Greeley

Well my family, how are you doing?  

Today I'm doing pretty fantastic.  I love being a missionary, and I love the work that we are entrusted with and privileged to perform.  This week was a good week, and it was also kind of a crazy week, but this week is going to be even crazier.  This week is finals week for UNC, and lots of people are busy.  Well we taught Catherine this week, and she is doing awesome.  So when Sam's parents found out, his dad called Catherine's mom, and Catherine's mom didn't take it very well at first.  She didn't talk to Catherine for awhile, even though Catherine tried to talk to her and explain why she was getting baptized, etc.  Well, Catherine and her mom had lunch together on Thursday, and when it came up, they talked about it openly.  It sounded like they had a good conversation about it, and in the end, Catherine's mom wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon to "see what you guys believe".  Crazy, huh?  

Becky's lessons were awesome this week.  For one of the lessons, I wasn't there because I was on an exchange with an elder, but Elder Dodd said it went really well.  They talked about how she pretty much knew she needed to be baptized, but she had a few small doubts.  I went on an exchange two days later with Elder Goesch (my old zone leader in Cheyenne who is now an assistant to the president) here at UNC. We taught Becky and it was an amazingly intense lesson. We talked for awhile about how far she has come and the changes that have taken place in her life.  Erica, her LDS roommate, talked about how much she has changed and how miraculous it has been. We then talked about how everything so far has been good, and God isn't going to throw a curveball at her that makes it to where she no longer believes in our faith.  Then the clincher came--we read Mosiah 18.  When it talks about mourning with those that mourn, we also said, "and are willing to give up coffee, etc. (talking about the things she has changed)".  Then the next scripture really hit Becky.  It says basically, if you're willing to do all these things, then what have you against being baptized? She thought about it after we explained it and kind of laughed and said, "I hate it when I know you're right".  She knows she is going to be baptized, and now we left it to her to decide when and keep it up.  She is moving back home on Friday, so we'll be giving some elders in the Denver South mission (Littleton) a golden investigator who is ready to be baptized!  

I've been thinking the past couple of days about an interesting phenomenon that happens in our lives, and also in our mission lives.  What did we have when we were first fully converted (or first came out on the mission)--what faith, desire, excitement, trust, love, strength, did we have that we have lost?  We as human beings not only tend to, but do, forget the things that matter most in our lives. How can we go on, how can we move forward with the courage, valor, and vigor that we once had?  "If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26) The key to becoming who we were, and becoming better than who we were, lies in one word that in itself encompasses thought, action, reflection, change, and motivation.  We must "remember".     

Where have our past intense spiritual experiences gone; where are the many successes that we have experienced; where are the moments of victory over trial, defeat of shortcomings, cleanliness over muddening sin?  They are within us, but we have to rely on the Spirit, and submit ourselves to God to apply and enjoy the promise:  "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost...shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance".  To become better, to progress and become for ourselves all that we were meant to be, we have no choice but to actively remember what we have become, achieved, felt, succeeded in.  Then we become better, achieve more, feel stronger, and succeed again.  God has given us the tools and the opportunity because He loves us.  Let us remember Him and His Son, Jesus Christ--without Him it would be impossible to find ultimate and lasting joy and peace.

Love,

Elder Logan Bryan