Skip to main content

Week 47... Faith is Not a Perfect knowledge

September 25, 2016

 I wanted to share a short excerpt from the Book of Mormon today. If you have a Book of Mormon with you, I invite you to open up with me to 1 Nephi 8. This vision that Lehi has is of the Tree of Life but I want to focus on the beginning of his vision as he is describing where he is at and what he is doing.

"3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.

4 But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.

5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.

6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste."

The past week I have been thinking to myself how could I build my faith? I felt as though I was at a wall and really didn't know how to climb over it. I felt sharing my testimony didn't have any power to back it up. I was talking with Elder Avery and was asking him what his thoughts were on how I could strengthen my faith in the Lord and he talked with me about how are testimonies are similar to the field in Lehi's dream. Our knowledge and light of what we know at this present time only goes our so far and then there is a mist of darkness. He told that me faith was never about having a perfect knowledge, we just have to step into the dark and just believe it will all work out.

As we make the choice to follow to the follow the Savior, we will walk into darkness but we can know that all will be well. As we trust in Him and pray for the way to go, He will guide us and help us to move forward, for as we do, our path becomes illuminated and we are able to see more clearly and our faith is immensely strengthened as we stand in the dark.

It never hurts to ask if there are others in the house to learn about the Gospel. Elder Boud and I visited an investigator and asked him if there was anyone else in his house that he thought would be interested and he responded by saying no. I asked him if he though his wife would like to join us and he said that she was too busy. I wasn't going to take that for an answer. I stood up and said, well lets go and ask her then and he was just like, oh, hold on, I will ask her. A minute later both came in, we had a lesson and were able to teach them how to pray. Sometimes, if there are people that have potential to learn, invite them. We can never know if someone is ready or not to hear the Gospel if we never open our mouths to invite them. That is not just a rule for missionaries only. That applies to all people.

The ward that we are working with is really just amazing. I love each of them so much and I am truly grateful to be working with them. Working with the YSA's really is a privilege and each of them are amazing. We are hoping to do some missionary splits with the young men and get them ready to go out and serve.

I am really grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord. He has always been such a big part of my life. I am grateful for companions that love the Lord and will do all that they can to serve the Lord. I love this work. Times slipping away but I am enjoying every minute of it! I know that the church is true. and I am grateful for all of the blessings of living the Gospel. I share my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,
Elder Shirley


A Room with a View


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 76..."This past week has been one of faith and might!"

This week, I had the opportunity to watch conference which was an absolute blast! I love hearing from the prophets and apostles speak and offer counsel to those that are seeking it. How grateful I am that our Heavenly Father in this period of time has a prophet upon the earth. I have a testimony that as we heed the words of the prophet and those that are called alongside him, that we will never go astray. This past week has been one of faith and might! I am grateful for the opportunity to come and serve the people of Singapore. It hasn't always been easy but I can honestly say it has been all worth it! A simple principle of faith that I learned from General Conference was what Elder Choi had said saying, "Don't look around, Look up!" I have learned that if all that I do is look around, I can never progress, however, as I continue to steadfastly look up toward heaven, then I find myself changing in so many ways. Axxxxx is awesome! She is something else...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week 75...Experiences that have increased my faith and built my testimony up this week.

The things you get to learn on a mission are just awesome! I am so glad that I decided to serve the Lord for two years. I would be nowhere close to where I am at right now. I am indeed grateful for the experiences that I have been able to have on my mission and for what they have taught me personally. I know that the Lord, Jesus Christ is very well aware of what I go through and is continuing to lift me up every hour of the day. I know that He lives. His love is real and extends to all who seek it. I wish to share with you some of the experiences that I have had this week that have increased my faith and built my testimony up. Trust in the Lord.  I have really felt the need to say that after the many challenges and trials that seem to be never ending, that I simply can not do it on my own. If I continue to try and do something on my own and just push forward, then I have already failed. I cannot do it on my own. It is sometimes painful to admit that because I feel that in orde...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week 71...The Sound of Rejoicing

March 5, 2016 Hello! I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is honestly the best thing ever. I know that sometimes it feels like the Gospel can only apply to those that we teach and share with but first and foremost it is to strengthen yourself and give you the confidence and boost of energy that you need throughout the week. I love the Savior Jesus Christ. He is my teacher and exemplar and I look to Him as one of my closest friends and for that I am eternally grateful. This week I have been thinking to myself how I could better help those people that I have been working with feel the power of the Spirit and to continue to be excited to meet again and learn. It was also something that I have been thinking about as we contact other people in Singapore. We do strive to talk with everyone and look for opportunities to serve those around us, however, I have felt that we weren't yielding the same success as weeks prior. Then everything changed!  D&C 28:16 "And thou m...
Post a Comment
Read more