Monday, May 28, 2012
Great Week - May 28, 2012
Great week!
On Tuesday we we out walking to pick up a member to go out with us and met this man, Juan (name changed). Juan was deported from the United States a few months ago for a few problems he had. Technically he is Guatemalan, but this is his first time in Guatemala since he was 1, and he is now 37 years old. He feels like a stranger and that no one wants him. So we started talking to Juan about life in general and were able to start talking with him about the Gospel and the Book of Mormon, and the guidance we receive in our most difficult times through the Book of Mormon, and thus directly from our Heavenly Father. It was a very interesting experience for which I am grateful.
Wednesday was also a good day! I would like to focus on the lesson we had with Gilda and Marian. They are our 2 investigators that have really made a huge difference in my mission and made me realize how much of an impact this message truly has on the lives of those who let it. As we reviewed the Plan of Salvation they said they could feel the peace and comfort in knowing that one day they can seen their loved ones once again, and I know that this is true. They are quickly progressing towards the firm desire to be desired with a goal of a date to be baptized! I truly am grateful to be part of their gospel journey.
On Friday we had a lesson with a less-active woman named Lorgia and we talked with her about the importance of the Holy Ghost in our lives and how sometimes it can be difficult to recognize. I love the story of 1 Samuel 3 in which Samuel hears the voice of the Lord 3 times, and believes that Eli is calling him. At this 3rd hearing, Eli understands that it is the Lord calling Samuel, and tells him that the next time he hears the voice to respond, "Speak; for thy servant heareth". What greater thing could the Lord hear than to know that we are lovingly listening to his voice, waiting to respond to what He desires us to know!
Saturday was another great day! We had another lesson with Gilda and Marian about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or in other words Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. They both agreed that they would like to be baptized and are going to pray to know WHEN they would like to be baptized. The Lord is truly blessing this area and these two women who are ready for the message of the Gospel.
Yesterday as Elder Hatch and I went to to do our proselyting in the afternoon we went to search two people we had contaced more than a month ago and we were waiting outside the door for quite a while before someone came out and said they would "look to see if they were there"... and we kept waiting. After another 3-5 minutes we were about to leave and I felt as though we should stay and someone came to the door. His name is Jonathan and he is 20 years old. It just so happens that he is related to the people for whom we were looking... and he is also a member. From there we began to talk to Jonathan and about things that have happened in the last several years since he has been baptized. We were later telling this story to a member and she said "What, a coincidence. No. It was God"... and I truly know that it was. I have told many stories of the way that Heavenly Father places us where we need to be and when, and I know that we will be able to help Jonathan come back to church.
I am so grateful every day to be serving a mission. These experiences are once in a life time. A couple of weeks ago we were talking to Hno. Jimenez and we were talking about movies, and he said that we are making the best movie in these two years, and we will spend the rest of our lives watching the movie of our missions over and over again in our minds. I hope I can make the movie the best it can be, and that there are no parts I am "ashamed" of watching again.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
May 21, 2012
The Best Day of My Mission
"Today was probably one of the best days of my mission. Up there with the experience of Carla in Martí, when Ana María Salazar told me how much I had helped her family, knowing that Francisco Beltrán was able to be baptized, etc. Well, a few weeks ago, Olga Morataya gave us a referral of her friend Gilda, and in our second visit with Gilda (age 50ish) we met her daughter, Marian (22) who also wanted to start listening to us. We've visited them several times since then, and they have always had great questions for us and been very interested in our message.
"Ever since we gave her (Marian) a Book of Mormon, almost 2 weeks ago, (she) has started reading it. She has also read the pamphlets we leave for them. To top it all of, they also came to church on Sunday, the 13th. So that sets us up.
"Well, our previous visit with them was Friday, May 11th, and we had set up the visit for this upcoming Thursday, the 17th. Well, on Sunday night, Marian called us and asked if we could pass by on Tuesday instead, so we of course said, 'Yes!' Right, now we're all caught up to be able to talk about why today was so great.
"So this morning we stopped by to pick up Olga, and then went to Gilda and Marian's house, and there they were, waiting for us. They had several questions about what happened in church and some other little questions. Now, I don't remember exactly how the conversation was brought up, but there was a silence, and Marian became very pensive and looked like she was about to cry.
