June 8, 2015

Hey Crew!

   How is everyone doing? How was the end of school? How are the first few days of summer going? Who is getting their mission calls? What are the plans for summer? Are there people alive in the United States? Haha! I hope all is well in all parts of the world! Because I sure know that things are good here!

 

   I guess I will start out with Monday night! We have such an amazing family who we were blessed with! One Sunday they just showed up to church. He is a less-active and his wife is a non-member. They just had a new born baby too! The cutest little dude! They honestly are a gift directly from Heaven. An answer to worn out knees. And a blessing to my heart and soul. We have been teaching them for about a month now and the wife is ready for Baptism this Saturday and the Husband is set to bless his baby in sacrament meeting this upcoming week! Such a tender mercy. We had a great lesson with the family and the mother of the husband as well. She is a returned missionary. I am not exactly sure how old she is...and I don't want to put my guess out in public because it might not be safe...but I am guessing she served a while ago. She is the sweetest lady though! I loved listening to her talk about her mission and how much she loved it! I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS FAMILY BECAUSE THEY WERE HAPPY BEFORE THE GOSPEL AND NOW THE GOSPEL IS IN THERE LIFE AND THEY ARE EVEN HAPPIER AND I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE THEM AFTER SHE IS BAPTIZED BECAUSE THEY WILL BE HAPPIER AND THEN WHEN THEY GET SEALED THEY WILL BE HAPPIER AND I LOVE HAPPINESS AND MISSIONARY WORK IS AWESOME AND I LOVE IT AND HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I AM HAPPY YET?!?!?!

 

Anyways...

   Later on in the week I had another interchange with the assistants of the mission which went really well! We have some really helpful lists of unknown houses. So the assistant and I went around to all of the members and asked them if they could help us out with where some of these people lived. At the end of the day...after contacting...calling...walking...and sweating...we found a whopping TWO families. I felt as if I had lost the entire day. We went and visited the two families the following day though. And I was too quick to judge. The both of them are less-active families and they are both sealed! They told us that all they wanted was to feel wanted by the ward and feel accepted. It was all that was holding them back from coming back to church. The two families both came to church yesterday. Sometimes all it takes is a quick visit. All it takes is to show someone you care. It could change lives. Be sure to reach out to EVERYONE. You never know when your contacting...calling...walking...and sweating efforts are going to change a life.

 

   We have something called Fellowship Night which is really cool! This past week we played Basketball! And all the members had to bring an investigator or a less-active! So it was a great chance to find some of God's prepared children and gain the confidence of the members in the ward! I even got to ball it up...it took me back to the KOSS Krew days! But I didn't foul anyone...I played really nice :)

 

   They have a small restaurant in Panorama called "Shawarma". We had heard that it was really good. So we decided to hit it up one night before we headed in for the night. I decided I would play it safe and just go with a sandwich of meat. When they served me the plate I think they must not have seen the beetles crawling all over the bread and into the meat. But I felt so bad to not eat it! We had contacted the owner and set up a time to go back and visit their family...so I had to bare down. I got about half way done and then just told them that the sandwich was "too good that I have to take it home and finish it later". Haha! I threw that sucker away as soon as we got out of sight! So that was a bummer!

 

   Yesterday a family got locked out of their house and they called us to help them out. Long story short...I ended up having to climb a huge chain fence...hop over it...drop from pretty high up...fight off an over-loving and massive dog...then jump through the window...and open the door from the other side. Quite the adventure, right?!  

 

   So I guess those are the bigger events that went down this past week.

 

What else...???

   Not anything huge or crazy...I am just loving it out here. I am loving life! I have never been happier. Nothing in my life has ever compared to what my life is now. I am happy. SO happy.

 

   So I guess I will get on with the most important part of the week!!

 

   I know often times we feel distant from our Heavenly Father. Often times we feel as if He is not even there. I know in times of struggle it is hard to keep faith...it is hard to press on when you can't feel the presence of your God...or the presence of anyone for that matter.

   When the Savior was on the cross there were those who reviled Him and mocked Him, saying; "...save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Let Him now come down fromt the cross, and we will believe Him. Let God deliver Him now."

   I believe there were two reasons why the all-powerful and everlasting Savior of the world did not come down and deliver Himself, because He DID have the power to do so. Firstly, He wanted nothing more than to show His divine love for the children of men. His endless love for you. He wanted nothing more than to fulfill the Atonement to give you and I a way back home to our Heavenly Father. Secondly, our Savior had to exercise His faith. The people and temptations of the world told Him to come down...to fall...to doubt...but He had faith enough that He would be delivered and that His Father in Heaven would receive Him in His Kingdom.

 

   Are you listening to men...to Satan...and trying to deliver yourself from your cross? Are you giving into those who want you to fall? Are you listening to the doubts that won't deliver you?

 

 OR

 

   Are you exercising faith in Christ through enduring your cross while clenching to the faith you have as you wait patiently for God to deliver you as Christ did? Having faith in Christ means to endure...even when you feel as if your faith is "struggling". There is no such thing as weak faith or a small testimony. There is only such thing as a father of all lies who tells you that your faith is invalid and your testimony needs strengthening. Keep the faith!

 

   I love the question the Savior asks in the ninth chapter of Matthew."Believe ye that I am able to do this?"

 

   Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe He lives? Do you believe in His power? Do you believe that He can do this...deliver you?

 

   I KNOW He can, Brothers and Sisters. I KNOW He will. But He will do it in HIS time and according to HIS will and YOUR faith.

Christ's disciples are so astonished as to why Christ would go into Judea again when there were Jews who sought to stone Him. Jesus replies, "If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walketh in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in Him."

 

   Where are you walking? Are you doing everything you can to walk in the light? Do you fear the good because of the stones that will come your way?

 

   If you feel distant from your Father in Heaven you MUST walk in the day. In the light. In POSITIVITY. Focus on the light of this world and not on the darkness that comes of the world. Don't fear the stones of Satan. Satan's stones were targeted towards Jesus Christ...the PERFECT Son of God. Satan only throws stones at the strong...so keep being strong. Keep fighting off stones. In fact...catch the stones...and throw it at Satan's face. Right in between his eyes. 

 

   Keep walking in the light. Not only walk in the light...but BE the light. The light of Jesus Christ is immense. Brighter than we can possibly imagine or comprehend. His light defies ALL description even after giving every single one of God's children a portion of it. USE THE PORTION YOU HAVE.

You were blessed with the light of our Savior. The testimony and faith that you have is more than you think. You are more that you know.

 

"But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld His glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of His love."

 

   You have the same promise. The same capacity. To be redeemed from this hell that you think you are in. To be saved from all doubt and trial. To behold the glory of God. To be received in His Kingdom. To be loved more than you have ever thought possible...by the living God wrapping His arms around you as His child. His life. His only. 

Keep the faith!

Elder Noll