We had a pretty decent week this week. Kent, who is our baptismal date for the end of October is still progressing great. We talked to him and his brother yesterday about the Priesthood and they both seemed excited about that. Their sister called us yesterday (she was baptized about 3 years ago), and asked us what we did with her brothers. I was a little confused for a second...."Uh, last time we saw them, they were at the church....?" Apparently she meant that her brothers have changed completely since we started teaching them haha.
OH YEAH! News flash! Elder Spencer and I were watching a Seminary collection of videos the other day about the Book of Mormon. There was one short video called "For Our Day" It was a video of different youth from around the world bearing their testimonies of the Book of Mormon. There were a couple of youth from England and one of them was a teenaged Rebecca Cain! I was shocked when she showed up on the screen, and Elder Spencer looked at me a little oddly when I pointed at the screen and shouted "I know her!" He didn't believe me at first haha. But just thought I would pass that along. I don't know how long ago the video was made but she looked pretty much the same as she does now.
We were able to see 3 of the 4 general sessions of conference live, although that meant we had to get permission to stay up late for the last one. They were way good though, I used up about 10 pages in my journal on notes. It's better than last time though...I used a whole 75 page spiral notebook on that. I decided to consolidate my notes a little bit this time haha.
I've been thinking a bit about the Atonement the past few weeks. President Johansen has told us we need to look for weaknesses we have and improve on those things, through the use of the Atonement. It's been really interesting to see how the Atonement applies to more than just sin. It makes up the difference on anything which is holding us back from reaching our potential as perfect beings. But I've discovered that it's important to constantly ask for the Atonement to be applied to our lives through prayer. It's not just to say the words every time you pray, but it's to realize deep down that you NEED to ask for that help. It's a part of humbling yourself enough to realize that we can't overcome our weaknesses without some measure of the Atonement to help us out. As I've remembered to ask for that help in my prayers, it's made a huge difference, and it's a difference which is tangible. Not just something I imagined up cause it seemed convenient, or coincidental timing.
On that same vein, I was reading in Nephi's account of the Tree of Life vision. I don't have my scriptures with me, but I'm pretty sure it's 1 Nephi 11 or 12. He asked to see the same vision that his father, Lehi, saw so that he could figure things out for himself. I think it's interesting when he realizes the symbolism behind the tree itself, is after he sees Jesus Christ in vision. It's only after he sees the mission of the Messiah as the Redeemer of the world, that he realizes the tree represents the love of God. To Nephi, Jesus Christ and his Atonement was the best example of God's love, and that is what prompted his realization of the symbolism. The tree of life is a representation of the Atonement, and the blessings we receive when we reach our potential, which only occurs through application of the Atonement.
Many people wonder what the heck the purpose of this life is. I answer that question with 2 Nephi 2:25. "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." Our whole purpose and reason for being here is to have JOY! We grab hold of that happiness through improving ourselves piece by piece, applying the Atonement when needed, and following the recipe of success that our loving Heavenly Father has given us through the scriptures and the messages that his prophets teach unto us. The Plan of Salvation isn't a treasure map to some obscure happiness that we can maybe achieve in some future life. It's a blueprint to how we can live our lives NOW so that we can have that joy in this life AND the next.
As a missionary, I wasn't sure when I came out here if this whole thing actually worked. I don't think I had taken the time to really apply the gospel to myself. But the Lord has blessed me with the chance to see how the Gospel can improve other people's lives, and that has helped me realize that it really DOES work. Maybe I could imagine all of the "improvements" and "happiness" I see with myself. But I cannot deny what has happened to the people around me. As I see people finding that joy through the message that we share, it builds my own testimony of the truthfulness of it. And it makes me recognize all the blessings that I have received. An atheist told me he doesn't believe in God because he's never had an experience that proves the existence of God. I say that everyone has those experiences, but if you are looking to PROVE the existence of God, you will never ever recognize those experiences when they happen. You find God when you look for him, and that means really wanting to find Him and you are willing to change your life to feel His presence in your life.
I don't know where I went with that one. I started off talking about the Atonement, and ended with finding God. I guess everything is related in the Gospel in any case. Hopefully, you all will be able to follow the thread I was throwing all over the place.
Have a great week!
Elder Sessions
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