Oh my goodness, I've been gone 8 months! That is so hard for me to believe. I am so surprised at how quick it's gone by and how normal it all seems. In 2 weeks, I'll be officially halfway done with my mission (because my mission is actually 17 months instead of 18??? Basically that's the worst)
Anyways, this week was fun. Let's take it from the top! *cue music*
Monday! We went to Summerville and met a less active member that Sister Haws worked with when she served in Charleston. He took us out to eat at Cracker Barrel and it was good to talk to him. I think Sister Haws really needed to see him. That night we saw R and it was wonderful, she is so great. Keep her in your prayers, though, because she keeps having health things that make it hard for her to come to church.
Tuesday! We saw P and it was great. He is also doing really well, and it was good to go over the Restoration and see how it made sense for him. That night we played volleyball and it was so fun! I am slowly improving.
Wednesday! We went to P's with Sister C and she is great at teaching 9 year olds what the scriptures mean, let me tell ya. It was so good. She is the best. She also took us to R's, and we discussed his various issues, mainly that he doesn't feel the Spirit at church, so please pray for him because he still doesn't show up most of the time.
Thursday! We went to Mepkin. We also went gator hunting at Mepkin. It was a great time. Then we went home and cleared out the area book, which was so nice, because we needed it. Then we did the family history booth, and we actually got to be under the main pavilion so we got a lot more success. It was so fun to talk to everyone - we started to just ask them what the most important thing in the world was to them, and instantly most people either said God or their families. I love the South.
Friday! We weekly planned and then went and tried to play soccer but no one showed up and also I temporarily went blind in one eye so that was weird, and then we went finding on the big highway 17 and didn't really find anyone new but we got to see this really nice lady M who offered to let us watch movies at her house, lol. *obedience brings blessings*
Saturday! We went to a horse rescue and cleaned out their troughs. It was way fun and prepared me for the future when I marry me a handsome farmer boy and stuff. Also, we went finding in Cane Bay. Not much success there. That night we had a great lesson with a member family, the Ws. They have 3 kids. Notable quotes:
Me: O (who is 7) what can you do to be a missionary?
O: Oh, I actually already do that all the time.
---
Sister Haws: See you Sunday!
R (5): (horrified) Is there going to be 2 Sundays in a row? (apparently he was under the impression that it had already been Sunday since we came over and did a little family home evening lesson)
Yesterday we gave talks in church about Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our religion. It was an awesome topic, and something that has really stuck out to me is how Jesus Christ always did the will of His Father in all things, and we should too. I loved the reminder. Sister Haws and I made a goal this week to align our wills with the Father's will. It's tough to not do what you want sometimes, but when we do what God wants, it works out better for us in the end anyway.
I love you all!
Don't let the muggles get you down!
-Sister Pew
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| Sister Pew teaching this little guy how to be a ninja |
She sent her talk, here it is:
HI. I'm Sister Pew. I'm from Cedar Hills, Utah, and I've been here in the ward for about 6 months. Don't let the nametag fool you - I'm a permanent resident here. And I'm grateful to be able to address you today.
So when we found out today's topic, Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our religion, I immediately realised 2 things. 1) I have no idea what a cornerstone even is. 2) I therefore had no idea what to speak on. Luckily I did do some research, and I learned is a stone in the exterior of a large building and is important to the building's foundation. But a more intangible definition of the word is the fundamental assumption from which something is developed, begun, calculated or explained. In essence, the cornerstone of a belief or practice is an important or necessary element of its foundation, the why hiding behind all whats and whens and hows. So how is Jesus Christ our cornerstone as Latter-day Saints?
Keep this definition in mind, and then listen the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
And then again, in Helaman 5:12:
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
I like these scriptural passages because I am very much a scientist at heart. My natural curiosity and a little impertinence on my part require a process of cause and effect to build up my knowledge. Both Paul and Helaman describe the effects - or in a less secular term, the consequences - of building upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of Paul's address here, he talks a little about man's state without God - uneasy terms like "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel", "strangers from the covenant of promise" and "having no hope". Those are very biblical phrases, but the simple translation is that when one is not built upon Jesus Christ, life is lacking. Aliens and strangers are both words used to describe those isolated, unfamiliar, and in many cases, unknown. And then, add being an alien and a stranger to the covenants of God to hopeless and that sounds to me like a deplorable equation for living. How awful it would be to feel so cut off, to be floating with no direction, tossed about by every wind of doctrine, confused, alone and afraid.
