Stone Skippers

This week was full of miracles for me. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday we taught  Mr. CHO.  He passed the interview without problem, and was set for baptism. He's really different around people, because at home, he's smiling and laughing with us, but at church, he's a little shy. I know he'll warm up quickly though, he's already really good friends with another older guy in the ward. Seeing him willingly enter the waters of baptism was so good for me.

President and Sister Christensen, Elder Gardner, Mr. CHO and Jordan

I feel like Elder Gardner and I worked really hard, and we were able to see some of the effects of our hard work. As I read in the bible about the rejoicings in heaven over the lost sheep that is found, I couldn't help but think of him. I saw Christ walking along with Mr. CHO and us, rejoicing that he has found the light, and has chosen to follow that light.

Sometimes, as missionaries, I feel like stone skippers that will skip stones far, but we throw our stones and turn around before we can see the ripples of the stone across the water. We keep throwing stones our whole lives, but it can be discouraging sometimes to only throw, and not watch. Every once in a while we are blessed with the opportunity of watching the stone skip and skip, creating beautiful rings across the surface. Fluid dynamics is truly beautiful, right? :)

We met a new investigator, SKL, who admitted, because of his Buddhist family, he won't come to church, but he said he'd love to sit down and talk about our beliefs and hear the lessons. His cousin is Mormon, and after serving a mission, he had dinner with him and the missionaries, so he already knows some of what we do. He's really nice and down to earth, and I know his willingness to meet and just listen will bring him far. When the 반대 (opposition) is over, I'm sure he'll be happy to come to church. It's crazy to think of how long it takes people to be prepared to receive the gospel. We may throw a lot of our own stones and not see many ripples, but we walk into the scene to often see the big ripples of other's work, which is also a blessing.

We surprised 속초 (Sokcho) this week with a visit during their studies (it required us getting up at 5:30..), and it went really well. It was well worth it, I enjoy studying with other missionaries, training with them, and attending their district meetings. I also love visiting my old area, Sokcho is truly a beautiful area.

In personal study I've been really searching for scriptures on hope and grace, as I mentioned before, and I've been reviewing them every morning and night as my 'daily bread'. This is truly helpful, because it helps me understand that, like eating three times a day, I can't go very long without returning to the Lord for help if I want to overcome sin. I have to be reminded every day that I need him, and it's because of the 'natural man' that I'm reminded. I'm so grateful for the natural man, because even though at times I may fall, sometimes hard, and sometimes often, I can now see a little more why God created us this way. I understand now that the 'hunger pains' of the natural man is just a reminder of why we are 'fasting'.

That's sort of what the theme was this week in District Conference. It comes from Alma 37:6. We, out here, may feel small. Some branches are run by missionaries and only have one priesthood holder. But as we humble ourselves and take it one step at a time, we will accomplish miracles.

The whole time I couldn't help thinking of the Mormon message 'patterns of light' by Elder Bednar, where he says 'Why would God send an angel to remind you, when he can bring up a memory of your angel mother (here's to you mom!<3) reminding you to say your morning prayers?' Why expect these big miracles to grow our faith and help us believe when we can't even do the three simple steps of daily prayer, reading the scriptures, and attending church? As I read in Luke today, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Laman and Lemuel (our favorite examples, right?ㅋㅋ) saw angels, but they couldn't do those small and simple things like have faith that their brother was called of God.

This is precisely why God gives us hunger (referring to my personal study above). If we did not hunger, we would often forget to feed ourselves. The Israelites relied on God day by day to receive bread. If they could have gotten a month supply of bread, think of how easy it would be to forget who gives them life! These spiritual 'hungers' can be ignored, like physical hunger, and soon our spirit dwindles in atrophy. We must remember who gives us life daily, and offer up our gratitude to him. Sometimes these 'hungers' whether it may be physical or spiritual, sin, or cravings, are strong, but they are a blessing, because they are meant to turn us to God for support, like our hunger turns us to food.

As we spend each day turning to the Lord, acknowledging that we 'need [him] every hour', we will progress to accomplish and see miracles. Progress is an interesting thing, though. It's the change in us, wrought by the Atonement of Christ. It is small, incremental changes that can only be recognized by retrospective thinking. Sometimes it takes looking back at elementary or junior high school pictures to see how much you changed, not last month's pictures. But the special thing about the Atonement is that you can look at yourself yesterday and see yourself a different person. The effects the Atonement has on people can come instantaneously, if the individual permits. It requires only one sacrifice - your will. As soon as we let the will of the Father become more important than our own, we will see daily changes in ourselves that are easy to recognize. You can look at yourself and say, 'I was a different person yesterday.' Christ is our savior and the Atonement of Christ is real. It has the power to change lives.

We must not look for nuggets of gold. As the miners and river sifters found, you won't find any. Instead, we will accumulate a vast amount of wealth through the patience-testing process of picking up one flake of gold at a time. As we take these flakes of gold, these small portions of daily bread (or sacramental bread), through reading and praying daily, and attending church, we will set our sights on eternity and find in ourselves a power beyond our own that only comes through Christ our savior.

Elder Franchina