...Needs Be Opposition In All Things

Many years ago, I read the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:11, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” I noted that it wasn’t ‘there is’ opposition, but the scripture said ‘needs be’. Opposition is a need. About the same time, I read a quote from Joseph Smith that said something like, in order to raise up a generation to meet the Savior at his coming, they would need to be righteous to the extent they would have the faith necessary to greet him at his coming. That would mean they need to choose righteousness.

 

Often choices are made in part because it is what society expects. When society expects good behavior, we tend to follow that expectation. But is that a choice? Did we choose that righteousness?  These thoughts occurred when society was rejecting additional righteous behavior as the norm. Society was allowing additional unrighteous behavior as acceptable. The thought occurred to me that this trend would continue, until a generation would have to choose righteousness in all its aspects even in the face of opposition from society. Being placed in this position to make these choices would require great faith and this would elevate them to a position to greet the Savior.

 

I don’t know where we are in this trend, but there is getting to be fewer and fewer things that aren’t accepted, even promoted by society. Even some of the most basic positions, like gender and family are open for reinvention at a whim. In light of this opposition, we must choose righteousness over wickedness and this takes and builds faith.

 

We are in the last days as the work of the Lord hastens and as the wickedness of the world accelerates. It is such a joy to be here in the mission field, to be a part of this great work at this time in history. There isn’t anywhere else we would rather be, despite the longing for friends and family. The plowing and harvesting must be done, and the Lord needs willing hands to carry it forward. Even if that work is administrative in nature. God’s house is a house of order. In that order, records must be kept and business done to keep it moving forward. Thousands of years ago, man discovered that an army moved forward on their stomachs. That hasn’t changed, and the Lord’s Army is no exception.

 

While talking about this, this morning, it occurred to me that as we age, the physical and mental processes meet greater and greater opposition as well. The great physical deeds of the past are gone. But even in trying to do some simple things, the tasks seem daunting. Again, we choose righteousness in the face of opposition to accomplish the work of the Lord.

We love this work. Grandma and I are blessed beyond measure to be here in Oregon and to be a part of it. We appreciate everyone’s prayers in our behalf. They are needed and welcome. We also like to hear for everyone and know how your lives are being blessed. This work is great and the gospel is true. Of that this is no doubt.

Joy in Our Afflictions

In my reading this morning, I came across a reference in James chapter 1. We are often quoting from this chapter, but we normally start with verse 5 that Joseph Smith has made so well known. This reference is to verses 2 thru 4. I have included the change (italicized) that Joseph Smith made in his translation. It reads:

“2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into many afflictions;

 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

I can attest to the truth of this in my life. While serving a mission in Australia many years ago, I struggled with health problems. About 7 months into my mission, I got sick with an upper respiratory infection. I struggled to work with it, but it only got worse. At one point my companion looked at me and said, “You don’t look well. Let’s get you to a doctor”. That visit with the doctor resulted in my being put to bed for three weeks.

I struggled with that. In the mission at that time, there was a prevalent attitude that if you are sick, you are not exercising enough faith, so I pushed through the illness rather than taking care of it. Being put to bed by the doctor only added to the emotional burden. The thing that started to change my perspective was that with all that time with nothing to do, I read. I read the scriptures, I read Jesus the Christ, the Articles of Faith, and other church works. I felt, and was fed by the spirit. I was comforted in my afflictions.  I was reminded that when we engage in sinful practices, we cannot feel the spirit. I felt the Spirit and decided mine was not a lack of faith. Maybe the attitude so many of my fellows had was wrong because it denied the will of the Lord.

During the course of my mission in Australia I was sick in bed a total of six or seven weeks. Later in life in Arizona I struggled with recurring pneumonia and that resulting in a great blessing of being able to move to Alaska. Yea, I know that sounds strange, but Alaska was a blessing. That blessing included a car accident just a year and a half after arriving. That accident had me off work for nineteen months, and learning to live with a lifetime of pain. It created additional metabolic malfunctions in my body and the attending health issues. It resulted in back surgery and hobbling around as a cripple. Through it all I learned patience. I worked for years with the problems. I was blessed financially. I was able to change work, and that change allowed me to retire at sixty. Those changes gave me the financial means to serve a mission at sixty instead of later in life. During all those years I was able to serve in the church.  Six years in three different Bishoprics, five years as a High Priest Group Leader, seven years on the High Council of the Stake. The scripture in D&C 122:7 took on new meaning.  

