had moved to a new house with a plain and flat backyard. He paid me to come over on Saturdays and dig holes to plant massive trees in. The ground was so hard and full of rocks it required a jack hammer to break up. The remnants had to be shoveled out. Did I mention it was June? It was very hot and miserable.
We planted that side of the yard with citrus trees that are now flourishing. His children would aid us in our work.
It was on one of those hot mornings that I found myself talking to a 7 year old Christian Andersen. He was tasked with helping me, but couldn't do much, so instead talked to me about school and matters as such.
I was digging a hole for a 24” box tree that stood about 12 feet tall. I remember digging low enough that my knees were level with the ground. And Christian asked me...
'Are you a member of the church?'
To which I responded, 'No.'
He went on, 'Well, where do you go to church?'
And I said, 'I don't.'
Confused, he continued, 'What church did you go to?'
I replied, 'I used to be Catholic.'
At this point, I could see his curiosity leading me down to an awkward explanation. I had never told my boss I was an atheist. I most certainly was scarred to tell my boss's son. So I began digging. I thought that perhaps my busy working would change the subject or distract Christian. I dug with all my might and as fast as I could. My hole grew deeper and deeper. There was a silence among the two of us while I endeavored. Finally, I was almost sure my hole was dug and I could start a new one.
I found myself, almost waist level with the ground, covered in sweat and dirt, hot and tired at the bottom of a very deep hole, with a child towering over me and I asked Christian, 'Does that look deep enough to you?'
Ignoring my question, he said, 'So what do you believe in?'
Before I could stop myself, I said, 'Nothing'...
My mind reeled at the thought. I am no nihilist, I must live for something, I must have some belief.
I tried to satisfy my ego, by saying, 'Science, proven facts...'
It didn't work. That line of questioning opened up a hole in my psyche, in my soul that I could not fill. Even through all my analysis of faith as a teenager, I had never been forced to admit belief in nothing.
That tree was planted, many more were as well. Life went on and I continued college studies and work and thankfully I was not fired.
Almost a year later on my 24th birthday I decided to quit smoking and drinking for at least a month. 1 month turned into 3, and 3 to 6, and I felt the habits were something I could give up for the rest of my life.
A couple months after my 25th birthday, it was a Friday evening, I had gathered dirty laundry and text books to take to my girlfriend's house for the weekend as was tradition for me. There was a knock at the door (knock sound), I yelled, 'One second sweety' as I grabbed my keys and upon opening the door, my eyes took a moment to catch up with my mind.
I said to myself, 'there is only one of my girlfriend, but two people stand before me. My girlfriend also does not wear white dress shirts or a black name tag.'
These were missionaries. I had heard of missionaries. Another secretary's son had just come home from a mission. I came out front to Elder Buttars and his companion and asked if they were LDS, how old they were, and where they were from. I invited them back so that I could feed them and learn about what they do. It was simple curiosity. We made an appointment, I ordered the pizza and we ate together the next week.
After eating Eldar Buttars asked if I believed that Jesus Christ was the savior of our sins.
I looked at him, thought, you aren't going to trick me as young Christian Andersen did, and said, 'I don't know'.
We had a lesson, they asked to come back, I was surprised by the request, but obliged none-the-less.
I thought about that a lot that night after they left. My answer of 'Nothing' had changed into 'I don't know'. Why? Because 'Nothing' is uncomfortable, it's scary, it unappealing to the subconscious and the conscious mind.
For the first time since I was a teenager I re-examined what I thought faith was. Now as a pre-nursing student, I have a stronger understanding of science and truth.
Law and Truth as defined by science are that which can be repeated perpetually without a change in result. But the funny thing is, Newton's Law of Gravity was just dis-proven by Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The law by which we launched men into space, performed countless physics calculations and studied for centuries was not perfect truth.
You begin to realize as you think about things such as open heart surgery, that there is no defined fact or truth in the procedure. There is no 'placebo' group that proved the surgery works. There are only statistics. And something else...
There is FAITH!
Faith in your doctor, faith in all the times that the surgery worked. We practice faith with our most precious commodity every day, our lives.
When you cross the street or drive your car you exercise faith that you won't be run down by traffic. When you eat a restaurant you practice faith that the cooks will not make you ill. We put so much faith into so many things other than God every day.
And I thought to myself, 'If I can put all this faith into my fellow man, then why not God?'
Elder Mouritsen asked me one day, 'Do you feel the spirit?'
I thought, ← Holy Spirit → Amen, and said 'No, what does it feel like?'
I was perplexed, I was never told that I could feel God or his spirit in all my studies in Catholic school.
He described, it. And one night asked me to pray on this book.
And today I bear you witness to my testimony,
That walking home from Sister Sloughman's Book of Mormon class one night after a prompting from Elder Mouritsen, the spirit filled my heart and gave me the truth of this faith.
I bear witness that a child and two missionaries with simple words and questions, brought the word of the prophet Joseph Smith to me and introduced me to the plan of salvation as well as my own spirit.
I tell you that this church is true, because I have more faith in it and it's members than any other person I've ever had faith in.
And I tell you I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ by Elder Mouritson on November 19th of this year and confirmed in this church by Eldar Buttars on November 20th.
While I cannot think of myself as a branch upon Jacob's tree, perhaps I was a twig, struggling to produce a leaf for the sustenance of good fruit one day. I feel that just as those branches were spared from the fire and given time away from their origin, I too was spared. And I feel that I am now grafted back to my tree of faith. That it is living here. That I am now surrounded with the fruition of desirable acts blooming all around me that the Lord can lay up unto himself against the season.
You all bear fruition to so many desirable acts...
You ALL bear fruition to so many desirable acts.
And I pray that I may endeavor to bear similar works to the Lord in offering up the entirety of myself to Him.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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