Oct 9, 1990
Today’s Reading : 1 Nephi 16:28- The Liahona worked according to the faith and diligence and heed which Lehi’s family gave unto them. The Holy Ghost is exactly the same way. we must have faith, we must diligently seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and we must give heed to His promptings or we will not receive further promptings.
3 Nephi 17:11- Christ commanded that the little children should be brought unto Him. God commanded Christ to atone for our sins so that all of God’s children would have the opportunity to return to Him. Also, as parents, we are commanded to teach our children the necessary things so that they can return to Heavenly Father. Christ had commanded all of us to bring our children unto Him.
Verse 12: The multitude allowed the children to come forth and gather around Christ. The true children of Christ will be able to gather around Christ despite the multitude that will be between them and Christ. The parents brought their children forth. Despite all of the obstacles that may stand in our way, if we are truly elect, we will be able to come unto Christ.
Verse 13: Christ commanded all of the people to kneel down on the ground. I’m not sure why he did this. I think maybe it was so that they could show their faith through their obedience. This is also one way in which we can all exhibit our faith to God through obedience to the laws & ordinances of the gospel.
Verse 14: Christ was troubled over us. He had paid the price for our sins, but if we refuse to accept Christ and endure to the end, we will have to pay the price ourselves. This is the reason Christ is grieving for us. Too many of us just refuse to accept Him. Too many people in the church refuse to take the necessary steps, to return to God.
Oct 9, 1990
Today was really a good day. We went to give Lee Thao a blessing this morning before we went to zone meeting. She had been having bad dreams and her kids had been unable to sleep well for about a week. Anyway, we went and prayed with her and got everything smoothed our for her. I think she will be okay now.
Zone meeting was really good today. Elder Wilde is a new zone leader from Modesto and he really did well. The spirit was really strong. I love meetings like that. After zone meeting, we came back and had lunch. I got a letter from Kristin today. She sent me a planner for the month of October. For every day she had written something for me to read. I love that girl so much. I honestly pray that it will be the will of the Lord that we are able to live together forever.
We taught a discussion today to a man who had seen the missionaries before, but when transfers came, he was forgotten. This man had been a preacher in Thailand and he was really looking for the truth.
We also went back to the 5 ministers apartment today. All of them kind of blew us off except for one. He really wanted to know the truth. We scheduled another appointment for Thursday.
October 10, 1990
Todays’s Reading: 3 Nephi 17:15-
Verse 15: Christ knelt upon the ground and prayed to the Father. That is a good indication that the Father and Son are not the same person as some churches teach. The things which Christ said in this prayer could not be written. There are two possible reasons for this. One, Christ spoke in a language different than the people. Two, perhaps they were forbidden by Christ to write those things. Further reading will probably answer the question.
Verse 16: All of the people saw and heard Christ do this. They were all witnesses. I wish I had been there to hear the resurrected Christ pray to His Father. what a wonderful experience that must have been. The people had never heard anything so marvelous.
Verse 17: Answers the question for us. Christ spoke in a tongue that was foreign to the people, but the people understood. The people bore record that the hearts of men can not even imagine the joy that filled their souls. I can’t wait until the day that I get to see my Savior! Oh how I long for that day.
Verse 18: When Christ was done praying to God, He arose. The people were overcome by the Spirit. They very well could have been having visions or other such experiences. Even the Savior knelt before God to pray. What a perfect example of humility.
Verse 19: Jesus asked them to arise. We will never be forced to do according to Christ’s gospel. We will always be given a choice.
Today was just about the busiest day of my whole mission. We went to Ser Vang and his wife. We had talked during comp study about having the faith to just ask them to pray about a commitment right in the middle of a discussion. Anyway, we read some scriptures together, and I asked if he believes God would answer his prayer. He said yes. I asked him if he would pray about being baptized. he said yes. Then I explained to him that I wanted him to kneel down with me and ask if he should be baptized. He said he would. While he was praying, I prayed really hard that he would get a witness of the truth. Well when we got up, he said, “What do you think?” I said, “ What do you think?” He said “when can I be baptized?” I have never been so happy in my life!
We taught a few discussions today and really got a lot done. Tonight was choir practice. It really went well. It is actually kind of fun to teach them the songs that I grew up singing.
I found out tonight that every time we went to teach Sheng, the little 9 year old girl we baptized, her step father would beat her and her mother. If that is really what happened, I will have the Branch President get a restraining order placed on hi and he won’t ever go home again. That makes me so angry! I really love that little girl.
Oct 11, 1990
Today’s Reading : 2 Nephi 25:25, 3 Nephi 17:20-
2 Nephit 25:25 The law of Moses was given with the intent that it would be fulfilled in Christ. It took faith on the part of the Nephites to believe that Christ would actually come to atone for their sins. It is the same faith required today to believe that Christ did atone for my sins. If this faith is required to believe, it is also required to obey Christ’s teachings. In fact, this obedience is a direct manifestation of our faith.
