Another week is gone and done. And what a crazy week it was. The language and the spiritual knowledge are growing at such a fast pace, it's really amazing what 5 weeks can do.
So, I've been teaching an "investigator" for the past few weeks. He's been having a hard time understanding his role in life and how he can be successful. We asked him to be baptized a couple weeks ago, but he said he wanted to learn more about the commandments and his role first. On Saturday, we had a really powerful lesson, and asked him again if he would be baptized, and he said yes. So now we have to teach him the rest of the docrtine to prep him for baptism. It was so amazing to be teaching like that, I felt God's love and know of God's love for our investigator, and in that moment, I loved him so much as well. It's astounding what the Spirit can do.
The devotionals were on point this week. The speakers were good, but my favorite talk was actually during choir practice. The choir director is so funny, but he also give the best spiritual thoughts I've ever seen. If you are entering the MTC soon, I would highly recommend singing in the choir. But anyways, he wanted to show all of us how much love we should feel for the Savior, so he told us this story/parable:
Imagine that you are doing a study abroad in a foreign country. Your roommates tell you about this tradition that foreigners do, that they spray paint their names on this wall. The government always repaints it, and then you can just do it again. You feel like you shouldn't do it, but you eventually cave and head over to the wall. All over the wall are signs saying "Do not paint on this wall". You really don't want to, but you do it anyways because everyone else is. As you finish, bright lights turn on and the police take you into custody. The are so sick of people painting this wall, that they decide to make an example out of you. You are now supposed to stand at the wall forever, to stand as a warning for others. In fact, not just stand by the wall, they are going to nail your hand to the wall. You freak out, but you know that you broke their law and they have every right to do this. They do, however, give you a way out. If a blood relative comes and takes your place, gets nailed to the wall and then rips his hand off the wall, both of you may return home. You're family hears this, and someone volunteers to take your place. Your older brother flies out to the country, and you meet him as he's coming off the airplane. How do you feel when you see him? Ashamed? Love? Like you want to fall down at his feet and thank him? As he walks down the stairs towards you, officials jump on him and start kicking and beating and spiting on him. You run up, but they tell you that this is just party of the process. As they take him to the wall to be nailed, they humiliate and degrade him. He, without a murmur of anger or contempt, goes forward and is nailed to the wall. He is nailed there for your mistake. He takes his hand and rips it from the wall, and he takes you in his arms and take you home. How do you feel about your brother now? How could you ever repay him? How could ever doing anything that would betray his trust and love in you? When you return to your country, you want to tell everyone about how amazing your brother is, how loving and tender his sacrifice for you was. However, people in your country don't really like your brother. They don't like his teachings, and don't appreciate what he did. In fact, they take his name and turn it into a common swear word. How would you bear this? Wouldn't you stand up and defend him with your life? let the world know that he is the best person you have ever met and would never, ever take his name in vain?
This is how we should feel about our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Savior of the World, and the Savior of you, personally. He loves you so much and want you to return to him so he can live with you forever. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and exhort anyone and all of you to grow closer to him, to partake of His love and find peace in this life, and joy in the life to come.
I love all of you!
Elder Nelson
PS I said the sacrament prayer in Japanese, and the opening prayer in Japanese for sacrament meeting. Pretty fun!
PPS I saw Elder Noah Brown when he came into the MTC. made my day!
PPPS My room is now home to the triple ladder
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