"She started to tell us that for the last little while, (months), she hasn't been sleeping well, but ever since we started visiting them, she has slept well. Even more, she is afraid of the dark and sleeps with a little light in her room. But she has been reading the Book of Mormon right before going to bed and then sleeping with the Book of Mormon next to her pillow and she can now turn of the light. She also told us that the other night she went to lock the front door, and it was extremely dark. Usually when this is the case she turns the lights on all the way down the hall, but she didn't, and when she got to the front room, she wasn't afraid, and she felt as if we were sitting there on the couch, watching out for her. She said she could feel our presence.
"This sounds unreal. But it is true, and I know it. When Marian turned 15, she changed schools from a catholic school to a "normal" one, where those who wanted to search for God could, and those who didn't, didn't. Every once in a while she has had friends invite her to different churches, but she never went. She told us, however, that listening to us, reading the Book of Mormon, and the pamphlets has filled an emptiness in her life and is making her very happy and giving her a new sense of peace. It is such an incredible feeling to know that our message is making such a difference in someone's life."
I know that this gospel is true, and that is truly does change lives. The Plan of Salvation has been given to us for our own eternal happiness.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Not What Happened Last Week - May 14, 2012
TO: You + 5 More
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I'm not going to let the same thing happen this week as did last week! I'm going to get my stories out there! Because last week I had a lot.
So, about a week and a half ago now, one morning I woke up, got showered, ate breakfast, and went outside to our "sink" to clean my bowl. As I got down to the "sink" I looked into the water and saw... A dead raven. So I go back up and shout to Elder Hatch (who is showering), "Elder Hatch, there's a raven in our "sink"" "A what?" "A DEAD raven in our "sink". So... after Elder Hatch gets out of the showered and dressed, he goes down to see the dead raven... and we then tell our land lady "Doña Hilda, did you know there is a dead raven in our sink?" "A what?" "A dead bird in our sink. Did you know?" "Oh, goodness, no! I'll have my "maid" clean that out really well with bleach and everything and then you'll have nice clean water to wash your dishes with!" Not exactly why we told her... but ok. It works. Funny story for the day.
This last week was a pretty good week. We had several great citas with some good people. One of the best citas we had with with two investigators named Gilda and her daughter Marian. They are referrals from a member named Olga. Anyways, they have always had great questions for us, and they read the Book of Mormon, and the pamphlets we leave behind. Anyways, this week we were finally able to teach Marian about the Message of the Restoration! And she said that she believes that it is very possible that Joseph Smith saw God, the Father, and Jesus Christ and that he was a prophet and everything. It was a great lesson and they are progressing a lot! Even better, they came to church with us on Sunday and stayed for all 3 hours and they really liked it!
On Friday we were walking around, looking for someone to teach, and as we were walking around we saw this 22ish year old kid say goodbye to his girlfriend and watch her walk away... he was of a "rougher" look... long hair, skater, lip ring, ear gauge, etc... as we walked by we said "Buenas tardes (good afternoon)" and he said "Hey guys, how's it going?(in english)" So we decided to stop and start talking to him. It turns out his name is André and his mom started teaching him english about 11 years ago and he speaks with a very good accent. So, we talked for a second and then he asked if we were going to talk to him about Jesus, and we said yes. So then we started walking and talking to this kid. He was a really nice guy, with some good questions, and we ended up giving him 2 copies of the Book of Mormon, one in english and one in spanish, and gave him our phone number in case he has any questions or wants to learn more. He was a great guy. Unfortunately, he doesn't live in our mission, but that's ok! We got a little seed planted for the future :)
Obviously, as my family knows, I got to talk to my family yesterday, and those are always great/special days. A little over a year ago, when Elder Nelson and I were companions, he mentioned that he liked to say family prayer when he talked to his family on Christmas and Mothers' Day... and I always forgot to mention it until yesterday, when I finally remembered. Having a family prayer was absolutely wonderful! It reminded me of all those times that we did prayers when my dad was in Utah, or in other places studying or doing clinicals, or anything like that. It just brings a sense of warmth and unity to do a family prayer, even when your thousands of miles apart.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
Monday, May 7, 2012
"Tender Mercies of the Lord" April 30, 2012
TO: You + 5 More
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This week has truly been a "tender mercy of the Lord" in the life of Elder Hatch and I. We have felt as though we have been working very hard and diligently in our missionary efforts, but we haven't had the success that we have been so desperately working towards. We have had great weeks and difficult weeks as well. But, as I said, this week has truly been a blessing straight from our Heavenly Father.
