This week was good, unfortunately Jim doesn't want to meet
any more. He talked with his pastor and his pastor told him that there were
"doctrinal differences". He wouldn't tell us what they were. It’s not
a big deal, we are out here to find the elect and some just aren't there quite
yet.
I had some cool experiences this week. I have been reading
the New Testament as part of my studies and it has been awesome to see just how
accurate our church really is. I have people tell me time and time again on my
mission that the bible and the Book of Mormon contradict each other (I never
believed it but I’ve never read it all the way). So as I’ve been reading it
especially where I am now with all the epistles that Paul has written I
have noticed how accurate our doctrine is and how true our claim is to be the
restored church of Jesus Christ in it fullness. There is no way we can’t be.
There is evidence upon evidence that our claim is true!
I have been praying a lot and trying to figure out what I
need to do when I get home and what I should do with college and with life and
all that jazz. Then in sacrament meeting someone gave a talk on gratitude and
they mentioned a talk by Elder Bednar title "pray always". I’ve read
the talk before but when he read part of it it became pretty clear what I
needed to do. Elder Bednar relates a story of when he was president of BYU-I.
"During our service at Brigham Young University–Idaho,
Sister Bednar and I frequently hosted General Authorities in our home. Our family learned
an important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one evening
with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in the day Sister Bednar and I had been informed
about the unexpected death of a dear friend, and our immediate desire was to
pray for the surviving spouse and children. As I invited my wife to offer the
prayer, the member of the Twelve, unaware of the tragedy, graciously suggested
that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation for blessings
received and ask for nothing. His counsel was similar to Alma’s instruction to
the members of the ancient Church “to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks
in all things” (Mosiah 26:39). Given the unexpected tragedy, requesting
blessings for our friends initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing
thanks.
Sister Bednar responded in faith to the direction she
received. She thanked Heavenly Father for meaningful and memorable experiences
with this dear friend. She communicated sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as
the Comforter and for the gifts of the Spirit that enable us to face adversity and
to serve others. Most importantly, she expressed appreciation for the plan of
salvation, for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
for His Resurrection, and for the ordinances and covenants of the
restored gospel which make it possible for families to be together forever.
Our family learned from that experience a great lesson about
the power of thankfulness in meaningful prayer. Because of and through that
prayer, our family was blessed with inspiration about a number of issues that
were pressing upon our minds and stirring in our hearts. We learned that our
gratefulness for the plan of happiness and for the Savior’s mission of
salvation provided needed reassurance and strengthened our confidence that all
would be well with our dear friends. We also received insights concerning the
things about which we should pray and appropriately ask in faith.
The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced
contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests. As I am blessed
now to pray with apostles and prophets, I find among these modern-day leaders
of the Savior’s Church the same characteristic that describes Captain Moroni in
the Book
of Mormon: these are men whose hearts swell with thanksgiving to God for
the many privileges and blessings which He bestows upon His people (see Alma 48:12). Also, they do not multiply many words, for it
is given unto them what they should pray, and they are filled with desire (see 3 Nephi 19:24). The prayers of prophets are childlike in
their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity."
So I have set a goal to every week on Sunday night to say a
prayer only of gratitude. I tried it last night and it was an amazing
experience. No amazing revelation came in the instance of what to do with my
life, but it was amazing how I was able to recognize the spirit during the
prayer prompting me to what to pray for. I think it is a good practice to help
us recognize the spirit and pray for the things that are in line with God's
will.
That's about it for this week, love ya
Jordan
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