I know that we learn best by experience, but why does pain have to be a part of it all? Pain is just so painful that I would rather stay away from it all together. But, pain is a necessary part of life. We learn to avoid things that bring pain and we also have an opportunity to feel God's love for us. Yeah, I just said that! Pain helps us to feel God's love in a whole different way.
Let me share with you an experience that I had with pain and how it helped me.
I had a sickness a while ago that really affected me. I lost a lot of weight and my stamina was all but gone. I constantly had head aches that just wouldn't go away. This kept going for a long time until one day when I was rushed to the hospital. If I can remember anything from that night, it was pain.
As I lay there on a hospital bed going through the worst pain I had ever experienced, I just remember this over whelming feeling that I would be alright.
I stand today as a witness that God does comfort His children in every circumstance. The scripture in Alma 7:11-12 puts it best. He felt our pain and he knows our afflictions. He has suffered them all. Pain can bring us closer to God because it humbles us. It is hard to go through such things, but we always learn from it. Death can be very difficult for family members. It is hard and we will miss them so much but we must remember that Jesus Christ broke the bands of death.We will see our loved ones again and we can rely on the knowledge that Christ felt our grief.
He knows what each one of us goes through and we can receive comfort if we will seek it through prayer.
We were in Fayette the other day for a big mission conference at the Peter Whitmer home. Getting out there was fun because we don't have a GPS. (I know, I should get one but I like using maps more) We found the place and had a great meeting with President Christianson giving us some very valuable advice and direction for our work.
On the way back from this meeting, everything looked so different because the clouds had rolled in and we could no longer tell if we were going North or South. Luckily, the car ahead of us had a GPS so we were able to follow them until we got to a place that was familiar. Getting back home was easy from then on.
We all get a little lost sometimes. Whether it be spiritually or physically, the path ahead of us can be clouded and without a solid land mark, getting lost is easy. That is why we have the prophets and the scriptures! They show us the way that we need to go when we get all mixed up and lose our sense of direction.
We have a living prophet today named Thomas S. Monson. He has been called by God to lead and guide the church today. He is like our "compass" so we may know what direction we need to take on our path back to our Heavenly Father's presence.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Sometimes change can be really hard. This is something that we deal with everyday and as missionaries, we invite people to make changes that will bring them closer to Christ. Change can be a good thing! Change make life a little more interesting if you ask me!
Let me tell you a little about a time in my life when change became difficult. See that picture with all the other missionaries in it? That was my original group that I was a part of when I first entered the Missionary Training Center. I LOVED my district so much! We grew so close and it was just like being with family. We were all going to the Philippines so we had the same experience of trying to learn a language that we had never really been exposed to before.
We all got to the Philippines and went our separate ways; embarking on our journey and mission of a life time! We had become tools in the hands of the Lord...but some of us would learn, eventually, that He had things for us to do, even if we didn't like the sound of it. I happened to be one of them.
I was in the Philippines for 6 months total. I had just become fluent in the language and I had grown to really love the people. I began to suffer from many different health issues and was sent home after a month-long battle.
It was hard being home and hearing from all of my friends that were still out doing the things that I wish that I could have done. This became a time of recovery for me. Not just physical but also spiritual. I prayed a lot for the 5 months that I was home. I knew that I needed to go back out on a mission but I didn't want to because it would never be the same as my mission in the Philippines.
Finally after 5 months, I got to come back out on my mission and it has been the best decision that I have ever made. I can see why I have been sent here. The change has been difficult but the Lord knows all.
Change may seem difficult. All we have to do is trust in Him and watch the miracles happen.
Of all the times that I have read in the scriptures, there have been very few times that I haven't been comforted. Whether it being stress or just a difficult day, every time I am always edified in some way. This is something that I LOVE about missionary work--we get to bring peace and comfort to people every day!! It is so worth all of the early mornings and aching feet!
We were in a lesson with some people who were having a hard time keeping their commitments due to being tired and just not having time. Their lives are like a car wreck right now and they are just struggling! We know where to turn when life becomes that way so out came the scriptures.