It all starts with Monday night. We had a lesson with an investigator named Carolina. Her son and daughter-in-law were baptized back in 2010, but she is now listening to us. She started listening to the missionaries back in January, a month before I got to the area. Elder Hatch and I felt like we should go over the first lesson once again with her. We taught her one of the most powerful first lessons of my mission with a very strong Spirit. As we taught there was complete unity between our companionship and the whole lesson just flowed from point to point and I felt the Spirit testify that the things we were sharing are true. Carolina was also very interactive in the lesson, expresses her ideas and opinions. At the end of the lesson we asked her if, upon knowing these things are true, she would be willing to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and she said, "yes". It was a very strong, spiritual lesson. Afterwards we had a lesson with a less active man named Alex. My companion asked me if that would be the best use of our time, considering that we had a member with us and we could look for an investigator, but I felt that we were supposed to be with Alex. It was also a very powerful lesson we had with him, and he helped himself realize how he can help his friend Ruben truly start to accept the gospel and make the small changes in his life to come to a full realization of the truthfulness of the gospel.
Tuesday was likewise blessed. We had lots of lessons, but I wanted to to mention more specifically the lesson we had with Stuardo Polanco. They just moved out of our area on Saturday, but we had 3 great lessons with them this week. This first one on Tuesday we were able to talk a little bit about families and the temples. Stuardo had the opportunity to go to the open house of the Quetzaltenango Temple and he mentioned to us that it was absolutely beautiful and that it was without a doubt the closest someone could get to God on earth. He also said that he hopes to be able to go back there one day, and we testified to him that he can. It was wonderful.
On Wednesday we had our zone conference, combined with Elder Llewelyn's zone, so I got to spend the day with him. However, the best part in all honesty was the conference. We had a lot of great inspired words and received lots of instruction on how to help improve our areas and Elder Hatch and I received some great revelation for our own area. It was absolutely fantastic!
Thursday was another killer day! In the morning we had a lesson with a woman named Sonja that I contacted with Elder Richins on divisions 5 weeks ago, and we were finally able to teach her. It was a short lesson, but it was really good. At first I didn't think that she was really going to listen to us, but as we kept teaching her the message of the Restoration she opened up more and more and accepted a return visit from us next week! Another awesome lesson we had was with a young woman named Gabi, who is 18 and a referral from a member named Ulises. She is a really sweet girl who was very intrested in listening to us (no, not just cause I'm so good looking ;) JK. But really, it was a fantastic lesson and you can tell that she is really interested in actually knowing what our message is for her. I also conducted a baptismal interview for an 8 year old who was baptized on Saturday. Smart little kid. And we had another lesson with Stuardo, probably the best one we have ever had with him! I don't remember what all we said or how we said it or anything, but I remember that we testified of the importance of the Book of Mormon and how it has completely changed our lives, and Stuardo said "hasta hoy me convincieron que debo leer el libro" which is like "until today you finally convinced me to read the book"... But it sounded a lot cooler in Spanish. After listening to the missionaries for a while, some little thing in our testimonies convinced him of the necessity to read the Book of Mormon. It was another powerful lesson. And the coolest part, is he read the very next day! The Title Page, the Intro, and all 3 testimonies! And then on Saturday he moved out of the area, which was the hardest part.
Saturday and Sunday were also great blessings of the Lord, but not with long stories. However, I know that this work is absolutely true! Today I received an email from a woman in my old area "I helped reactivate" and whose son "I helped baptized". But it was extremely touching to hear from her and know that something I did, or said, to help bring the Spirit into their home helped to change their lives. These are the moments and days that every missionary hopes and loves to have.
Love,
Elder Andrew Anderson LaPray
Monday, April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012
In the Blink of an Eye
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This is all going by in the blink of an eye! I never thought that it would all go by this fast... But 14 months just slipped right away from me. I remember looking at people who had 14 months when I started the mission and I thought to myself, "They are SO old! They're going home SO SOON!!" And you know what... those people are already gone! The people that come in right now in this next change are probably going to think the same thing of me, and that's so weird! Elder Nelson is about to have only 3 months left! On Saturday he hits 21 months! It's RIDICULOUS!! Everyone hears missionaries say, "I don't want my time to end"... which isn't completely true... but I do want every minute to mean the world to me! Because it really is incredible!!
