The Road is Too Rough
“The road is too rough,” I said,
“Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so.”
And He said, “Dear child, I understand,
I walked it long ago.”
“But there’s a cool green path,” I said;
“Let me walk there for a time.”
“No child,” He gently answered me,
“The green path does not climb.”
“My burden,” I said, “Is far too great,
How can I bear it so?”
“My child,” He said, “I remember the weight;
I carried My cross, you know.”
But I said, “I wish there were friends with me
Who would make my way their own.”
“Oh, yes,” He said, “Gethsemane
Was hard to bear alone.”
And so I climb the stony path,
Content at last to know
That where my Master had not gone,
I would not need to go.
And strangely then I found new friends,
The burden grew less sore;
And I remember—long ago
He went that way before.
I thought that was cool! I think of a recent favorite scripture, D&C 122:8-9 "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bonds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."
Anyways, how are yous!? I have had quite an interesting week.
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| This kid can play the piano! |
Morale and motivation of trunky missionaries
The biggest thing that I would like to mention is that we have a ward mission leader in our ward now. He. Is. The. Man! Honestly, we had our first MCM (Missionary Coordination Meeting) with him yesterday, and he seriously changed my whole outlook on missionary work. He helped me to get out of a rut that I didn't even realize that I was in! He talked about being yourself, that if something in missionary work isn't working, change it up. He talked about how we can get the members fired up, and he spoke and conveyed his thoughts in such a way, that all of us in Wollongong are going to be going extra hard, trying new things, and work more effectively and efficiently than ever before. We will allow the Spirit to work through us, as real people, not as individuals conditioned to do things (robotic). That meeting really contributed to the morale and motivation of the trunky missionaries of Wollongong, and the ones that didn't think they were trunky!
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| Somewhere in Australia... |
No doubts, nor room for any doubts
M_, our investigator, went on vacation, and left Thursday. We were able to take him on Wednesday evening with us to a member's home for dinner, so that he can get more fellowship into the ward. That went extremely well! (By the way, thanks soooo much for the thoughts about how to help him! They are extremely helpful!) I can't remember if I told you everything about M_ and his main concerns, but the Clancy family were perfect to help out. They were recently married (for both of their second marriages) and were able to share their testimonies that their current marriage was ordained of God.
Brother Clancy shared his conversion experience (it was so cool), talking about how when he was a young father (he is probably in his early 50's, late 40's) the missionaries knocked on his door. He let them in. The missionaries shared and bore testimony of the Restoration, and the wording "I know" was part of the testimony. No doubts, nor room for any doubts. That allowed him to feel the Spirit, and he invited the missionaries back. He shared about how he read the Book of Mormon, and felt the Spirit, but he still had questions. He would defend his belief to his mother or mother in law at the time, and he described how in an instant, he knew from every fiber of his being that the Book of Mormon was true. That Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Snap! He couldn't explain it. He just knew! His testimony was so helpful! He also counseled M_ to ask God what He wants for M_. Because if God directs to proceed with the divorce, then of course that is nothing to be ashamed of. M_ said that that was something definitely to consider. He was deep in thought. When we teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I definitely plan on sharing those thoughts that you guys shared with me. I think they will tie in well with that lesson.
The Chilean family is doing good as ever! We have been developing a strong relationship over the past few weeks! It is Elder Coats's last week, so we hope to be able to make greater progress. A highlight of our visit yesterday; they made nachos! What a great way to break your fast! Yummy!
Some things we are looking forward to: This week, we are likely going to get to watch a Rugby League game, a super big game, called State of Origin. This is meant to be the deciding game of three games, so it will be pretty big! We are also going to the temple Saturday morning before we go to the baptism that same day. First we are stopping in at Mortdale to renew Elder Coats's temple recommend. So that will be a fun day! We have zone training this Friday, where President Back will be attending to reward the Zone for good work over the past month. So we think we will be getting a barbeque! Woohoo!
Crazy that Melanie comes home! Let me know how her homecoming talk is! As well as the ward boundary changes!
Responses to questions:
What am I doing to help keep Elder Coats focused? Well, I do have to confess I have a pretty easy job. He is the man! He wants to go hard, and has wanted to go hard this last transfer. Our first MCM with our Ward Mission Leader has been helpful. He has really fired us missionaries up. Of course there are times when home is spoken of, because it has to be. Preparation need to be made. Members from different areas have visited briefly. It is quite surreal for him. But he is excited. As he should be! Everyone's time will come. I am just glad I have a little longer to go!
Hey Bryce! It has been great! I am loving Australia! Hope you have fun enjoying my food in my house! Hahaha just kidding!
Hi JJ! Sounds like yous are having fun! My favorite Old testament scripture is in Isaiah 55:8-11. It's pretty cool! You guys will have to read it. It talks about how God knows all and is all-powerful! Tell me how you like it!
Hey Ez! An Aussie 100 dollar bill strangely is green! Most of the other bills are colors like purple, blue, red, and yellow. But 100 is special! Green!
Sounds like all is well at home! Hope yous have a great week!
Love,
Elder Larsen
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| Chico's? |
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| Chicken and Chips from Chicko's |
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