Making Weak Things Strong

Fasting: To voluntarily refrain from eating or drinking for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord and requesting His blessings. 

Once a month in our church the adults and older children/adolescents who are able, are asked to fast for 24 hours which equates to 2 meals.This is known as Fast Sunday for us, and typically falls on the first Sunday of each month. In addition to our worldwide church fasts, individuals and families also fast on their own at different times throughout their lives for various purposes. Sometimes those fasts are for personal reasons like helping us find a job to support our family or give us enlightenment on becoming better parents, but often times our fast is done on behalf of others. We fast for family friends and even strangers that we hear are going through a challenging time. We fast for our children who are struggling. We fast for missionary opportunities where we might be the means of teaching another a gospel message that has touched our heart, and we fast for greater love, unity, and brotherly kindness throughout the world. As we fast we pray for greater understanding of God's will and to help us develop greater spiritual strength. Whatever the reason for the fast, we should always fast for a purpose and always couple it with sincere prayer.

This past week Elder Scott's entire district fasted together. During their fast they asked Heavenly Father to help them understand what they could change in their daily life to make sure the Holy Spirit was a constant companion in all that they were doing. Now, missionaries as a whole, are pretty great people. They have quite literally dedicated 24/7 of their days to the Lord and His purposes, but that doesn't mean they are perfect, or even close to perfect. They all still struggle with worldly things that detract from the Spirit, and all missionaries know they fall short in some areas and could do even better than they are. With this purpose in mind during his fast, Elder Scott was able to come up with a pretty good list of what he could be doing better, and every other missionary in his district also came up with a personal list. 

Now for the part I found most interesting. For the next 40 days this incredible group of missionaries is going to do a spiritual fast for the items on their list. For instance, maybe they find they are not always using their time wisely or not taking their scripture study serious enough. Or they may have been prompted to be healthier by starting a better exercise regimen. It could be they need to not think unkind thoughts about another person, or refrain from being critical of someone. Whatever they came up with on their personal list, they will be focusing on how to do better with those issues by praying  to be given strength in their weakness, and ask for the Lord's guidance to help them overcome what is distancing them from the Spirit. I am quite sure that them doing this as district will equate to miracles, not only in the life of the missionaries, but also in the lives of those they are teaching because the missionaries will be even closer to God and able to discern His will for all of them as a whole. 

I thought this was a genius idea, and something we could all do in order to grow closer to the Lord. He will help us see our weaknesses, and He will help us overcome and become strong in those areas. In fact, there is a great scripture that teaches this very principle, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Ether 12:27 Each of us is weak compared to the Lord, and each of us needs the Lord more than ever before to be stronger in this world. He has promised He will be there to compensate for what we need and He will teach us and help us become more like Him when we ask for His help. This is His promise and is ours for the taking.

Picture Time

Elder Falconi, Elder Scott, and Elder Gunn

Hermana Payne's birthday celebration

  

Elder Scott has loved training
Elder Vergara.

Grilling time

Climbing Spiritual Mountains

Elder Scott didn't have his camera on him this week when it came time to e-mail us, so no pictures to go along with this post, however, he shared this spiritual thought with me that went along perfectly with a scripture block I had been studying that same morning:

So many times in our lives we have spiritual mountains that we believe we cannot climb. Today I had the chance to go up to the very top of a mountain. From the bottom I didn't even have the plan to go all the way to the top. Instead I had the plan to go chill at the nearby Catholic church and wait for the crazies that went all the way to the top.  But I started the climb, and confirmed the road was long and very difficult at times. My legs ached to stop. My throat thirsted for water, and my lungs wanted air, but I was surrounded by wonderful people who were also taking the same challenge as me. And they pushed me and helped me continue forward, and urged me to keep on climbing. They all had the same desire as me. All 22 of us were tired, but we helped one another and pushed to our maximum. Some got up the mountain super quick, others were slower, but working as a group, we were all able to make it to the top where we gained a most deserved rest. It was not easy. Some of us had larger challenges than others, but all of us made it as a team.

Many times we have similar spiritual mountains in our lives. Times when our spirit feels like it cannot go on, that it cannot make it to the top, but when we surround ourselves with good people, we can take on the challenge and make it to the top together. We can overcome the challenges in one way or another, and when we form a spiritual team, all of us can encourage each other and gain the ultimate reward.

As I was reading Elder Scott's words, I came across another quote that really resonated with me. It was from an address Jack H. Goaslind shared during the October 1995 LDS General Conference, "In our own lives, in our daily workaday world, we can create our own 'mountaintop experience' so unique and personal that I wonder why more of us don't readily do so. The spiritual mountaintop of which I speak is the development and refining of a testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Just as we can stand on the top of any great mountain and experience an awe-inspiring panorama, I believe we can stand in our own places and experience overwhelming awe in knowing that the Savior, in an act of love which defies mortal understanding, gave his life in taking upon himself our pain and suffering.

It seems to me that the power of a testimony of Jesus Christ is one of the great, untapped sources of direction in our lives today. I am convinced that each of us, however good, loyal, or dedicated we try to be in the gospel and in the Church, could do so much more if we did it with the power and influence of an unwavering faith in the Lord."

And one final quote by Booker T. Washington we can all take to heart, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in this life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."