On Monday night we had a lesson with one of our investigators named Ruben, who we are teaching in English and in Spanish, and after the lesson Elder Hatch asked him if he things that the things we are teaching are true, and he said yes! It was the most amazing thing to hear! I was so happy to find out that our message is really making it to someone's mind and heart! It truly is a satisfying feeling!
On Tuesday it rained A LOT!! A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to study humility... most people, or at least I do, associate humility as the opposite of being prideful, but in the scriptures it's much more than that. It's submission, modesty, harkening to counsel from God's chosen servants, recognizing the need for His help and submitting to do His will. I loved that study! Like I said, it was raining a lot so to get out of the rain we went and visited familia García and talked about how we can apply the teachings of the Book of Mormon when we begin to share it with our friends.
Wednesday was quite the crazy day... but it is one of those days that a missionary kind of just keeps to himself and doesn't ever really share it with anyone... sorry. But, on Wednesday night we had dinner with familia Jimenez. It was super good! And, I realized that Hno. Victor Jimenez reminds me a LOT of my dad because he seems really serious, but he is a really sarcastic, fun-loving guy, just like my dad! He makes me feel right at home! I love those moments!
On Friday Elder Hatch and I did divisions with the Zone Leaders. I was with Elder Opazo in our area (side note, Elder Opazo was Elder Llewelyn's comp for 2 changes). Some of our plans fell through so we ended up doing a lot of contacting, but it was good! We had a really good lesson with familia Gramajo that night! We read 2 Nephi 31 with them, and then explained the significance that it all has for us. After all of that, we invited them to baptism, because we felt it was the right time. They didn't accept, but they didn't reject it either. They want to take some time to talk about it and think about it, which is very understandable. They recognize that it's not just an everyday decision that you make out of the blue. There were moments when I felt like I should say something to help them in the process, but I was never able to for various reasons which was VERY frustrating. One of the most frustrating things as a missionary is feeling spiritual impressions and not being able to share them due to the agency of other people. However, I feel like Elder Hatch and I will be able to help them progress towards the waters of baptism!
I really love this work. Once upon a time a friend said to me, "but do every thing you can every day, leave it all there, and go until you collapse, because I tell you what, I miss it more than anything and everything... you are every bit a representative of our Savior. And cherish every time you get to slide on that nametag in the morning, because one day, for all of us missionaries, the day comes when you can't slide it on anymore, and you'll want to be able to say you did everything you could with the time you had to wear it. Because it will kill you to know you can't anymore." I know that this is absolutely true. I haven't gotten to the end of my mission yet, but I want to do everything again for as long as I can!
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
Monday, April 16, 2012
April 16, 2012
I'm finally caught up!!
I spent a LOT of time this week getting caught up in my journal and I FINALLY made it to being caught up! Elder Hatch really helped give me the little extra motivation I needed to just do it! But, it feels really good!
So, last Monday night we had a nice chat with this guy named Cesar that a member introduced us too and he had some questions about why we do baptisms for the dead and so we spent like, 20 minutes explaining how it wasn't a practice unique to us, but that they were performed in Biblical times and that it allows others to receive the ordinance of baptism when they didn't have the chance on this earth life and that this baptism really has no impeding effect to their agency. He was appreciative of our discussion, but refused to accept a Book of Mormon and read it, but his loss.
On Tuesday we had our regular visit with Gloria accompanied by her friend Consuelo. Elder Hatch showed them his Family History binder which is quite remarkable and then after that I shared with them what I shared in my email last week about comparing the Atonement to an embrace. It was a great visit! And when we saw Gloria on Saturday she told us that the message and had an extremely profound effect on Consuelo(who is a member) that was an answer to her prayers. I don't know exactly what it was, but I love that the Spirit can work through us to help other people feel the love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. That evening we had a visit with familia Gramajo in which we really emphasized the importance of reading the Book of Mormon. We kind of ended up giving them cincho (which is like a verbal scolding), but it was very necessary because they just weren't reading, and there is NO WAY to know that our message is true if they don't pray and or read the Book of Mormon, and really you have to do both!