This is the state of every man not built upon Jesus Christ. But that condition can be remedied. It is possible to renovate even the crumbling foundation of the natural man so that it becomes a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Paul says that even those of us who are for times or at seasons "Far off", for those of us who feel we have traveled so far from the gospel, there is hope through the blood of Christ.
So what can we do? How can we rebuild our lives if we find ourselves caught in the mighty whirlwind of the adversary?
First we can repent. We can come to ourselves, like the fabled prodigal son. We can recognize that we have built our foundations of faith upon things that will not hold. We must become aware of our spiritual peril. Paul calls this a form of self-division, a recognition that our spiritual self and our mortal body are at odds with each other and require some form of resolution to make in ourselves of twain a new man or woman. Once you've recognized, how can you begin to reconcile? Again, let's imagine a house due for renovation. Most if not all of the time it takes some demolition to turn the house into the edifice it has the potential to be, so it follows that it's needful to demolish those habits or practices that are not important to the building of yourself, your home, and your family. You cannot accomplish this without the master builder, Jesus Christ - but with His help, no matter how high or how strong or how insurmountable your walls are, you can bring them down. Paul tells us in our passage from earlier that "he hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" and God, and he means it. Nothing is impossible with Him. You can repent and be forgiven. Additionally, forsake your sins; as Jeffrey R. Holland puts it, "don't leave [sin] with a forwarding address." Take out what you need to take out, but don't hold on to the fragments of brick and mortar for sentimental reasons. Clean it out so that you can build up a home without any obstruction.
So we've demolished, and we've cleaned out, and we're ready to build. How do we strengthen our homes and build upon our chief cornerstone?
So when we found out today's topic, Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our religion, I immediately realised 2 things. 1) I have no idea what a cornerstone even is. 2) I therefore had no idea what to speak on. Luckily I did do some research, and I learned is a stone in the exterior of a large building and is important to the building's foundation. But a more intangible definition of the word is the fundamental assumption from which something is developed, begun, calculated or explained. In essence, the cornerstone of a belief or practice is an important or necessary element of its foundation, the why hiding behind all whats and whens and hows. So how is Jesus Christ our cornerstone as Latter-day Saints?
Keep this definition in mind, and then listen the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
And then again, in Helaman 5:12:
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
I like these scriptural passages because I am very much a scientist at heart. My natural curiosity and a little impertinence on my part require a process of cause and effect to build up my knowledge. Both Paul and Helaman describe the effects - or in a less secular term, the consequences - of building upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of Paul's address here, he talks a little about man's state without God - uneasy terms like "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel", "strangers from the covenant of promise" and "having no hope". Those are very biblical phrases, but the simple translation is that when one is not built upon Jesus Christ, life is lacking. Aliens and strangers are both words used to describe those isolated, unfamiliar, and in many cases, unknown. And then, add being an alien and a stranger to the covenants of God to hopeless and that sounds to me like a deplorable equation for living. How awful it would be to feel so cut off, to be floating with no direction, tossed about by every wind of doctrine, confused, alone and afraid.
This is the state of every man not built upon Jesus Christ. But that condition can be remedied. It is possible to renovate even the crumbling foundation of the natural man so that it becomes a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Paul says that even those of us who are for times or at seasons "Far off", for those of us who feel we have traveled so far from the gospel, there is hope through the blood of Christ.
So what can we do? How can we rebuild our lives if we find ourselves caught in the mighty whirlwind of the adversary?
