Working Wonders

Life is good this week. Transfers, i believe, are the thursday following general conference. I have interviews with president this week, so i may be able to give you some insight into what's happening in my next note. The other upcoming calendar item is the Mission Tour. It's where a general authority comes to visit the mission. This one will be David F. Evans of the 1st quorum of the seventy. I'm conducting the meeting, and for the first time in a while... i'm scared to death. haha.

We still teaching the Bowmans and they're doing fantastic. They aren't ready for a baptismal date yet, but we're going to try again tonite.

We're working with a few other great families, the biggest hurtle right now is that the majority need to quit smoking.

Wow, it's surprising to hear that they talked about the patriarchal chain in stake conference. It's very interesting. I've spent a bit of the last 2 weeks studying the patriarchal order of the priesthood. It's what Abraham was searching for in the book of Abraham. It's why the Moses, Elijah, and Elias appeared in the Kirtland temple. Each to restore the keys of their repective priesthoods. But i don't need to get to deep into that.

My favorite scripture for the week is the first line of Ether 2:16

"And the Lord said: Go to work" Something i've learned as a missionary is the need to work. When Elder Nelson was here he said. "You should wear out two different articles of clothing while you're hear. First, your shoes, from walking so much in the search for the elect. Second, your pants, not on the seat from sitting around! but on the knees from frequent prayer. Learn to pray as if everything depends on the Lord, and work as if it all depends on you." That is how we begin to invoke the powers of heaven.

The process of bringing the powers of heaven into our lives begins with learning to cousel with the Lord. "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Alma 37:37

As we do this we become driven by the fire of the covenant by the intense power of hope we recieve from an abiding trust that God will keep His promises. We must have hope the celestial glory is truly possible. (Ether 12:32) That hope will provide the anchor for us to act in faith according to the commandments of God. (Ether 12:4)

We must trust Him. We must know who He is. We must have a love of God and of all men.

If we learn to pray and to trust we receive the power from on high that through covenant we have become entitled to. Whether through the Gift of the Holy Ghost or the higher reception of the endowment. But it all begins with sincer prayer and sincere work.

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." BD Prayer.

We must pray frequently, openly, and sincerely.

Have a wonderful week.

Love,

Austin