“…know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”

I learned that very few outcomes are under my control. I have control of me. I can do only the things I can do. Those things I must do. Many of them come by way of either obedience or prompting from the Spirit. In that, I am reliant on the Lord. I do the things He asks of me, and the outcomes are according to His will. I wait on the Lord and His time. Life goes much smoother that way. I have fewer disappointments. By listening to the Spirit, I also am often privileged to see His hand doing His work. He is much better at it than I am.

By doing this, I have noticed my afflictions seem to dissipate. I notice them less, and the miracles of God’s work expand. I would recommend this to all for we all suffer in our afflictions.  Remember 2 Nephi 2:25:

“Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy.”

My life is full of joy as I serve Him in whatever capacity He asks.

The work is Hastening

I must apologize for the length of time between posts. We have been busy with the work and time gets away from us. We asked President Russell to find us a ward where we were needed, and he has done a tremendous job. We told him we would go anywhere he wanted us to go, so he spoke with the Springfield Stake President who thought we should be in his ward. In a lot of ways, they remind us of the Settlers Bay ward. You have all kinds of people including some great ones.

We have a pair of Sister Missionaries who are very hard workers. The ward mission leader is the past Bishop, and he loves missionary work. We go on splits with him and the sisters on Thursdays. They have been very productive, especially in light of the process that was begun the second week we were in the ward.

It was the fifth Sunday in May. The combine meeting was conducted by the Sister Missionaries and the ward mission leader. They showed a video clip that was used in a meeting held by a member of the 70. He taught the Bishops and Stake Presidents the concept of how the spirit works for us in this work. He asked them to blank their minds, and then asked the question, who do you know who is prepared to hear the gospel? He instructed them to write down the first name that came to mind. That name was placed there by the spirit. That is the name to start with. We did the same thing with the members and had them then write down that name on the form they passed out. They wrote down as many as came to mind. At the end of the hour, we had 187 referrals. Sister Christensen and myself, the sister missionaries and the ward mission leader are contacting each of the members who participated that day and ask them for a commitment to take an action with that person and have them write a date down.

We follow up and encourage them. The actions have gone from “pray daily for their hearts to soften” in the case of a friend who was having some struggles in life and had backed away from all contact, to making brownies tonight and delivering them to the neighbor downstairs, to setting up a lesson for the missionaries to teach this week. The members are busy participating in missionary work, the sisters are keeping busy teaching. They have a member at almost every lesson they teach. (President Russell has stated that every lesson has a member present. Senior missionaries can be used in a pinch, but the members are to provide the bulk of the assistance.) There are a few that have hard baptismal dates and are progressing toward them.

In our meeting with members, we were led one night to the wrong door. The member had moved to a different apartment, but the man who answered said he was just thinking about religion and his faith when we knocked on the door. We arranged for the sisters to return with some literature and begin teaching him. We then remembered that the member had moved and we went to visit with them.

On another note, I am up to 50 canes placed. I left one with a man, whose wife, when we knocked on the door, told us to go away, they didn’t want to talk any religion. Our response was that we had dropped by to leave a cane, and we would like to do that if they wouldn’t mind, so another person who needed cane now has one despite that animosity, and I think they soften slightly for the effort.

It would be an understatement to say that we are constantly amazed at the intensity and frequency of that help from the Holy Ghost in doing this work. You can feel the hastening that is going on, and it is on both sides of the veil. It is such a blessing to be here at this time of the world’s history to witness this awesome work close up. This work and the Gospel are true.

We love and pray for you all. The gospel is true, God lives and His Son Jesus Christ is the head of this church. We have a Prophet leading us, and we have but to follow. As we heard this morning in President Packer’s funeral, we should each of us, make the decision to surrender our agency to the Lord and follow what He wants us to do. When you do, you will find happiness and blessings beyond measure.

