Blue Island Letter #29

Rafael Sanchez, Ian Plncarte, & Hermana Hoer

I'm being transferred tomorrow and my last Sunday in Blue Island was an eventful one. None of the investigators that we invited ended up coming to Church - which has been the case for some time. However, it may have been the most fulfilling missionary Sunday of my mission.

It was the Fast and Testimony Sunday. One Brother and his daughter shared their testimonies. In the last night we'd visited their family, I had invited the daughter to share her testimony. She did. She had never done so before yesterday. Her father, who also shared his testimony, had been inactive for a long time. In just the last month and a half, he has finally come back to Church! He shared a powerful testimony about the healing power of the Gospel, and the importance of our efforts to apply the Gospel in our lives. He's been to Church consecutively for the last three or four Sundays. He's been going through his scriptures from his own mission, picking out scriptures that meant a lot to him or helped him through a tough time, and then he writes them on a piece of paper and gives them to us. He's done that three times.

Another Brother in the ward, who has been inactive for years, CAME TO CHURCH! He has only stepped foot on the Church property once in the entire seven months I've been here, and that was merely with the purpose to pick up his son from a Friday night activity. His wife was beaming and glowing. She just hugged me and hugged me.

Since I have been in this area (seven months), I've worked with another inactive family. They are a great family, but they just don't go to Church. They haven't for years. I've been very bold and very forward with them - more than I've ever been possibly - on several occasions. If he wants his children to be raised the way he was, if he wants them to have what he had, HE needs to make it happen. He needs to start with coming to Church. Well, he told me time and time again that "someday we'll get back". Someday just happened to land on my last Sunday here. He was so happy to be back in Church, and feeling what he'd been missing for so long.

Hermano Saldana pulled me aside and told me that I've had a profound impact for good on the Blue Island Ward. He said that I am unforgettable to them, as I've done unforgettable things for the members of Blue Island. He cried as he expressed to me the importance of my role here. He said that sometimes a missionary comes along and doesn't see the results the way they may expect - baptisms, investigators at Church, etc. However, he said, I am one that carries with me a spirit of joy and peace, and have left that with the people here in Blue Island.

I'm not sure what I did for him to say and feel that way. But, I am very grateful for his words. I cannot think of a better compliment. Hermana Brant shared with me similar feelings, as well as a few other ward members: Segovia, Juarez, Plancarte, Obispo, Gutierrez, and the Quiroz.

Another member of the ward tearfully hugged me and thanked me for helping her mother. I didn't realize that I had! She told me that she knows I've been on God's errand with her mom (who is in her 70s and has breast cancer which requires daily radiation treatments), and that I have had a profound, uplifting impact in her life.

This last Sunday here was such a blessing for me. Heavenly Father showed me very clearly that I have done good in my time here - that I have done His work.

It's so interesting to me. I had no idea I was doing anything that would be so personally important to so many individuals, much less to a large group of people. It's a testament to me that God works through each and every one of us - if we have charity in our hearts. If we love, God is with us. If we have chartity towards our fellow man, we are undoubtedly an instrument in His hands to do exactly what He would do if He were here in the flesh.

In District meeting, Elder Stumph asked a question about Doctrine & Covenants 121:

We read nearly the entire section 121 of Doctrine and Covenants, and Elder Stumph paused afterwards to focus on verse 35. He asked: How can we ensure our hearts are in the right place? What does it mean to have hearts set on the world?

 34 Behold, there are many acalled, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
 35 Because their ahearts are set so much upon the things of this bworld, and caspire to the dhonors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

I followed the footnotes and came across two conclusions:
1-the first footnote went to Luke 14:18-20. It talked about excuses. I didn't connect anything right at first, but later it'll come together. 
2-Another footnote brought me to Luke 9:57-62. It is the story of a man who is invited by Christ to follow Him. The man says, absolutely, but can I bury my father first. Christ responds:

60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

So...where am I going with this?
Excuses + Desires (that are human and are not at all wrong) + Hearts = WHAT????

Well, to have our hearts in the right place isn't as easy or as simple as it may sound. Yet, it is quite simple in the same breath. What I determined from this experience is that there are two main stumbling blocks to having our heart in sync with God's.

First of all, when our hearts aren't in sync with God's will, we're not in line to receive all that He has reserved for us. We may receive parts or bits and pieces, leaving us satisfied. However, when we put our hearts in line with God's will for us, windows and doors of opportunity, understanding, comfort, blessings, revelation, strength, and His love are opened up to us in ways that we cannot imagine nor completely comprehend.

Excuses prevent us from doing whatever is necessary to put our hearts in line with God's. We rationalize or justify, leaving our hearts short of God's will (even if our heart is in a good place).

The desires of the natural man aren't necessarily bad. The desire to spend the last day with a dying father and to bury him is not a bad desire at all. It is, however, a personal desire rather than God's desire. That is a key to differentiating between a heart set on God's will and a heart set on our own will: do our desires reflect His? It's selfish vs. selfless, even if selfish is a good thing. God always has a BEST to whatever GOOD we may conceive on our own. 

Personally Focused Desires + Excuses = Left to our own devices, stunted in progress.

Selfless, Godly Desires + Willingness and Humility = Blessings of Heaven at our every turn.

I'll send news from Woodstock, Illinois (near Wisconsin) next week!

Love,
Leshelle