We read a couple of verses with them about keeping the commandments and how the Lord will bless us spiritually and temporally if we will follow Him. This was helping them a lot. We could see their countenances change while we were with them. But, there was still something missing. We needed to share more! So, I whipped out my favorite scriptures about enduring through our trials which is 3 Nephi 22:7-8, 10-11. That was what they needed to hear, that the Lord will never forsake us and that He is aware of our situations. God has given us a way to be happy. If we will but keep the commandments, we will be blessed!
There isn't a single person in the world that can go through life without having some kind of trial...That's part of life and there isn't much we can do to escape it. However, when we are going through life's ups and downs, we can always rely on the scriptures to speak peace to our souls.
We have a meeting every week where we get to learn some teaching skills and we get to be edified by each other. I have always loved these meeting because you never know exactly what will happen. The District Leader always prepares something for us to learn and it can get pretty crazy when we all start talking about different things and we always end our meetings with sore sides due to a healthy dose of laughter.
We had that meeting today. We were practicing teaching people about different things and the entire time, my companion was just struggling to keep his face straight. I don't know what was so funny but eventually we all broke down into laughter along with the other two elders right next to us.
After five minutes of trying to compose ourselves, we were able to get through our practice and get things accomplished.
Laughter has always been called "...the greatest medicine." Science has done a lot of studies on it and have shown that laughter helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
I love laughing. It helps so much! The other day, my companion and I were stuck out in a tiny little city that neither of us had been to with no gas and a dead cell-phone. What was my companion's suggestion? Laugh about it! Don't worry! So, we did! It was hilarious to see ourselves standing on the side of the road trying to wave someone down at 10:00 p.m. Eventually it all worked out and we got home.
At the beginning of my whole missionary experience, I had to make the very difficult decision to go home. I didn't want to but I would have died if I had stayed...it was that bad. I remember the words which my Mission President said to me, "Elder Hulse, attitude makes the difference..." I will never forget those words. There is so much meaning behind that. Don't let the little problems become big. Laugh a little...It's going to be okay.
I wish I could insert Bob Marley's song that goes like "...Don't worry, be happy..." But, I will just leave you to go to that song by yourselves. And, while you are on the computer, make sure that you check out the talk by Elder Wirthlin; Come What May and Love It
I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day and I read something that really hit me. A group of people (Nephites) were about to be attacked by their enemies (Lamanites) yet they were so fearful of shedding the blood of another man that they prostrated themselves on the ground and began to pray. One thousand and five of them were killed in the act of praying to God.
The Lamanites saw that these people would not fight back and their hearts began to swell within themselves. The knew that they had shed innocent blood. They were stung by what they had done so much that they threw down their weapons and covenanted that they would never take them again. They even buried them.
This act of the Nephites caused many Lamanites to repent of their sins and change.
Now I ask, who are you in this story? Are you one of the Nephites who was killed because they loved their brethren too much to fight? Or, are you one of the Lamanites that fought and killed so many? Are we going through life brandishing our weapons of war so much that we hurt and ignore those that the Lord has placed in our path to help us? How many will it take before we are "stung" like the Lamanites were?
God loves us and wants us to return to Him. All we have to do is repent and change...bury our weapons of war and never return to them again. He can help you.
We all got to go to the Hill Cumorah yesterday for a mission-wide conference. I will admit, I really love those rare experiences that the whole mission gets together.
Our mission has been changing a lot within the last year. We have amazing missionaries and the work has really progressed a lot! More people are finding their way to the waters of baptism and even more are listening to the message that we as missionaries share. The BIG challenge was given to us yesterday. Our goal as a mission is to read the Book of Mormon together as a companionship and to finish it in one transfer. For all of those who don't know, a transfer is six weeks and the Book of Mormon is 531 pages. That equates to 13 pages a day or 7 chapters! I was really surprised when they asked us to do this. 13 pages a day is quite the load! But, what comes from reading the Book of Mormon? Promptings from the spirit, peace, joy, revelation, happiness, and I could list off a whole page of things that come from reading the Book of Mormon. Why would President ask us to do this? Well, we want to have the spirit with us at all times and reading and praying are two things that we can do to build unity which then makes it possible for us to teach with the spirit. My companion and I just started reading this morning and I can already feel the spirit more abundantly. I testify that the Book of Mormon is true and that by living the principles found in it, we can draw closer to God. See what the leaders of the church have said about it Book of Mormon.