3 Nephi 17:20- these people had manifest their faith by kneeling before Christ as well as bringing forth their children to Christ. Christ said that his joy was fill because in these simple acts, the people had shown their faith.
Verse 21: This is one of my very favorite verses in all of the scriptures. Christ joy was full, and he wept He wept our of joy. Then Christ blessed all of the little children. He blessed each one of them separately. Just as our Father in Heaven watches over each one of us as individuals, not as a big group. Christ blessed each of the children in the same way that I will be able to bless our children. Not only did he bless them, he prayed unto the Father for them, Just like we will pray for our children every waking moment.
Verse 22: Christ wept again. Tears are a sign of many different emotions, but I believe they are a sign of joy in this verse. Christ knew that these children would all take the necessary steps to gain exaltation. I wish I knew the same thing about the people I work with.
Things today have been very hectic. About 100 people called this morning to talk to me about 100 different things. As a result, I was extremely stressed over having to deal with everyone’s problems.
President Bott called this morning to see how things were going with the Watters. He told me to be diplomatic, but would also have to be very straightforward with them and tell them exactly what to do. I thought it was kind of neat that he would call to talk to me, especially when I’m not officially the senior companion.
We taught a few discussions today and really worked hard. I absolutely love to be a missionary! I hope I can learn to do a better job at it. We went over to Sheng’s house today to see what we could find out. the only people home were Sheng’s parents. They were both in bed smoking opinion. That is probably the root of the problem. Anyway, I’ll go tomorrow to talk to the oldest daughter, Bae, and see what she will tell me.
October 12, 1990
Today’s reading : 2 Nephi 26:13, 3 Nephi 17:23
2 Nephi 26:13- If we want to see mighty miracles, we MUST increase our faith. Since my mission started my faith had increased 100 fold, and so had the number of great works I have seen brought to pass. i hope I can continue to increase my faith at this rate forever.
3 Nephi 17:23- The people had demonstrated their faith through obedience up to this point. Consequently, Christ gave them a further commandment. This is exemplary of what we are all expected to do in our own lives. we are expected to master the commandments one at a time. For example, when we are able to live the Word of wisdom, we should work on another commandment that we have problems with. Line upon line.
Verse 24: The people again did as they were commanded. They saw angels descend our of heaven and bless all of the little children. Because of the fact that the adults exercised their faith through obedience, they were blessed to see mighty works. We must exercise our faith through obedience, we will them be able to be blessed with the experience of witnessing and taking part in many mighty miracles.
Verse 25: there were 2500 people who were able to see and hear these wonderful things. what a wonderful blessing. We can all see great works like this if we will but increase our faith. When we exercise our faith unto obedience, our faith will grow stronger. When something is excised it will grow stronger.
October 12, 1990
Today was an awesome day. We spent quite a bit of time trying to find some members that the records are screwed up with.
Then we went over to Ser vang’s house and talked to him for a while. It was really fun we told him about how to play baseball and all kinds of stuff. i can’t wait to see him and his wife get baptized.
After that we went over to Yia’s for a minute to see how she was doing. we didn’t sit down for five minutes before the phone rang. Two old people needed us to come and administer to them. we went over to their apartment to see them. They were both about deaf, and they spoke green Hmong, so it was a little bit tough to communicate with them. Anyway, while we were giving the blessing, I tried to speak very clearly. i told her that she was healed and not to worry about being sick. After we gave the blessing, Yia asked her if she understood, and she said yes. Yia asked her to repeat it. She told her what I said. She had understood every word! Anyway, we stuck around and sang “I Know My Redeemer Lives.” The spirit was so strong. Those two people haven’t had any company for a long time. While we talked to them, the lady was joking around and really feeling better. The power of the priesthood is so real. I am so grateful for the opportunity to hold the priesthood, the power of God, and to be His servant.
--- Oct 13, 1990
Today’s Reading : 2 Nephi 31:19, Alma 34:1-
2 Nephi 31:19- People begin to follow the paths of righteousness our of faith in Christ. Nephi says unshaken faith because if their faith was shaken they would not remain in the paths of righteousness. We must continue to strength to walk in the paths of righteousness.
Alma 34:1- We have companions because it must be in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses that every word be established (2 Corithians 13:1) It is very important for us to teach as teams, not as individuals. The same is true in parenthood. We must teach as a team. If one parent says one thing, and another says another thing, the child will not understand anything. The child will be confused and end up acting on his or her own ideas and feelings. unity is one of the keys to parenthood.
Verse 2; Those people who either reject the church or accept the gospel only to reject it will be accountable for the things contained in the gospel only to reject it will be accountable for the things contained in the gospel. Someone who leaves the church will be more accountable than someone who rejects it, but they will bot be accountable. As teachers, we will also be accountable for the things we neglect to teach those in our stewardship. Christ had shown and prepared the way. We will all be accountable for whether or not we follow the path.
