My purpose as a missionary and why I decided to serve the Lord for 2 years of my life: "To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ, and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." I am here to be a vessel of the Spirit and an instrument in the hands of God. The joy I feel in the Church of Jesus Christ is so intense and REAL that it would be selfish of me to keep it for myself. That is why I am here. When I got here everything about myself changed. I gave up my first name and became known as Elder, I gave up my clothes and began wearing an outfit pleasing to the Lord, I gave up my hobbies, I gave up my friends and family. I am giving up two years of my life in order to repay the debt I owe. The debt I owe to Jesus Christ and His Atonement. He "hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows... He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." He gave up everything for me and for you. The least I can do is spend two years serving him.
Without a doubt, these past three days have been the best three days of my life! The spirit is SOOO Strong! When I first arrived, I immediately met my companion, Elder Stacey from Shelley Idaho, as well as our roommates, Elder Kirk and Elder Gealta. My biggest concern heading into the field was that I would have a hard time getting along with my companions, so I prayed often that I may come to love whoever I was called to serve with. Well, the Lord answered my prayer better than I ever would have imagined, because my companion and roommates are AMAZING! We get along so well and spend every minute together. I met my Branch President's First Counselor yesterday, President Flores from Honduras, and he spoke to me about my companions. His spirit is strong, and in his interview I felt like he could see straight through me and knew exactly what to tell me. I mentioned that I felt as though it was difficult to get to classes quickly and make every minute productive when we were required to be with our companion at all times. Sometimes I feel like I can do stuff faster on my own, but President Flores looked through my eyes and into my spirit and said, "Elder Hemmert, the Lord knows you, he has sent you a companion because he Loves You. He wants you to be safe, and you will NOT have the Spirit with you at all times unless you are with your companion at all times. He will protect you, and if you plan to do the Lord's work, you need that protection. Stay close to your companion and the spirit, and the spirit will stay close to you." Those were the words I needed to hear. Like the saying goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together." How true that is! |
| Elder Gealta, Elder Kirk, Elder Stacey, Elder Hemmert |
On another note, The Missionary Training Center turns you into a study machine. We wake up at 6:30am and go to bed at 10:30pm, and everything in between is personal and companion gospel study, personal and companion Language study, and a few classes with instructors. We study for hours on end, and i can already see the blessings of that. In language study I am trying my best to learn Tagalog, and our teachers are doing all they can to help us also. However, the REAL teacher is the spirit. Without the Spirit I would not be learning as much as I am. Yesterday, my second day, I memorized my first Tagalog scripture, and I know how to say it!
Moroni 10:5 - And by the Power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things.
Moroni 10:5 - At Sa Pamamagaitan ng kapangyarihan ng Espiritu Santo, malalaman ninyo ang katotohanin ng lahat ng bagay.
Ingat! (goodbye)
No comments:
Post a Comment