I am going to do the best I can to be an example to this mission, and it all depends on relying on the Lord. That's the key...everyone says that there is no key to missionary work or finding or teaching but there is! It's taking the work off of yourself, putting it on the Lord in every situation, and then acting in the way that He wants you to. That includes being humble and unforgetful. What is really cool is that this key applies to real life as well. I could have used it more and gotten a lot more help when I was home but that time is gone and I can only plan for the future.
The important thing to do in this work is to change, not only your behavior in the work of the Lord, but your nature. If you only change your behavior on your mission, you will have learned a thing or two but you will go back the same you. When a missionary's nature changes, he goes home a new man, sees the world different. Yeah of course the situations are different when we are home but our nature and attitude that we have developed on our missions should not dissolve because it's a different routine. I love it.
We have found a lady who would like to be baptized as well :) She has a husband as well, who is on the way. We taught a first lesson this last week and then came back two days later to teach a second and commited her to enter into the fold and she accepted with tears in her eyes :) I am really excited for her. She came to church yesterday and had a great time meeting the members and our other investigator who was there, was teaching this new lady haha. It was a cool sight to see. I know that as she takes this step it will better her situation and the situation between herself and God.
This last week I have studied about King Josiah ( 2 Kings 22 or so and 2 Chron. 34 I believe...I don't have my scriptures with me). He came into office as elected by the people, at the lofty age of 8. His father was killed on the throne by naughty men and the 8 year old steps up to the plate. Well, this 8 year old gets a little older to the age of 26. I this time, he tells the high priest to go check out the Temple which was pretty cleaned out from earlier people. So the priest checks it out and finds a Book! Not just any book, but the Book of Laws or Books of Moses. The servant read the words of the Book to King Josiah and Josiah ripped his clothes (they were probably expensive). That's how struck he was from these words. And how do we look at the Old Testament? Especially the Book of the Laws? Don't lie! I know how it is! If we had an option to read the 4 Books of Moses or to go cut off a samurai's ponytell we would probably choose the latter because the second option involves us not living anymore but anyways, Josiah reads the Book, 'rents' his clothes and then tells the servants and priests to go pray for him, Judah and all the people. They do and go to a Prophetess, who apparently went to college in Jeruselum (BYU) like the scriptures say, who speaks the words of the Lord saying: that God is going to punish this people greatly because of what they have done BUT, He will forgive Josiah for his open heart, humility and because he had brought forth true repentance to the Lord. Okay. 10 points Josiah. What now? Slam dunk is coming. Josiah calls all the Holy people in the land and brings them to the Temple to do what? MAKE COVENANTS IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 'And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were writtenin this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.' Sound familiar. 2,000,000 points for Josiah. Good job brother, but it doesn't stop there! Oh no! He cleanses the Temple, throws out all the baal crap and 'puts-down' everything that has to do with other God's outside of this Book. I don't know exactly what 'put-down' means but it definitly is not a pat on the back :) He burns it all and just erases the practice of baal worship in the land and among the people. I can't number the verbs that are used here to 'brake' the things of baal. I love it. He then practices the Passover meal with the people and worship the God of Isreal, the God of Jacob and of Abraham. He had turned his heart to the Lord through hearing, understanding and trusting in the words of the Lord, through the mouths of His Prophet.
May we hear a little better, understand a little more and trust completely in the words of the Lord through the mouths of His Prophets. We can show that we hear, understand and trust, as we ACT on these things. Don't go ripping up other churches but apply it to your life in that you change yourself to apply the word of the Lord and to feel it's power.
Sorry for the rambling hehe,
Love, Elder Hays
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