Verse 3; Alma had prepared the people to hear the words of Amulek. The Lord does this often. One person will prepare the way (ie john the Baptist) and another will present the message. Christ also prepared the way before us. Many people have prepared the way for the missionary work of today.
October 13, 1990
Today was a frustrating day. We went to a family’s house where the mother is pregnant and she was losing water. Yia went with us. The mother had been given a blessing before we got there. The reason that it was so frustrating is that I couldn’t get the father or the mother to see the necessity of getting the mother to the hospital. I called the hospital to see if it was important and they said she needed to come in right away. Anyway, I never did get them to understand. They are so afraid of American doctors that they won’t go until the labor pains start. I surely hope that she doesn’t lose that baby, but I’m afraid she will.
Tonight I went on splits with the brand new Cambodian Elder. The idea was basically to get him to speak Cambodian. It was kind of interesting. Er ate dinner at one house. We even are some of the exact same food that we ate at the Vietnamese restaurant before my mission with Jane, Jack and Kristin. Hmong food is much better than Cambodian or Vietnamese food.
My Dad sent me a letter today as well as to sports sections from the Omaha newspaper. It was really good to hear from him.
Oct 14, 1990
Today’s Reading: Patriarchal Blessings, D&C 19, Mission Call, Jacob 4:6, Alma 34:4-
Jacob 4:6 This verse demonstrates 2 very crucial things. 1. What it takes to acquire faith and 2. What can be done with the faith. We must search the scriptures. We will then obtain a testimony and spiritual witnesses. These witnesses lead us to have faith. We obtain faith by reading the scriptures. After we obtain our faith, we can command the elements in the name of Christ. What an excellent explanation of faith, how to obtain it, and what can be done with it once it had been obtained.
Alma 34:4- The Lord requires such a very small amount of faith to begin with. He wants us to show forth our faith simply by pondering the words of the gospel. If we will exercise only that small amount of faith, the spirit will bear witness of the truth and our faith will grow. As our faith grows, our works will also be expected to increase. As long as our works keep up with our faith, it will increase forever, yea, even until it becomes a perfect knowledge.
Verse 5: If there was no Christ, there will be no salvation. It is the key to the gospel. I know that Christ atoned for the sins of mankind.
Today was definitely a strange day. I taught priesthood today without a translator. Don’t ever let anyone tell you the gift of tongues is not real. After the short time I’ve been here, i am able to teach priesthood meeting in Hmong. The Lord had helped me so much with my ability to communicate with the people. I taught about the necessity of serving one another as priesthood holders. I told them first of all about the power of the priesthood and some of the miracles I had seen performed by the power of the priesthood. Then I talked to them about the great need to serve others through this power. The spirit was so strong. I love those Hmong people with all of my heart. I hope I can really learn to help them while I am here.
We spent this entire evening trying to get the Watters taken care of. Today he succeeded in offending just about everyone in our entire branch leadership as well as our stake missionaries. We took the zone leaders over and tried to work through some of their concerns. Then we talked to them about some of ours. I think that we really made some progress tonight.
Oct 15, 1990
Today’s Reading: Enos 1:8, Alma 24:6-
Enos 1:8- The only way that we can be forgiven of our sins is through faith in Christ. Even though it has been many years since Christ was here, and it will be many more years until he manifests himself again, if we will have faith, we can be made whole again.
Alma 34:6- Amulek is again bearing testimony of the words which Alma had spoken. It is so important that when in teaching situations we support what one another have said. The spirit must be present if we want to teach in a unified manner. Although it can be proven intellectually, we must receive spiritual witness of the truth.
Verse 7: Alma had referred to three other prophet in his testimony to the people. All prophets since the creation of the earth have testifies of Christ. For that reason, prophets will refer to one another’s words. The prophet through out time have taught in a manner that enabled them to present a unified message. Unity is such an important part of teaching.
Verse 8: Amulek added his testimony to those of the prophets of old and to the testimonies of his contemporaries. testimonies should be very simple. No matter how complicated our words are, it is the spirit that will bring people to a knowledge of the truth (D& C 50)
Well, today was P-day, but since the all mission P-day is going to be Wednesday and Thursday of this week, we had been told we didn’t get a P-day today. yesterday the zone- leaders called and told us we also got P-day today. Anyway, we had already scheduled some stuff, so our P-day was interrupted several times.
At 10:30, we took Ntsuab (the little baby who had 4 brain surgeries) to the doctor for a check up. He seemed to think that everything was fine, but he still wants her to go to the hospital for a CT scan, just to make sure that all is going well.
Tonight we went with the Watters to Yias’s house. We did a family home evening with Yia and Kia. Yia’s kids actually participated. Chang was acting like he was really bored, but he was still there. Anyway, we taught a lesson, fed them all some ice cream, and played some games. Change was laughing so hard during the fame that I thought he would die. Chang is her 12 year old son.
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