This week was GREAT!!! First, quick update on some people.
Bro. G - have to push his date back a week. He will be in Joetsu the day we original set. But we had a golden lesson with him! He prayed at the end of the lesson that he would be able to become a good person through coming to our church. I think we can help him. :)
Bro. S - He cancelled on us this week due to work. He is busy, but AWESOME. We will meet him again after Eikaiwa (English Class) Next week (the 11), which is actually after Transfers. We'll see what happens.
Bro. H - He was out of town last week. He'll come back this week, so hopefully we can teach him the restoration!
So... Those are some of the main people we are working with this week. Also trying to get some Less Active YSA to come back... The ward is pretty old right now, so we are focusing on the youth. Everyone is important, but if we don't get some young people soon, the ward will be gone in 10 to 20 years, so we are working on it. Haha Had a pretty serious discussion about that with the Branch President this week, and hopefully we can get some things moving!
Now, this week I went back to the basics. This scripture really struck me. "Faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work." I have focused on every section of this verse before, to prepare myself for the work, except for hope.
I think that subconsciously I felt that I didn't really need hope. I thought that holding out and enduring to the end was enough. But it isn't. God meant for us to be happy, now and always. Plus, without hope, faith becomes weak. They are very interrelated.
Now, it is easy to say, when I get out of the apartment in the morning, oh, yes, I will do the work of the Lord today. I will see success. I will hold to hope.
But then you get rejected 100 times in a row. Yes, I love talking to people, but there are times when I wonder, is this really doing something?
So, because this Hope is one of the 5 essentials to missionary work (and life), I thought about how I can always have this hope. And Aaron's council came to my mind.
"If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest."
I had never realized this before, but sincere prayer combined with repentance is the way to hope. Not just from most of our mistakes - but ALL.
SO... I've been trying it. No, I'm not perfect, but I tell God that I will give up my every weakness if He'll remind me, help me, strengthen me. And there is still A LOT to change - but one thing has already changed. As I rely more fully and give a better all each day, a great hope fills EVERYTHING! I've begun to realize, again, for the first
time, that God has a perfect plan for everyone, He is in control, and our happiness is His goal. So there is no need for worry, fear, sadness, or disappointment - and getting rid of those things makes space for confidence, faith, joy, and the strength to get through our day to day things. So join me this week! Try it - give Him your all!
Stay Awesome, and hold to hope!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly
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