쿨 쿨! (June 18, 2018)

Hey fam! How are you all?

Last week was cool! Last PDay we went to an international motor show with SH, it was pretty cool. We also had dinner with him during the week but he had to leave fast, so we haven't really been able to teach him much at all, and his baptism date is coming up! Please pray for him to be able to meet and receive the discussions well!

We also finished up the last couple zone conferences last week, which were both good! Nice to have all the big meetings for the transfer done; I can really focus in on the Oncheon area for these next few weeks. 

One other cool experiences. There is a boy here in Oncheon ward who is like 15. When I first got to this ward he was so smiley and loved to joke around and stuff, but the last couple months he seems to be going through a bit of a hard time. Elder B and I wanted to help him. He is such a good kid, and it was so sad for us to see him not be himself. So we talked to his mom and found out his favorite food is pizza. We knew that by his house was this cheap pizza place called Pizza School, so we took him out for pizza on Thursday! It was so fun! He was so smiley and happy. He just told us about his hobbies and talked to us about cars and other cool stuff that he likes. After eating, we split up, but it was so fun!

And I know this experiences may not sound very significant, but I felt like that was honestly one of the most meaningful things I have done on my mission. I felt like we just had a feeling that we should help this kid out, we followed it, and it felt like ministering like the Savior would. It was just a simple pizza dinner together, but I felt the Spirit confirming that what we were doing is exactly what God wanted us to be doing at that time.

On Friday morning we headed out at 6 a.m. to fly to Jeju! So that was fun! That was our last zone conference, and it was cool to go there one more time. Also on the plane they had horse meat jerky, so we bought it. But we haven't tried it yet. We flew back that evening.

The next morning early was the Busan Stake Sports day! Elder B and I had 4 investigators come with us, so that was cool! We played some soccer, ran a bit, etc. It was cool to see a lot of members who I worked with in Youngdo and Haeundae.

Well that's our week! We have another great week coming up! 

One quick spiritual thought:

This week I was reading in 3rd Nephi. Right before Christ comes among them, there is great destruction-- tempests, earthquakes, floods, etc. So many people are killed at this time. After all of the storm, there is darkness, so dark, it says, that "the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; And there could be no light".

Can you imagine how that would feel? I don't think I can because I wasn't there, but it sounds horrible. And then, a voice pierces the darkness, and tells of the destruction, of cities buried or burned because of the wickedness of the inhabitants in them. And then the voice asks a poignant question,

 " O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13).

I love the wording of this verse. I think one key is the end of the verse, where it says, "that I may heal you." "may" is interesting. May tells us that the Savior and Heavenly Father are waiting to heal us and forgive us, and the only thing preventing that is...us. There are is greater enjoyment and fulfillment and love in life as we seek to "return unto" God. There is relief from sin, and greater strength to endure hardship. 

I am not saying that when we repent and return to God that everything becomes perfect. In fact, in a lot of ways, following Christ is more difficult than not. But it is worth it.

Elder Uchtdorf taught,

 "I testify that when we embark upon or continue the incredible journey that leads to God, our lives will be better.

This does not mean that our lives will be free from sorrow. We all know of faithful followers of Christ who suffer tragedy and injustice—Jesus Christ Himself suffered more than anyone. Just as God makes the “sun to rise on the evil and on the good,” He also allows adversity to test the just and the unjust. In fact, sometimes it seems that our lives are more difficult because we are trying to live our faith.

No, following the Savior will not remove all of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you. God will be with you. He will direct your steps. He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is greatest." (A Yearning for Home, Fall 2017)

I offer my agreement and testimony to the truthfulness of that! I hope we all seek each day to continue to draw closer to God, so He can heal us.

Love

Elder Beckett