First we can repent. We can come to ourselves, like the fabled prodigal son. We can recognize that we have built our foundations of faith upon things that will not hold. We must become aware of our spiritual peril. Paul calls this a form of self-division, a recognition that our spiritual self and our mortal body are at odds with each other and require some form of resolution to make in ourselves of twain a new man or woman. Once you've recognized, how can you begin to reconcile? Again, let's imagine a house due for renovation. Most if not all of the time it takes some demolition to turn the house into the edifice it has the potential to be, so it follows that it's needful to demolish those habits or practices that are not important to the building of yourself, your home, and your family. You cannot accomplish this without the master builder, Jesus Christ - but with His help, no matter how high or how strong or how insurmountable your walls are, you can bring them down. Paul tells us in our passage from earlier that "he hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" and God, and he means it. Nothing is impossible with Him. You can repent and be forgiven. Additionally, forsake your sins; as Jeffrey R. Holland puts it, "don't leave [sin] with a forwarding address." Take out what you need to take out, but don't hold on to the fragments of brick and mortar for sentimental reasons. Clean it out so that you can build up a home without any obstruction.
So we've demolished, and we've cleaned out, and we're ready to build. How do we strengthen our homes and build upon our chief cornerstone?
We need to learn of Him. Anyone who has studied the life of the Savior can tell you of the many mighty miracles He performed, of the lessons He taught and the lives He touched. But I am rather partial to Paul these days, and I believe he nailed it on the nose when he said in his epistle to the Romans, "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or peril, or nakedness, or sword?...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." I am of the opinion that the defining characteristic of Jesus Christ was His perfect love, that love which transcends all time, all places, and all trial. That is where He differs from us; though He was mortal, and He too lived among imperfect conditions and people in an imperfect time, He never let the flaws that surrounded Him distract Him from our true potential and from the work and glory of God; to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of us, His children. In that way, He is our foundation, and love of God is His foundation. So to build upon Him, our reason for everything should be love - His love for us, our love for Him, and the love we feel for one another as brothers and sisters.
And what are the consequences for building upon the rock of His love? I know from experience that the love of Christ in us can conquer anything, including fear, doubt and pain. Paul tells us that we can come closer to Christ, and that we can have peace, which is a gift that nearly all of humanity seeks. As we share the love of Christ with our fellowmen, He gives us gifts and blessings we cannot imagine. Helaman says that if we build upon Christ and His love, we will be protected from the hail and the storm and the whirlwind. He says that we cannot fall. That doesn't sound particularly wishy-washy to me! If we build upon Christ, we come closer to Him and our brothers and sisters, we grow spiritually, and we are freed from our sorrows and sins. We receive peace in this life, the peace which passeth all understanding, the peace which comes from knowing what you're built on, and knowing that that foundation cannot fall.
And what are the consequences for building upon the rock of His love? I know from experience that the love of Christ in us can conquer anything, including fear, doubt and pain. Paul tells us that we can come closer to Christ, and that we can have peace, which is a gift that nearly all of humanity seeks. As we share the love of Christ with our fellowmen, He gives us gifts and blessings we cannot imagine. Helaman says that if we build upon Christ and His love, we will be protected from the hail and the storm and the whirlwind. He says that we cannot fall. That doesn't sound particularly wishy-washy to me! If we build upon Christ, we come closer to Him and our brothers and sisters, we grow spiritually, and we are freed from our sorrows and sins. We receive peace in this life, the peace which passeth all understanding, the peace which comes from knowing what you're built on, and knowing that that foundation cannot fall.
I know this because of my inner scientist. Anytime I have experimented upon the word, like in Alma 32, or on any of the promises and covenants of the gospel, I have repeatedly come to the same conclusion: God loves us. He speaks to us through revelation and through a prophet. If we keep the commandments, we will be blessed. What began as a collection of ideas and hypotheses for me have been tested and examined and have been proven facts again and again. The seed of faith has sprouted and planted, and though I don't have all the answers, I do have some. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know He lives and that by building upon Him, we shall live also.
Brothers and sisters, let's all remember Moroni's invitation: 32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ. Let's all repent and renew, and let's all be witnesses of His love for us and all of God's family here on earth. Bear testimony and cry
I really loved your talk. It has such a good progression with points of doctrine and I think it would be a perfect talk for some of my nonmember and less active friends. Sounds like you're doing a wonderful job.
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