Week 42--3 Nephi 18:24

Hey Loved Ones!

THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN AS A MISSIONARY:

#32: Half of our investigators are homeless, and the other half have really successful careers. "The poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons." (D&C 38:16) 

I am really feeling 2 Corinthians 12:10 this week. Just when I feel like things are not going so well, we hit another all-time high for lessons!

We've really been feeling the push to help members do their own missionary work. I've been really impressed with how much this ward reaches out with love and makes a family out of everyone we bring to church. For the first time in my mission, the ward members are seeing the people we're teaching an asking US if they can come with to the lessons! You can imagine that the homeless people we are teaching are not member referrals haha, but they really have been embraced. Chip, who I mentioned last week, is getting baptized the first week of February, and is really trying to get back on his feet with a job and a place to live. The members love him, and at church we never see him because he's hanging around everyone else. He is awesome, and going above and beyond in his commitments.

We've tracted into and been teaching all these people who are really good friends of members. There are certain families in the ward who have lived in Columbus forever and everyone knows and loves. They have a big influence. {Really, I've never met a person in Indiana who met a Mormon that they didn't just adore. Gospel truth.} But when we ask the members to get involved with their own friends and neighbors, they get totally terrified. I don't get it. They are hesitant to come to lessons, and almost have a conniption when we ask them to talk about it. I think as members we don't realize how much responsibility we have to share that light. Some of the members in the ward who are making the biggest ripple as member missionaries don't have a terribly big circle of influence, and a simple but pure testimony. It's cool to see how much more someone is prepared when their friend loves them into the Gospel. And we can tract into their friends all we want, and drop in on them, but if it's something that they don't visibly see is important to their friends, they don't progress.

This scripture says it all:

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works , and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

"Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up." (3 Nephi 18:24)

As always, I love you, but Jesus Loves you BEST

Sister Pugmire

Week 30--John 14:26

Hey Loved Ones,

Things I Never Thought Would Happen As A Missionary:
#23: The ways kids show off for missionaries: "Wanna see how high I can kick?" *kicks self in nose*

It's definitely not a coincidence that this week, General Conference week, is the one that Evelyn and Yihqun voice the most concerns about the prophets. They still want evidence that these prophets are like the prophets of old, and they should, because they are. But the difference is spiritual evidence versus historical evidence, as they are now commonly stressing. Their questions don't always reflect what they actually believe and are complex. The reasons that they have for being Christians, simple. Evelyn herself has a spiritual conversion to Christ. For her it's just recognizing those answers again. Yihqun I'm not sure has ever had a spiritual witness. He believe he's seen the Holy Ghost operating in his life, but not inside of him. But for him, Christianity makes sense. But he said, if tomorrow they could prove Jesus never walked the earth, the next day he would not be a Christian.

At then end of the day, the evidence of the truthfulness of these things is bounteous, but if it wasn't, I would still know Jesus Christ lives, the Bible and Book of Mormon are true, and Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson and everyone in between is a prophet, seer, and revelator.

I don't feel like I've had very many experiences that verge on supernatural to tell me the scriptures are true or the prophets speak the word of God. What I do have is simple. I've always believed these things are true, and as I have the Lord has blessed me with a deeper understanding of things like who my Savior is and to verify the words of the prophets.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"

This answer is the most powerful, because logic can be swayed and evidence can be destroyed.

"Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid."

And eventually this prophecy will be fulfilled, if not already. But I can't deny what I feel. I remember one institute class I took, Foundations of the Restoration. One class period, near the end of the semester, we were shown what was purported to be a photograph of the prophet Joseph Smith. It couldn't be even be proven that it was him. But the picture had such a profound effect on me. I couldn't get the image out of my head. It deeply impressed itself on my mind. It seemed so real, like he might open his mouth and speak to me. I was driving at one point and had to pull off the side of the road to look at the picture again.A knowing came to me: Joseph Smith was a real person and really God's prophet. It's simple, but it's what I know. I'd been a member all my life and prayed about it a lot. Institute was a big sacrifice for me at that time, but worth it.

Everything else is just commentary I guess: I know Jesus walked the earth, I know He was my Savior, because of what He has done with me when I let Him in. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet because of that experience. I know the Book of Mormon could not have been written by aman not of God. I know that this Church is His Church, and in it my faith acceptable to God, and through Him I have my salvation published.

Love ya, but Jesus loves ya best!

Sister Pugmire