Comes with Tan Lines, Blisters, Sweat and more Doors than Ever. Just add Faith. - June 16, 2014

Dear Family, 

We have progressing investigators! And we're teaching families! Huzzah! I think this is the first time on my mission when I haven't felt in a panic about finding people to teach. There are just little families all around us. The hardest part is, they all have a church and are very active. I've never met so many active members of other churches.  Gaby and Jason have been having a struggle getting immigration papers settled down. They've been waiting for four years to get married I found out  this week, and are waiting on pins to see how it all goes through. We taught them the word of wisdom by using lds.org and mormon.org on their iPad. It was really neat, it was like seeing the future of missionary work with iPad. Too bad that's so far away. Be grateful all you missionaries coming out, I've cried over this for months. Okay, maybe not cried, but mourned exceedingly. 

We had a special training this week by President Slaughter about "Faith in Finding." Last August he gave us a training and a packet that highlighted points from Preach My Gospel called "Finding By Faith." When he introduced his training to us a few weeks back, I pondered a lot on the word choice. What was the difference between "Finding by Faith" and "Faith in Finding"? I came to the conclusion a few weeks later that it was because there was a lack of faith in the things that we were doing. We were doing what we were told to do, but we didn't understand the why or the principles behind it. One of our Assistants to the President, Elder Piene talked to President Slaughter first about this in a meeting which led to the training to refocus us. President Slaughter has given us parts of Preach My Gospel to study and also a faith study sheet to prepare. I've been learning a lot from it as I've been studying. I've also been reading the Book of Mormon looking for examples or scriptures of faith. I think what has stuck out to me the most has been what was expressed in Ether 12:20-21

"And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil."

The Lord cannot lie to us. As we are faithful, and keep His commandments, we can be shown all things. If, our faith is consistent.

I've been thinking about that a lot. Actually. I feel like my faith in His promises fluctuates, but it shouldn't. It should be firm.

One of the things President Slaughter talked about was the story about how there is a man hanging from a tree branch off a cliff. He prays for help from the Lord and the Lord asks him "do you believe in me?" he replies "yes Lord, I do!" He is then asked, "do you believe a wind can come and blow you  back up the cliff?" "Yes,  I do believe that!" "Then let go." the lord tells him. President Slaughter said it's a different kind of faith to let go of the branch rather than just saying it, which it is. But then President Slaughter said "So what if you let go of the branch and you fall down to the ground and break both legs?" Do you get mad at God? Does your faith fade? Do you stop believing? Or do you get up and walk-or crawl-away and the next time you are hanging from a branch you trust  the Lord enough to let go a second time? Is this story making sense? I'm probably telling it really bad. So anyways, the point is: do we have the kind of faith to continue to have faith and not waver, even when things don't turn out how we thought they were "promised to"? 

March 4th last year, Danika wrote to us:
"Our faith cannot be conditional on a positive outcome.  We must like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:17-18).  Our faith must be in knowing that God is able to save us, but whether He chooses to or not is up to Him.  It is about being ready to accept gracefully and submissively whatever it is He has in store for us.  Don't let your faith shrink!"

This letter from Danika has been something that has influenced my mission a lot. "Our faith cannot be conditional on a positive outcome." 

The Gospel just makes sense doesn't it? It feels right, and it makes sense.

Last night, after having dinner with one of our ward missionaries and talking about ward mission plan stuff and things we could do, Sister Chambers noted to me in the car that it felt a little like some ideas of missionary efforts were taking missionaries out of the picture, if that makes any sense. So many areas I've served in, it almost feels like they don't feel missionaries are necessary. Just be a good examples to friends, invite them to activities, be involved in the community, etc but when it comes down to it, inviting them to meet with the missionaries is too hard or scary or intimidating. I was reminded several times this week that nothing happens until there is contact with the missionaries. 

We'd been talking earlier in the day about what our plans were to help hasten the work when we are home (since this is Sister Chambers last week), and after dinner I got a bit worked up about return missionaries forgetting. I've seen so much of it on my mission, we just forget. It has been my greatest fear about being a return missionary, is that I will become complacent and forget. 

Did it not mean more than this?

I told my companions in the car last night that "so help me if in ten years I've forgotten, God had better dam me to hell." Because after everything that has happened, and everything that He has done for me, how could I forget? 

Did it not mean more than that?

There is too much to be done in these days.

I think that not only will those whom we did not share the Gospel with know what we had and didn't share, but also God will know who we knew and didn't open our mouths to. 

So on that note. Ah-hem. I'll get down from my box, but really. Did it not mean more?

Elder Holland said-speaking from the Saviors view-in his talk The First Great Commandment October 2012 "Children, did not my life and my love touch your hearts more deeply than this?...we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before."

I love the Gospel, it has changed everything. Serving a mission has changed everything. I love y'all :)

Hermana Cheyenne Montgomery