On Wednesday we studied something from our study program called "Teach People, Not Lessons" and there is a really great quote from Elder Holland that is something like, "As (we) listen sincerely to (our) investigators they will say something that will indicated to (us) of what truth (we) can teach and testify." I have seen that a lot in my mission. As I have tuned in to the Spirit and my investigators I have been prompted to say certain things that would have never occurred to me. We truly do teach people and not lessons. On Wednesday evening Elder Hatch and I had to go to another area so that I could do 3 baptismal interviews so that took up pretty much all of our time on Wednesday, but it was definitely worth it so that these people can receive baptism!
Friday was a good day for us. Thursday was just a lot of "normal" stuff. On Friday we had our return visit with Max, the man we contacted a couple weeks ago who claims no religion and whose wife is a sabbatical christian..I don't remember mentioning this, but he is in the military and his mother was listening to the missionaries when she was killed almost 30 years ago. He was very receptive to our message about the Plan of Salvation, Family History, and the importance of family. He had lots of great questions for us! I feel like he could be a really great possibility!
On Saturday I had another embarrassing experience about which you can all laugh before I move on to the "spiritual" bit. On Saturday around 6 p.m. we ran into Lirice, Eros and Jorge (the people we helped move a little over a week ago). As I went to say hi to Lirice she took my hand and I saw her start to lean in to kiss my cheek like most Guatemalans do and my stomach just lurched inside me and I didn't know what to do. I thought to myself (very quickly), "She's gonna kiss. What do I say? Oh crap!". It was a very WEIRD feeling in my stomach. Luckily, as she saw that I wasn't going to reciprocate she backed up to just shaking my hand, which was very relieving! Although, I don't think she was offended... Anywho, we set up a cita for next Sunday.
Now, on to the "spiritual matter". The other day, Saturday, I was thinking about this talk I had heard from John Bytheway called "Jesus Knows I'm a Christian" and I decided that would be my message for Gloria, but I wasn't able to share it there, and I would like to share it with you! I don't want you to all think that this all came out of my head... the scriptures come from the triple combination and the thoughts are a mix between John Bytheway and my own. But, here it goes.
"John Bytheway has a CD called 'Jesus Knows I'm a Christian' in which he discusses why we're believers in the same Jesus. It all starts with a christian preacher saying that we (as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe in the 'gap-filling Jesus'. John Bytheway was a bit shocked by this reaction and went to discover about this 'gap-filling Jesus'. So brother Bythweway went to his index and looked up 'merits' and found 7 scriptures in the triple combination about 'merits'.
"Now according to my spanish dictionary 'merit' means: 'action that makes a man worthy of a prize or esteem;' or 'put to test someone's attributes to achieve something'. Now, these scriptures start with 2 Nephi 2:8 which states that, '...no flesh... can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah...'. Later on in 2 Nephi 31:19 Nephi asks, "And now... after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.' And thus we begin to see with only two verses that were it not for Christ we would be no where, which brings us right into the teachings of Aaron in Alma 22:14, 'And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins...' Interesting. Man cannot merit anything of himself.
"More and more we need Christ. The great missionary Ammon two chapters later in Alma 24:10 said, 'I thank my Good... that we might repent... and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins... and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.' I love that as we continue they tie together. We know that no unclean thing can dwell in God's presence and we are made clean after baptism as we repent. Now, I know there's a scripture that says something about how 'forgiveness (or repentance) is made possible through the Atonement' and so we see again that even though WE must repent, it is through Christ and HIS merits that we CAN repent.
"I love the scripture which comes from Samuel the Lamanite who taught us, 'And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits' (Helaman 14:13). The remission only comes to us through his merits and the grace and mercy of the Father. Moroni 6:4 teaches, 'And after they had been received unto baptism... their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them... relying alone up the merits of Christ...' which parallels D&C 3:19-20, 'And for this very purpose are these plates preserved... that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ.2 I have a firm testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that it is through him that we are saved."
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
I spent a LOT of time this week getting caught up in my journal and I FINALLY made it to being caught up! Elder Hatch really helped give me the little extra motivation I needed to just do it! But, it feels really good!
So, last Monday night we had a nice chat with this guy named Cesar that a member introduced us too and he had some questions about why we do baptisms for the dead and so we spent like, 20 minutes explaining how it wasn't a practice unique to us, but that they were performed in Biblical times and that it allows others to receive the ordinance of baptism when they didn't have the chance on this earth life and that this baptism really has no impeding effect to their agency. He was appreciative of our discussion, but refused to accept a Book of Mormon and read it, but his loss.
