Weeks 42 and 43 - Simple moments
Week 43 - I'm not going to send a weekly email this week because I was working on a visa application and don't have time, but things are going great here! We rode our bikes a little this week, went fishing with some people that aren't members of the church, taught some lessons, ate some food. It was awesome! I'm sending you a picture of what we ate last night. We made it ourselves :)
Week 42 - Simple Moments - Things are cool and groovy here in Borås. We have an awesome young man here Will who let us be a part of his ordination to priest in the aaronic priesthood. Such an awesome experience. Highlight of my week for sure. It made me think back to when I was 16 getting ordained as a priest. That moment seemed small then, but looking back I see how much it's changed me. I remember Bishop Erickson telling me when I was 12 receiving the Aaronic Priesthood that in the movies, it's easy to tell what parts are important. There's always swelling music and dramatic camera angles. He told me though that it's not like that in real life. Some of the most important moments in life are quiet and and simple. I see now just how important some of those simple moments have been for me, and I'm so grateful for them.
We taught a free thinker this week. We were trying to teach really basically who God is, and he was sharing his ideas in return, which included that God was all around us. I was trying to see his side and I could agree that in a way God is all around us, like the evidence that he exists and that he loves us, but then he cuts us off and points to a pigeon that had just landed and says very plainly "That is god." We all watch it pecking at the cement for a second and my companion says with a sideways glance and eyebrows raised "That pigeon is god?" Then we just sat trying to understand what he meant as he goes on about energy and and feeling sounds around you and stuff. He was going to deep for us and it was getting pretty obvious we weren't going be able to understand too much of what he was saying, so after listening for a bit, we winded the conversation down and asked if we could close our meeting with a prayer. He said yeah and we prayed. Then after that, he asked if he could pray too and we said yeah sure! Then he sat with his hands moving out in front of him in slow swirling motions and started beat boxing. Then after like three minutes or so, he faded out and after a few seconds of silence my companion was just like "amen". Haha it was pretty funny. Definitely the grooviest prayer I've ever heard. I love being a missionary :)
Love you all!
Äldste Denton
Belief is the reason we go on a mission. It is the motive for preaching about Christ and sharing/Proclaiming his love. Faith is understanding we are children of God and our Heavenly Father. May the definition of faith bless you in life Faith is defined again and because faith has an inherent joy it gives us a solid foundation that we finally have the peace we have been searching for.
ReplyDelete"Many believer's feed themselves on what God hasn't done. When I dwell on what hasn't happened, I create the atmosphere for the spirit of offense to arise and to thrive. When I dwell on what hasn't happened, I legitimize unbelief. I live with a sense of justification, for not believing God.
Faith in the purest sense is the ceasing of resistance. even when there's no physical evidence, when the other evidence is present. Not feeding ourselves on what God hasn't done Faith in it's purest form is the absence of resistance
Heaven is a place where everyone is celebrated, some are more honored but everyone is celebrated. All men and all women shall be judged on the light which they have received. Heaven is a permissible culture. God's nature is eternally permissible. These statements protect us from credit.
Faith in the purest sense is the ceasing of resistance, even when there's no physical evidence, when the other evidence is present. Not feeding ourselves on what God hasn't done. Faith in it's purest form is the absence of resistance. Faith doesn't deny a problems existence, it denies it's influence. He or she was someone whom aridity and desolation never disturbed for he or she had a deeply rooted, and a vigorous faith.
Now we can act as we have always dreamed. Now we can act as we have always been. Now we can step into the light and gather the sunlight instead of blocking out our possibilities. Instead of blocking out our joy. Variety will bloom in/under the sun. We can show off our best, we can enjoy other people's gifts. We can blossom where we stand upon the joy that faith provides us. Upon the joy that faith inherently has, which blossoms the entire field of flowers"
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDYaxabUfkA - The Definition of Faith