Elder and Sister Christensen

The Lighthouse on the Hill

Last week-end we went to the Oregon Coast.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  A perfect day to take a hike.  We chose the Heceta Head Lighthouse as our destination.  It's about 1/2 mile up the headland from the parking lot.  1/2 mile may not sound like much to most of you that routinely run/walk 3+ miles at a time.  Since Greg's back surgery those kind of hikes haven't been realistic for him .  But he did it!  Slow and steady and with a lot of encouragement from the two little grandsons that were with us.  It was a good day. 

I've been thinking about that lighthouse a lot this week.  It was built in 1893.  For more than 100 years it has stood strong on that rocky, wind battered headland shining light in the darkness, helping ships triangulate it's position, keeping others from crashing on the rocks.  The light from that lighthouse can be seen 21 miles out to sea.

Matthew 5 says:  "Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."   Our guide in the lighthouse said that some wonder about why this lighthouse is built where it is.  Just a few miles down the road there is another lighthouse that sits on a much higher hill,  The light from that one can only be seen about 12 miles out.  The difference is the curvature of the earth.  The Heceta lighthouse can be seen farther BECAUSE it isn't set as high.

How can we let our light shine in a way that will lead others to "glorify our Father?"  I think we do it by our good works, by living the Gospel, by keeping our covenants.  We don't have to be higher to than those around us, in fact, we might be more efficient if we aren't.  To lift others we have to be able to reach them.  We can't do that if we put ourselves way above them. 

Everyday I see young, humble, unlearned missionaries shine their lights so that people see them from afar.  They do that by loving, serving, teaching and walking among those they want to share the gospel with.  And they SHINE so bright that you can pick them out of a crowd.   They are a great example to me.  I watch them teach others - help them triangulate their position in the world.  They teach them to avoid the rocky shores and set a course of safety.  It is amazing!  and Wonderful!  I hope I can be a lighthouse too!

Light and color are interesting things. When you mix colors of paint, at first they make varying shades and new colors. As you continue to add paint, the colors will get muddy and dark. When you mix colors of light, the light will shift colors and get brighter until with all colors of light, the light will be blindingly white and show everything with clarity.

When you look at sheet of white paper, you are seeing a blank slate. The absence of all color. When you walk outside in the bright light of day, you are seeing a combination of all colors. If our lives are the clean white page, what will we put there in the bright light of all color? In the presence of all light, we can better see the effect of our actions. The scriptures talk about light, truth, and knowledge together and interchangeably. They also talk about letting our light shine.

The eye adds a different dimension to this story. Light shines on an object and absorbs the color it is, reflecting all other colors, as light enters the eye and interacts with the nerves in the retina, the brain detects the missing color and reports that to the cortex as the color of the object. This is why the mixing of paint which with all colors added, absorbs all light and only darkness is reflected. A mirror on the other hand is a surface designed to reflect rather that absorb, and we can then see by it. I think of the words of the song, “Have you received his image in your countenance? Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes?”

In life, the knowledge, the truth, even the light we gain, shines in our eyes. The truth, the spirit acts as light and as more is combine, the brighter we become. Lies, errors, deceptions are the paint on the page, and the more we add, the less we can see. The knowledge (truth) we gain, the more light we have to share. It is in the sharing (reflecting light) that we can become like our Savior and our Father.

Pete's Story

Tonight, Sister Christensen and I were privileged to attend our first baptism. When we arrived here two months ago, we were told that the Assistants had recently found and began teaching an investigator. President assigned us to attend the same ward as the assistants and we were introduced to Pete. He is a tall slender gentleman in his mid-forties. He seemed like his interest was genuine and sincere. After Gospel Principles class that first Sunday, Pete stopped and asked me a couple of questions that I answered and then gave him my phone number and told him to feel free to call me anytime if he had more questions. Over the next several weeks, Pete would call two or three times a week, sometimes with questions, and sometimes just to say hi. Pete called and asked us for a ride to church. He didn't have a car, which is not unusual here in Eugene. They have excellent public transportation. I soon learned that he was living with a girlfriend and she had no interest in the church. She also had no interest in marriage. He was left with a choice he didn't want to make.