On Tuesday we had our regular visit with Gloria accompanied by her friend Consuelo. Elder Hatch showed them his Family History binder which is quite remarkable and then after that I shared with them what I shared in my email last week about comparing the Atonement to an embrace. It was a great visit! And when we saw Gloria on Saturday she told us that the message and had an extremely profound effect on Consuelo(who is a member) that was an answer to her prayers. I don't know exactly what it was, but I love that the Spirit can work through us to help other people feel the love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. That evening we had a visit with familia Gramajo in which we really emphasized the importance of reading the Book of Mormon. We kind of ended up giving them cincho (which is like a verbal scolding), but it was very necessary because they just weren't reading, and there is NO WAY to know that our message is true if they don't pray and or read the Book of Mormon, and really you have to do both!
On Wednesday we studied something from our study program called "Teach People, Not Lessons" and there is a really great quote from Elder Holland that is something like, "As (we) listen sincerely to (our) investigators they will say something that will indicated to (us) of what truth (we) can teach and testify." I have seen that a lot in my mission. As I have tuned in to the Spirit and my investigators I have been prompted to say certain things that would have never occurred to me. We truly do teach people and not lessons. On Wednesday evening Elder Hatch and I had to go to another area so that I could do 3 baptismal interviews so that took up pretty much all of our time on Wednesday, but it was definitely worth it so that these people can receive baptism!
Friday was a good day for us. Thursday was just a lot of "normal" stuff. On Friday we had our return visit with Max, the man we contacted a couple weeks ago who claims no religion and whose wife is a sabbatical christian..I don't remember mentioning this, but he is in the military and his mother was listening to the missionaries when she was killed almost 30 years ago. He was very receptive to our message about the Plan of Salvation, Family History, and the importance of family. He had lots of great questions for us! I feel like he could be a really great possibility!
On Saturday I had another embarrassing experience about which you can all laugh before I move on to the "spiritual" bit. On Saturday around 6 p.m. we ran into Lirice, Eros and Jorge (the people we helped move a little over a week ago). As I went to say hi to Lirice she took my hand and I saw her start to lean in to kiss my cheek like most Guatemalans do and my stomach just lurched inside me and I didn't know what to do. I thought to myself (very quickly), "She's gonna kiss. What do I say? Oh crap!". It was a very WEIRD feeling in my stomach. Luckily, as she saw that I wasn't going to reciprocate she backed up to just shaking my hand, which was very relieving! Although, I don't think she was offended... Anywho, we set up a cita for next Sunday.
Now, on to the "spiritual matter". The other day, Saturday, I was thinking about this talk I had heard from John Bytheway called "Jesus Knows I'm a Christian" and I decided that would be my message for Gloria, but I wasn't able to share it there, and I would like to share it with you! I don't want you to all think that this all came out of my head... the scriptures come from the triple combination and the thoughts are a mix between John Bytheway and my own. But, here it goes.
"John Bytheway has a CD called 'Jesus Knows I'm a Christian' in which he discusses why we're believers in the same Jesus. It all starts with a christian preacher saying that we (as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe in the 'gap-filling Jesus'. John Bytheway was a bit shocked by this reaction and went to discover about this 'gap-filling Jesus'. So brother Bythweway went to his index and looked up 'merits' and found 7 scriptures in the triple combination about 'merits'.
"Now according to my spanish dictionary 'merit' means: 'action that makes a man worthy of a prize or esteem;' or 'put to test someone's attributes to achieve something'. Now, these scriptures start with 2 Nephi 2:8 which states that, '...no flesh... can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah...'. Later on in 2 Nephi 31:19 Nephi asks, "And now... after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.' And thus we begin to see with only two verses that were it not for Christ we would be no where, which brings us right into the teachings of Aaron in Alma 22:14, 'And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins...' Interesting. Man cannot merit anything of himself.
"More and more we need Christ. The great missionary Ammon two chapters later in Alma 24:10 said, 'I thank my Good... that we might repent... and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins... and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.' I love that as we continue they tie together. We know that no unclean thing can dwell in God's presence and we are made clean after baptism as we repent. Now, I know there's a scripture that says something about how 'forgiveness (or repentance) is made possible through the Atonement' and so we see again that even though WE must repent, it is through Christ and HIS merits that we CAN repent.