There is a plague that has swept the whole earth. It is as spiritually destructive as the poison from a deadly snake. Many people have fallen victim to it and it has consequently caused misery, heartache, and divorce. The very computer that you are using to read this post can be used to access this plague and to bring it into your own home. This plague is pornography.
Pornography is increasingly becoming a huge factor of divorce. Pornography leads to other serious sins and encourages cheating on a spouse in a marital relationship. God's plan for us is to be happy, to have families and find joy in them and being with them for eternity. That is His plan: to be happy! Why would we allow this destructive plague into our lives? There really is no reason besides our individual lusts.
All those who have found themselves caught in this plague, PLEASE get help. Please visit this website to find help to get yourselves free from the guilt of using pornography. http://combatingpornography.org/cp/eng/
As missionaries, we go around and we will knock on peoples' doors. This is what we call "tracting." It's not my favorite thing to do due to a natural fear of talking to people that I don't know personally and we get the occasional nasty responses from people. It's all part of tracting, we just go past the ones who aren't ready to hear the Gospel and try to find the ones who are ready to listen.
We were tracting one day and came across one lady in particular that was very rude to us. We tried inviting her to the Hill Cumorah pagent but she wasn't too happy that we were there. She went on to tell us that we didn't need the Book of Mormon, that we were being led by foolish people, and that we were confused and so on and so forth. I was bothered by this encounter. The Spirit had left and the spirit of contention had found his way in. I kept asking myself why so many people were against us. Why was it so hard? I thought about those things the rest of the day and into the night. I found myself praying for some relief.
The following morning brought the same questions again. Satan had stuck me with a sliver that kept festering as time kept going. I prayed a long time that morning for relief. After I was done praying, I picked up the scriptures and started to read. I was in 2 Nephi 28 and I received the answers that i was looking for. The prophets prophesied that there would be widespread apostacy throughout the world. What is happening in the world today should be no surprise to us because Nephi Prophesied about it 2,600 years ago!
I went on to read in 2 Nephi 29 and received even more comfort than before.
How to we receive answers and revelation to our prayers? Well, we pray for guidance and direction and then we have to act. Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, didn't pray and then wait for an answer. He prayed and then did his best effort. He says, "...I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." He relied on the fact that God would answer his prayers and he followed the Spirit.
I love what Elder Bednar said in the latest General Conference about receiving Revelation.
I know that God does answer our prayers. All we have to do is ask for His help.
I was looking through a lot of different pictures that I have with me all the time and I came across one that was of myself. No, I didn't look and think, "Wow, I miss my old life!" It was quite the opposite. I looked at that picture for a few minutes looking into the eyes of who I once was.
"What's different? What's changed?" I asked myself, not sure how I could answer that question.
This question has been on my mind since that time that I had an encounter with myself. I have often looked at that picture over and over. I don't know why, but it's like I was trying to tell myself something.
I figured it out this morning! I looked again at that picture and saw a young man staring at me just smiling. I happened to turn around to see the reflection of a missionary in the mirror...It was me. Ihad changed. I was the person that the young man in the photo had dreamed of becoming.
How did we become the people that we are today? There are many different experiences that we go through in our life. How we react to those experiences will shape who we are and will determine our character. We are essentially refined.
I like the way that Jesus Christ uses the word "refine" as He speaks to those in the scriptures. 3Nephi24:3
Just as a silversmith heats silver until he can see his image in the silver itself, so does God allow us to be in trials and adversity until He can see His image in us. We all have our "Refining moments." But, we can be assured that God will help us to become what He wants us to be.