Tonight, we learned more of his story. He had been best friends with two other boys since junior high school. One of them was a member. Through their association, one other had joined the church in high school. Pete wasn’t interested, but they continue to be friends to this day. He continued to read the Book of Mormon, he studied what the missionaries gave him. He prayed. He even got on the train and went to Salt Lake, because, as he told the elders, he wanted to see the temple. The temple square missionaries taught him, and he returned to Eugene. He made the decision to be baptized. It meant he had to move. In the process, he also had to find a new job.

Through it all, Pete continued to read and study, talk to the missionaries, the members in two wards now, and to pray. He made the commitment to be baptized. He moved with the help of two wards. Over the past few weeks, by my count, he has been taught by nine elders, two senior couples, the mission President and his wife, and a general authority who was in town for training, and went with the assistants and another senior couple to teach Pete when he was struggling a couple of weeks ago. Pete watched all five sessions of conference at the chapel. He attended two wards, that’s six hours of meetings for the past six weeks. He would ride to church with us, and then home with someone from the other ward. Tonight, in company with two wards and around 100 people who have come to love this gentle spirit, Pete was baptized by one of his best friends who flew out from Utah to be a part of it all.

I have been thrilled, humbled, and impressed at all the Lord has done for this good man. I am glad we were able to be here to be a small part of it. There is no where I would rather be. I love this work. I love this church. I love my Savior and being able to be a part of His work. I can’t wait to see what is next.

Mexican Pozole and the Gospel

We've had an eventful week-end.  I'll cover Saturday and let Greg talk about Sunday.  Since Saturday is our "P" day, I usually spend some time in the morning getting the laundry done for the week.  Usually the laundry room at our apartment complex is empty and it's a pretty quick process - throw in 2 loads of clothes, go back in 30 minutes and put them in the dryer.  This week, when I got there our next door neighbor was just putting her clothes in the dryer.  I met her last week as she was leaving her apartment to go to the broadcast of General Conference with a member from the Spanish Ward.  The Elders assigned to that ward have been teaching her, but we hadn't met yet.  I said "Hi", she said "Hi" and then she went on her way.  When I went back a little later to move my clothes to the dryer, hers were still going, I checked back a couple of times and then finally happened to catch her there finishing up.  As we both worked on our laundry I asked her how she enjoyed Conference.  That started a conversation that allowed her to ask some questions.  One thing she wanted to know was why these young missionaries are making the sacrifice of time away from their families and schooling to serve missions.  Because her first language is Spanish and mine isn't - I try to keep my answers fairly simple and to the point. She seems to understand better that way.  In short I told her that we serve missions because we believe the message we have is true and we want to share it.

Fast forward a few hours.  As we were getting ready to sit down to dinner and thinking about maybe going to a movie after, the Spanish Elders called and said they had an appointment to teach our neighbor, the couple from the ward that was supposed to go with them had cancelled at the last minute - would we be available in about 15 minutes to go with them?  Of course we said "YES!!"

It was so interesting to listen to a discussion in Spanish.  I took a couple of years of Spanish in High School and wouldn't even pretend to say that I can speak it - the best I do is "How much does it cost? and "Where's the bathroom?" (important things to say when traveling in Spanish speaking countries!)  But I do recognize words and can generally follow the basics of a conversation.  But the Spirit speaks in a voice that is often felt but not heard.  The Spirit was there and it was wonderful.  Rosario had the Elders ask us some questions because of our "life experience" (a polite way to say "Old").  Our different teaching styles were evident - I give Primary answers and my companion expounds on the gospel.  It was fun!  And we were able to assist the Elders in answering questions she had.  When the lesson was over, she asked if we would all like to stay and have some Pozole that she had made for us.  There was no hesitation is our answer, "Yes!"  That simple meal gave us a chance to connect on a different level.  I left feeling that we were now friends.  We talked about food and connected because I spoke her language - tamales, chili, pozole, etc.  And Elder Christensen loved her VERY hot, but delicious salsa (some of it even came home with us.)

Teaching the Gospel is what we thought we would be doing on our mission until we got our calls to work in the mission office.  It is so exciting to have these opportunities to share our testimonies and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us.  We love the missionaries and any opportunities we have to support and help them.