There And Back Again: Oh, Come On!

Last week one of our zone leaders finished his mission. I went on with divisions him several times throughout that last change of his, and while we worked I asked for advice on how to best finish my mission. He talked about how the last transfer is God's last change to polish us up, and He really takes advantage of that.

Well, it's true. This week practically every one of our investigators or less-actives decided to stop progressing - or just altogether disappear. It's been a week full of trials and I'm sure it will continue. We spent the last two days without teaching hardly any lessons, just walking up and down knocking on doors until I was so tired I was almost falling asleep on my feet. It's been good, though, because I've learned something about overcoming trials practically every day:

Tuesday - I was studying about how adversity is necessary in God's plan. I'd forgotten about that little fact. He wants us to progress, so it's entirely necessary for us to pass through hard times!

Wednesday - I must have still been thinking about adversity - and I added hope to that this time. It reminded me of one of my favorite passages in the scriptures, in Romans 8:

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Thursday - I was studying a bit of Elder Renlund's talk from last conference, and I really liked what it said:

The concept—“the greater the distance between the giver and the receiver,the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement”—also has profound spiritual applications. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the ultimate Givers. The more we distance ourselves from Them, the more entitled we feel. We begin to think that we deserve grace and are owed blessings. We are more prone to look around, identify inequities, and feel aggrieved—even offended—by the unfairness we perceive. While the unfairness can range from trivial to gut-wrenching, when we are distant from God, even small inequities loom large. We feel that God has an obligation to fix things—and fix them right now!

In other words, I needed to get closer to God and better recognize His hand in all things.

Friday - I've been reading in Mosiah and the other day, I was reminded of the way Alma and his people overcame their trials in chapter 24. They prayed and the Lord said:

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

Check out how the Lord promised to deliver them according to their faithfulness to their covenants. That helped me understand a bit better baptism and the covenants I made in the temple. I suppose it's worth noting as well that those who had made covenants still had trials like everyone else.

Saturday - Later on in Mosiah 25, I was reminded who it is that actually delivers us:

16 And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage,that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them.

Sunday - It was a rough, long day. All day I was remembering what Elder Holland had told us when he visited us a few months ago. "Don't waste one minute wondering why it's so hard," he said. He reiterated that missionary work isn't easy because salvation isn't easy.

I know YOUR salvation, dear reader, won't be easy either. But please don't give up. You can do it!