This last week has caused me to think a lot about the church and more especially the humble beginnings of it. The church was once just a small handful of people who all believed in the Prophet Joseph Smith. Now, church membership has grown to 14,000,000 world wide. All of those people have considered the story and testimony of Joseph Smith and have prayed about him and the Book of Mormon. They have received a witness of their own through the power of the Holy Ghost. I am one of them. I have searched the scriptures diligently, pondered what I have read, and I have followed the exhortation of the ancient prophets; I've prayed with faith to know if it was all true or not. I am a missionary today because I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's church established on the earth and that through Joseph Smith we have this Gospel. Thomas S. Monson is a real, living prophet today. He is a prophet called by God.
There is much attacking the church and the truth in this day and age. People call Joseph Smith many terrible things that I hope no one will ever call me due to the vulgarity and cruelty that makes me cringe. Joseph Smith was many things, but he wasn't a coward! How many times were there that he could have denied what he had seen? How much pain and affliction did he suffer through because he wouldn't deny it? What could his life been like if he would have denied everything? He probably could have lived a semi-normal life...But he wouldn't deny the fact that he had seen God and our Savior Jesus Christ. He was willing to be mocked on every hand. He would drug out of his home in the night to be tarred and feathered while his wife had to witness. He would be chased from his home and be faced with threats to himself and his family. He would be imprisoned many times and eventually killed because he would not deny what he had seen.
Today, we have the Book of Mormon as another witness and testament of Jesus Christ because of the sacrifices and afflictions of Joseph Smith . Having the Bible and Book of Mormon together makes the path to Salvation clear. We must follow that path so we can return to the presence of our Father to dwell in His kingdom.
I love the testimony of Jeffrey R. Holland in his talk "Safety for the Soul"
I echo my testimony in that of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Jeffrey R. Holland. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and has been kept away from the world for our time. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I bear my witness of it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
We often do our work with drudgery and we curse the very thing that we signed up to do whether it's our work, responsibilities in the family or community, or even keeping the commandments. When we get to that point, we literally drive ourselves insane!! That is why so many people have to take vacations to far away places, just to get away from the stresses of life. I often ask my self, "What is happening to all of humanity?!" After listening to the talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of the Things That Matter Most," I found that answer!
We often get ourselves so worked up in our daily schedule that we miss the most important things! A father may get so busy with his work that he often misses his young child smiling at him or he misses a small voice saying "I love you Daddy." as he runs out the door because he is late. We miss so much in life because we believe that we have to go faster to get past the hardships in life...that is where we are so wrong. We need to slow down a notch and look at ourselves. Are we happy? What is most important to us? There are many things in life that are missed because we rush by them.
There are so many things that we take for granted. Slowing down and thanking God for our blessings is one of the best things we can do when we feel too overwhelmed. Have you ever said a prayer that was complete thanks? I challenge everyone who ever reads this to do that. Find yourselves a quiet place that's comfortable and you can be alone. My suggestion also would be to have a cushion under your knees because you will be there longer than you think! The feeling of sincere gratitude can erase all doubt that there is a God. He has given us everything and He knows we can triumph any trials that may come into our lives. He has given us trials that we can overcome and that makes us stronger every time that we do so.
When was the last time that you laughed? I try to laugh everyday! That is the only way that i can possibly keep a good attitude. 'Come what may and love it!' as Elder Wirthlin once said. Laughter is one of the best cures for our sorrow. There is much to laugh about even though we may feel like there isn't anything funny. Haha one occasion: We were walking all over Niagara Falls (due to an instant that has left us car-less) in the middle of a huge blizzard. Now what could possibly be funny about walking in a blizzard? I don't know, but as we were walking across an intersection, a lady in her car honked at us. We get that a lot so we didn't pay too much attention. That lady then rolled down her window and shouted, "I'm a Mormon!!" We cheered and smiled and i could tell that she realized how that must've looked because she quickly rolled up her window.
There is humor in everyday life and we just need to find it and enjoy it! There are important things that we have to slow down to catch. If you do so, you will be blessed more than you know and life will mean more!
Pain can bring us closer to God because it humbles us. It is hard to go through such things, but we always learn from it. Death can be very difficult for family members. It is hard and we will miss them so much but we must remember that Jesus Christ broke the bands of death.We will see our loved ones again and we can rely on the knowledge that Christ felt our grief.
