Monday August 18, 2014 - Search, Ponder and Pray!

This past week was a good One had a lot of fun with it being Moves Week, My companion and I are staying together so excited about that and have learnt alot this week.

As always Let's begin with Studies.

So As you Know from district Meeting a few weeks back, We got invited to study Preach My gospel chapters one per week. So this Past week we Studied Chapter 5: The Book Of Mormon and it was very exciting and solid information. I learnt more about the importance of the Book Of Mormon and how to be able to help others recognize the Book of Mormon as the word of God. I was also wondering why the Book of Mormon, Why do we need to focus on it. And Simply it is because It contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel. As we Read from the Book Of Mormon and teach using the Book Of Mormon, investigators will feel the holy spirit testify to them that the book is true. And Once we come to know the Book of Mormon is true well then everything comes to say that the church and everything we believe is true, because If the book of mormon is true that means Joseph Smith is the Prophet that restored the gospel to the Earth.

I know it to be true. I invite all who read this to continue the Invitation given to us in Preach My Gospel and to continuously use the promise given to us in Moroni 10: 3-5, "Behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall recieve these things and ponder it in your hearts. 4. And when ye shall recieve these things, I would exhort you that ye would Ask God, The Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the Power of the Holy Ghost.5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" 

As you continue to read and ponder and to pray about the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness your desire to read will increase, your light and truth will increase, and your testimony will deepen. I urge all of you to use Preach My gospel and study chapter 5, and you can come to know in your own life about how the Book of mormon will help you answer questions, how it will help strengthen you and how it will help you recieve personal revelation for yourself. Our church revolves around Revelation and the source to recieve revelation is the Book Of Mormon. If you want to know what the Lord wants you to do well, all you have to do is seek it out through ernest study and prayer of the Book of mormon.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I know that it is inspired translation of the plates of gold and brass that the stories were inscribed of, And I know that if any of you do what Moroni invites you to do you will come to know just like I and millions of others that this church is true. I witness these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

In my study as well, I have been focusing on the fact of REMEMBRING. It is something that comes up over and over again through all the scriptures and it always says remember that your fathers have done this remember that the Lord helped you with this, and I have been pondering and thinking hard about why we remember and as I have I have thought back to the times on my mission that I have had difficulties and what got me through those difficulties?

Remembering the Lord in those times, remembering my potential, remembering the blessings and miracles I have seen in my own life and the life of others. Remembrance is amazing and so important.

In doctrine and covenants section 6: 22,23 have really helped me understand better about this principle.

" Verily, verily I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.23: Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"

This verse has showed me the importance of listening and remembering back these things. I know that it is true. For example if your parents give you an answer are you going to continue to ask them for the same thing? No you are not.  That is because you have already recieved an answer.

I remember a time when I was struggling on my mission and I was praying to know if the Lord was even there, but didn't look back I just wanted to recieve an answer, and as I was praying again and again not recieving an answer a thought came to my head to turn to my scriptures and that thought came because I remembered a friend of mines testimony about how he recieved his answer from the scriptures, and right there it told me I am supposed to be here the Lord showed me again something I already knew and spoke peace unto my heart through remembering.

As I have been working with Less Actives as well one of the most powerful things we can do is to help them remember WHY they joined the Church, how they felt when meeting and learning and what made them choose to join. And as they come to reflect on those things for themselves they see how much they are missing and what they desire most and that is to follow Christ.

So as part of my exercise on Rememberance I have started a notebook, while going through all my district meetings,zone interview trainings, zone conferences, personal revelations from my scripture journal and been looking first off at Commitments I have been given while on exchanges and so forth but then looked deeper into Improvements I have ever needed to make and see how I have changed certain things and grown up and the started looking at Goals and Strengths. So basically I ran a SWOT analysis on my mission and by doing so have seen how these things have impacted me and how my weaknesses are becoming strengths just like what is described in Ether 12:27

"27. And if man come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

The Lord truly does strengthen us as we turn to him, he makes our weaknesses become strengths and I invite all of you to go back and think of examples in your own lives where you have had weaknesses that as you have trusted in the Lord he has strengthened you. I know you will find success and see your own growth by doing so. 

So along with my studies we have had a good week this week.

On Monday we got to clean the house nicely, and learn more fully about the strength of the spirit in clean places.  It was nice to clean it Good, we then got to go for TEA at a recent converts house and have a good lesson about the Spirit in Family home evening with The spirit being able to guide us in darkness. ( you take a bowl of water, sprinkle pepper into it then ask someone to stick their finger in without getting pepper on it) it doesn't work then you use soap on the finger and stick it in and it repells the pepper away.

On Tuesday we had a chalk full day, we had the chance to finish tracting the street we were tracting then had the priviledge to see our investigator, We had a great lesson about the Restoration and reading it from Joseph Smith history is just so powerful. we Also taught our book of mormon class which was very good, and had the priviledge to learn and discuss it to strengthen our testimonies and theirs.

On Wednesday we went to St. Andrews, (the place where golf was invented) and saw the golf course and the ruins and tower, it was magnificient. I do have photos and they will come. One of the members took us out and we had a great day of bonding and strengthening with them, it was such a great experience and Elder Patterson is a golfer so he almost lost it. :P But it was overall a great experience. I got to partake of my first chippy, so that was incredible. 

On Thursday: We had a pretty crazy and busy and tiring day, we did alot of administrative things and had the priviledge to Try by and contact some less actives and see if they were interested in coming back, unfortunately they weren't but it was nice to meet them. We lended up in the evening going out for 20 minutes and following the spirit and it led us directly to where we needed to go to find an investigator we were directed right to their street and as we were directed to her street they pulled in and we went to talk to them. It was incredible.

On Friday: We had district Leader council which was fun because zone leaders invited us district leader companions in to the meeting so we could be apart of it, we talked largely about how a leader's area is to be a model area and we are all pushing hard to do exactly that. We then had great lessons with Aimee and another investigator it was nice to see them both,

On Saturday we had a great day, Several solid lessons and were able to feel the spirit strong with them. We have also been focusing on largely on the setting return appointments and we are excited for this week since we already have most of our week booked. We had good lessons and alot of success.

On sunday: We had good lessons at church and the message this week in Priesthood was on bringing up our children in Light and Truth. So it was a really good lesson. We then went for dinner as usual and I was able to do some family history while Elder Patterson prepared for his district meeting, So that was exciting.

So in the following e-mail will be pictures from St. Andrews.

Hope you all have a great week, and enjoy yourselves, 

Trust the Lord, he Trusts in you

Live long and prosper

Elder Reece Out

LOVE YOU ALL MORE THEN ANYTHING.

- Elder James Reece