"I love the scripture which comes from Samuel the Lamanite who taught us, 'And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits' (Helaman 14:13). The remission only comes to us through his merits and the grace and mercy of the Father. Moroni 6:4 teaches, 'And after they had been received unto baptism... their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them... relying alone up the merits of Christ...' which parallels D&C 3:19-20, 'And for this very purpose are these plates preserved... that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ.2 I have a firm testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that it is through him that we are saved."
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
Monday, April 9, 2012
April 9, 2012
This last week was Semana Santa! Which means "Holy Week". I'm sure lots of you have seen pictures of the "carpets" that they put down in the roads that have various patters and colors and what not... well, that is part of Semana Santa, and it was the only one I will have in my mission!
On Monday we saw a family in the street and decided to contact them, and you would not BELIEVE the religious ties in that family. The man claims no religion, but his mother is a Mormon. His wife is a Sabbatical Christian and her family are members of the Reformed LDS church. But, the good news is, that the agreed to let us come back next week and share with them the video "Together Forever" which talks about the importance of family relations and how they can be propelled beyond the grave! We'll see how that goes this Friday!!
On Wednesday when we were walking along the street at about 7:30 and we here someone say "What up white boys?" Not that it's uncommon to hear someone talk to us in English, it happens a lot, but not with that clear of English. So, I decided to turn around and start talking to the guy. His name is Alex and he is from Guatemala, but he spent 26 years in LA and had basically perfect English. So, we taught him a little bit in the street about our message, but he wasn't really interested. But, it's always fun to just see how the Lord prepares people to talk to, whether they accept the message now or not.
Thursday was the biggest day of "alfombras" (carpets). So, at 6 we woke up to go and catch the carpets before the processions passed by. They were absolutely INCREDIBLE. A lot of them were associated with Catholocism, but there was one, done by our ward mission leader, that was an image from the church (LDS). It was a stunning sight and it reminds me of how the people welcomed Christ's entrance to the city of Jerusalem in the last week of His earthly ministry, while just a few days later they scorned Him in His final retreat from the city. As we were walking around later that afternoon we saw a wonderful opportunity to serve. We a saw man unloading a pickup truck as he was moving, and offered our help and unloaded the entire pick up truck. It turns out that this man who accepted our help is a member of the church, however, the people that he was moving our not, Lirice and her son Eros. After we were done moving, Lirice (single mother, about 30ish) asked us if we like to swim. We both said "ya" but that we can't as missionaries and she responded, "owe, that's too bad. I was going to take you to the beach so you could see how it is or to a waterpark because my work owns a couple"... it was HILARIOUS! But, with lots of good intentions. Anyways.... even if we are never able to teach Lirice and Eros again (but I think we will) they at least have a great impression of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
The rest of the weekend was a little slow in work, and Easter Sunday was a rough one for me... I spent the whole day sick and in bed. Definitely not fun. But, part of being a missionary is being sick. But, on the bright side, I went almost a year without vomiting, which has to be nearly a record for me!! Now, to the good part!
"I recently started to read a book entitled 'The Infinite Atonement' by Tad R. Callister. I'm only in the 6th chapter, but the book is magnificent. Lately I've been wondering how I can more fully implement Christ's Atonement in my life, and I believe this book will help. Early on he (Elder Callister) mentions that the Atonement fulfills 3 basic purposes. 1) Restore all that was lost from the Fall, i.e. the resurrection of all men, First Spiritual Death (see Helaman 14:16). 2) Provide the possibility for repentance and to be cleansed from sin, Second Spiritual Death (see Helaman 14:18). and 3) Provide the power necessary to exalt mankind to the status of a god (see D&C 76:69). THus we learn that the Fall is inseparably connected to the Atonement and vice versa. I also see that the redeeming power of the Atonement is not limited to a select few, but that "he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them" (Alma 5:33; see also 2 Nephi 26:25-33). I love the imagery portrayed by the scriptures and recapitulated in Elder Callister's book that the Atonement can figuratively and literally be symbolized by an embrace. As stated by Lehi, 'The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love' (2 Nephi 1:15). And illustrated in D&C 6:20 'Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love'. And lastly, as preached by Amulek, "Mercy... encircles them in the arms of safety' (Alma 34:16). 'What a beautiful metaphor. What child does not feel safety in the arms of his kind and loving father? What peace, what warmth, hwat reassurance, to know that in his arms he is safe...' (The Infinite Atonement, 27). I would clsoe with the words of Orson F. Whitney as quoted by Callister, 'I ran (to meet Him)..., fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real. I felt the very warmth of his body, as He held me in his arms.' Who would not long for that warmth, that embrace (The Infinite Atonment, 27-28)?
