Week 5: May The Force Be With You
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| Missionary tag at the temple |
Speaking of newbies, we have some new missionaries in Mongolia now! The Mongols left Wednesday morning at 4:15am. It was so sad to see them leave because we've gotten so close to them! Ældste Jensen and I roomed with Ældste Hemmert and Ældste Soug the last four weeks and our room just doesn't feel the same without them! We woke up this morning and talked about how empty we felt since they've been gone. A part of my heart went with them the morning they left. I got up at 3:30am just to give some final farewells and hugs to Ældste Buckmister, Ældste Hemmert, Ældste Soug, Ældste Suggs, and Ældste Tanner. I wish them the best on their mission and hope they know how much I love and appreciate every single one of them! It's always hard to say bye and move on, but it's going to be a frequent occurrence for two straight years. I hope to see these Ældster again soon and know that God will be with them always! It's going to be difficult when the Danes leave the MTC, but there's always relationships and memories to cherish and unknown experiences to look forward to.
Every week, we've been looking at the pictures sent in the Denmark missionaries' emails. We've seen some of the food, landscape, buildings, and people, which all make us very excited to head out. They've been fascinating to see and they're really making us itch to go! I've also heard about the goodness and softness of President Olsen and Sister Olsen. I was told that President Olsen took a group of missionaries in a mission van to Sweden and drove on a ferry to float over to Bornholm. Apparently there are only two Ældster there most of the time and they asked for reinforcements for a day. They definitely got their wish!! He sounds like a selfless, tender man that is willing to do anything to serve his missionaries! I can't wait to meet him and his wife soon!! I'm trying my hardest not to overlook the last few days here though because I've gained so much spiritual insight and knowledge that I'll never forget. There have been countless experiences that have opened my eyes, mind, and heart, and, most importantly, have brought me closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
The best experience of this week was definitely TRC. We had our first online lesson on Friday and it went really well. We taught a native Dane named Heidi who lives in Copenhagen. She was so receptive to the Spirit, which made our job easier as companions! Ældste Jensen and I decided to focus more on the needs of Heidi instead of just simply teaching a lesson like we did before. We also listened to each other and prayed for each other throughout the call, which truly enhanced our performance! When we started talking with Heidi, her comments were very broad and didn't have a clear direction. As we dove deeper, her comments became extremely specific and she eventually began talking about a certain friend of hers. Heidi's friend has two children who have mental health issues and is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is often excluded from group activities and feels overwhelmed. We asked what Heidi could do for her and she thought about it for about 2 minutes. After that time, she thought of inviting her to an upcoming church activity and having a Priesthood holder give her a blessing. I want to remind ya'll that she thought of this completely on her own! We didn't even suggest anything to her and let the Spirit work in her. We were so shocked and thrilled that we committed her right then to follow those promptings as soon as possible. We promised that as Heidi listened to the Spirit, her friend's life would be blessed for the effort given. From that I learned that sometimes silence is what others need most to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost clearly.
My TRC reminds me of a scripture that I've heard multiple times this week. It's actually been the most commonly quoted scripture during our entire stay in the MTC! It's in 1 Nephi 4:5-6, which says, "5. And it was by night; and I caused that they should hide themselves without the walls. And after they had hid themselves, I, Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban. 6. And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." This is a beautiful passage of scripture and it applies so well to missionary work! The background of these two verses is that Lehi, a prophet in the beginning of the Book of Mormon, and his family were commanded by the Lord to leave Jerusalem. Later, the Lord required Lehi's sons to return to Jerusalem to retrieve golden plates that contained important history. His sons were named Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam. These sons attempted three times to obtain the plates from a man named Laban. The first time, Laman went in and tried to talk to Laban. It didn't work and he was cast out. The second time, the brothers took all their possessions and attempted to persuade Laban to trade. It didn't work and Laban cast them out. The third time, they had no plan and Nephi just went in, depending completely on the Holy Ghost. This time, they obtained the plates because the Lord delivered them into their hands. This is just like missionary work! While it is still important to plan, it is more important to follow the Holy Ghost because God understands all of His children perfectly. We will often need to move away from our own plans and trust in Him in order to achieve what the Lord expects of us!
Elder Gary E. Stevenson spoke at the MTC on Tuesday. He taught us a few more things that the Lord expects of us. He said that we need to stand on our ancestors' shoulders and recognize their great sacrifices for us, our calls as missionaries come directly from heaven, and Heavenly Father has provided many tools for us to move the work along in these latter days. He reminded us that the best thing we could be doing right now is serving a mission. He quoted D&C 31:3, which reminds me that my time is here and I have great reason to rejoice since I will be sharing glad tidings! He also quoted D&C 130:20-21, which reminds me that it is through obedience that blessings come. Both of these modern scriptures are great motivators and make me look forward to what's ahead. I think it's amazing that I got to witness two apostles speak live here! It's such a perfect time to be serving the Lord! I greatly anticipate the moment that I land in Copenhagen because I have already developed a love for Denmark! I believe that I am ready to face the unknown. I will go in not knowing what to do and will be guided by the inspiration of God. The force will truly be with me! :D
Jeg elsker jer så meget,
Ældste Moore
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| Me and Sister Ross |
