Saturday, December 18, 2010

Pittsburgh Week 18

 12/13/10
 I am doing well and I am working on keeping my spirits as high as they can go! It's really cold, and there really aren't that many people out walking the streets and if they are they don't really want to stop and talk to us in the freezing weather. The advent calendar is really fun and I always can't wait to wake up the next morning and open up another little pouch! I gobbled up the raspberry sticks in about 2 days, they were delicious!! :) Baily is doing great and we are still seeing some improvement and we are seeing some opposition that the Adversary is giving her. She asked us on some advice on how to handle people that are opposed to her joining the church, and we were able to help her out on a few things. We're still waiting on her boyfriend to move out and find a job.... strike that, reverse it. So that's basically the only thing, sadly though I won't be able to see her baptized.

And if I'm being transferred.... Yes i am!! I don't know where I'll be going, but Elder Hurley and Shipp will be staying in the Southside for another transfer together. It's been a long 4 months here in the Southside but it's been a great learning experience and what not! And guess what else is happening? I'm getting assigned and made to Zone Leader! Meaning I'll have more responsibility. President Summerhays called me up last night and asked me if I would serve as a zone leader. I asked him, Are you sure? (because naturally I don't feel adequate for really any calling) and he said, "Yes! Thus spake the Lord!" Well I couldn't argue with that. So tomorrow I'll be made Zone Leader and the shipped off to another area to be there for a couple weeks and then Christmas is here!! :)

Well I'll tell you what happened on Thursday. We had a Mission Tour with Elder Eduardo Garvarrett from the Quorum of the Seventy. It was way cool because he taught us a lot of things and shared his testimony about missionary work and what not. So 3 missionaries were chosen out of the many zones which were there and he interviewed them, and it just so happened that one of those missionaries was me! I was chosen to get interviewed and was told that I would be before the Mission Tour. So needless to say, I was extremely nervous for that to happen. So yeah that was way cool, I got to sit one on one with a general authority and talk to him. He shared some mission experiences with me, and we talked about my family, and also I got to ask him some questions and what not. It was way awesome! I could literally see something in his eyes that made him different, he truly is a special witness of Jesus Christ. It was an amazing thing!

Well as for the memorization of the Living Christ:

"As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the great Jehovah of the old testament and the Messiah of the new. Under the direction of His Father, he was the creator of the earth. "All things were made by him, and with out Him was not anything made, that was made." Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He went about "doing good" yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow his example. He walked to roads of Palestine healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our pre-mortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.


He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary's cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all that would ever live upon the earth.


We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem, nor concluded on Calvary. He was the firstborn of the Father, the only begotten Son in the flesh, the redeemer of the world.


He rose from the grave to become the firstfruits of them that slept. As risen Lord he visited among those he had loved in life. He also ministered among his "other sheep" in ancient America. In the modern world, He and his Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised "dispensation of the fullness of times"


Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: "His eyes were as a flame of fire;t the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters; even the voice of Jehovah saying:


I am the first and the last. I am He who liveth I am He who was slain. I am your advocate with the father"


Of Him the Prophet also declared, "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony last of all which we give oh him, That He lives! For we saw him even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only begotten of the Father, and that by him and through him and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."

We declare in words of solemnity that his priesthood and his church have been restored upon the earth "built upon the foundation of... apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone"


We testify that He will someday return to the earth "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" And he shall rule as king of kings and reign as lord of lords and every knee what bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before him. Each of us will stand to be judged of him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.


We bear testimony - as his duly ordained apostles, that Jesus is the Living Christ, the Immortal son of God. He is the great king Immanuel who stands today on the right hand of his Father. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the Matchless gift of His divine son."

(This is "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles" published in the year 2000 by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

Impressed? All from memory :) I think I got it all, probably not the the commas in the right places but I think all the words are correct. I just need to memorize the scripture references. But I got it.

I am very excited to be able to go to another area and to serve there amongst many more wonderful people. I will tell you asap what my new address is so no worries. You'll be able to get those packages off to me in time. But as for that that's all for me this week. I am way excited to be able to talk to you in a couple weeks!  Hooray!!

Love,
Elder Benjamin


Pittsburgh Week 17

12/6/10
The Advent calendar is really fun! Thank you so much for sending it to me! I got the Christmas Tree, ornaments, the star, the cd, the hand sanitizer (much needed BTW), and the bar of soap today. We put the Christmas tree up on one of our old fireplace mantles in the study, and put a couple gifts next to it the we got from the ward! It was a pleasant surprise when the Ward Mission Leader came up and handed me and my companions a bag for Christmas! yay! So we have a couple presents.

As for transfers, I'm not exactly sure, but rumor is that I may be getting transferred. But that's just a guess coming from the Zone Leaders, so who knows. It's up in the air every time. But just to be safe, we'll play it like I'm getting transferred. I kinda get the feeling that I will be. I'll be sure and let you know asap!

My investigators are doing fine! Baily's living situation is starting to work out! She told us that her boyfriend has a couple job offers that are out of town and they seem pretty promising. She was way excited to tell us about that and we were ecstatic to hear about it! We don't quite have a baptismal date for her but once her boyfriend moves she'll be getting right in the water for sure! Our new investigator, Justin is pretty cool he didn't come to church this week or to any of the events that were happening this weekend (a baptism and a Christmas program put on by the singles ward). Which was a bummer, but we'll be working with him continually this week and help him to understand the gospel.

I'm as so excited to be able to talk to you! It seemed like it was not too long ago when I talked to you on Mothers day and thinking it was going to take forever for Christmas to come and lo and behold it's right around the corner! I cannot believe how fast these past 7 months have gone by! It's kinda scary how fast. Anyway I am was excited to be able to talk you the family! Ya! Anyway, this week. Not much happened that was outside of the ordinary.

This coming week though there is a "Mission Tour" happening and Elder Eduardo Gavarrett is coming from the quorum of the Seventy! So that will be exciting! Something also which is pretty cool, is: whenever there is a mission tour the General Authority that is coming will personally interview 3 or 4 elders one-on-one from the mission, and guess who was chosen to be one of them?? You guessed it! Me! So I have the opportunity to sit in a room with a Special Witness of Jesus Christ and talk with him about the mission. Wow. Intense. I'll let you know how that goes next week. Wish me luck.

Oh another thing that is cool. I started memorizing the church document, The Living Christ, put out by the First Presidency and the 12 apostles back in 2000. It's about one page; 2 columns; size 10 font. It's really awesome I have about 3/4 of it memorized. By next week I'll have all of it down! But until then that's about all for this week! 19 more days until Christmas! :)

Love,
Elder Benjamin