I truly am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and anxiously await His warm embrace.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
On Monday we saw a family in the street and decided to contact them, and you would not BELIEVE the religious ties in that family. The man claims no religion, but his mother is a Mormon. His wife is a Sabbatical Christian and her family are members of the Reformed LDS church. But, the good news is, that the agreed to let us come back next week and share with them the video "Together Forever" which talks about the importance of family relations and how they can be propelled beyond the grave! We'll see how that goes this Friday!!
On Wednesday when we were walking along the street at about 7:30 and we here someone say "What up white boys?" Not that it's uncommon to hear someone talk to us in English, it happens a lot, but not with that clear of English. So, I decided to turn around and start talking to the guy. His name is Alex and he is from Guatemala, but he spent 26 years in LA and had basically perfect English. So, we taught him a little bit in the street about our message, but he wasn't really interested. But, it's always fun to just see how the Lord prepares people to talk to, whether they accept the message now or not.
Thursday was the biggest day of "alfombras" (carpets). So, at 6 we woke up to go and catch the carpets before the processions passed by. They were absolutely INCREDIBLE. A lot of them were associated with Catholocism, but there was one, done by our ward mission leader, that was an image from the church (LDS). It was a stunning sight and it reminds me of how the people welcomed Christ's entrance to the city of Jerusalem in the last week of His earthly ministry, while just a few days later they scorned Him in His final retreat from the city. As we were walking around later that afternoon we saw a wonderful opportunity to serve. We a saw man unloading a pickup truck as he was moving, and offered our help and unloaded the entire pick up truck. It turns out that this man who accepted our help is a member of the church, however, the people that he was moving our not, Lirice and her son Eros. After we were done moving, Lirice (single mother, about 30ish) asked us if we like to swim. We both said "ya" but that we can't as missionaries and she responded, "owe, that's too bad. I was going to take you to the beach so you could see how it is or to a waterpark because my work owns a couple"... it was HILARIOUS! But, with lots of good intentions. Anyways.... even if we are never able to teach Lirice and Eros again (but I think we will) they at least have a great impression of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
The rest of the weekend was a little slow in work, and Easter Sunday was a rough one for me... I spent the whole day sick and in bed. Definitely not fun. But, part of being a missionary is being sick. But, on the bright side, I went almost a year without vomiting, which has to be nearly a record for me!! Now, to the good part!
"I recently started to read a book entitled 'The Infinite Atonement' by Tad R. Callister. I'm only in the 6th chapter, but the book is magnificent. Lately I've been wondering how I can more fully implement Christ's Atonement in my life, and I believe this book will help. Early on he (Elder Callister) mentions that the Atonement fulfills 3 basic purposes. 1) Restore all that was lost from the Fall, i.e. the resurrection of all men, First Spiritual Death (see Helaman 14:16). 2) Provide the possibility for repentance and to be cleansed from sin, Second Spiritual Death (see Helaman 14:18). and 3) Provide the power necessary to exalt mankind to the status of a god (see D&C 76:69). THus we learn that the Fall is inseparably connected to the Atonement and vice versa. I also see that the redeeming power of the Atonement is not limited to a select few, but that "he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them" (Alma 5:33; see also 2 Nephi 26:25-33). I love the imagery portrayed by the scriptures and recapitulated in Elder Callister's book that the Atonement can figuratively and literally be symbolized by an embrace. As stated by Lehi, 'The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love' (2 Nephi 1:15). And illustrated in D&C 6:20 'Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love'. And lastly, as preached by Amulek, "Mercy... encircles them in the arms of safety' (Alma 34:16). 'What a beautiful metaphor. What child does not feel safety in the arms of his kind and loving father? What peace, what warmth, hwat reassurance, to know that in his arms he is safe...' (The Infinite Atonement, 27). I would clsoe with the words of Orson F. Whitney as quoted by Callister, 'I ran (to meet Him)..., fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real. I felt the very warmth of his body, as He held me in his arms.' Who would not long for that warmth, that embrace (The Infinite Atonment, 27-28)?
I truly am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and anxiously await His warm embrace.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
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