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This may have been the fastest week on my mission that I have ever
experienced. We started off with a p-day and a Family home evening with
our recent convert Salvador, he is the best guy ever. He treats us
like his sons. He takes time to teach us skills and learn new things.
We only had 2 full days of proselyting this week because every other
day we had a meeting or something so our first full day was on Tuesday
and we had the chance to visit Barb our recent convert. Barb wasn't
able to make it to church the Sunday before. Everyone cared about her
so much, which was really nice, but they were worrying too much. We
knew Barb was solid and that somethings must of come up so we didn't
feel the need to pressure her. She has been to church since the Branch
has opened more than some members of the Branch presidency. As we
taught her the plan of salvation she just spilled the beans why she
wasn't at church. She must have felt really bad because she told us
that she was having some family issues and she was back up on a lot of
things. She said she prayed about it and the Holy Spirit told her what
she needed to do.
Wednesday we had a Zone Conference that was Just Amazing. I really do
love meetings. I had a companion once who would say that meeting were
one of the most pointless things ever done in a mission. I would
strongly disagree. I really need meetings and this one was one I
really needed. The meeting had a reoccurring theme of personal
evaluation. The first thing and most important thing to evaluate is
your thoughts. Spencer W. Kimble said, "How can a person not become
what they're thinking? " President David O. Mckay stated once that
"the hardest battles of life are fought within the chambers of the
soul" (Improvement Era, Feb. 1970, P. 84). Out of all the things I
have learned on my mission one of the most important things I have
learned is Controlling my thoughts. I didn't know controlling your
thoughts was a thing for my mission. Now I realize how critically
important it is. Without mental focus you can not over come the
natural man. 3 other things that I learned in this zone conference is
the importance of these 3 things, attitude, desire and faith. On a
mission you see a lot on missionaries laking one of these 3 major
things sometimes all of them and other times just one. I have even
missed having those sometimes. It is near impossible for anyone to
help someone fully make the covenant of baptism without these things. An
endowment of Faith comes from obedience. Persistence becomes vain and
repetitious without the right kind of Attitude and Desire to share the
gospel comes from personal conversion, best stemmed from a testimony
of the Book of Mormon. I was thinking about that last one about the
Book of Mormon a lot. You can quote me when I say that "the Book of
Mormon is the level for aligning our will with Gods will." With having
iPads on our mission we have the Gospel Library app, which has oodles
on information and doctrine. I thought about what I have gained from
all of the things that I have learned by having that app and this Quote
hit me. They are the words of a man named T. S. Elliott, who asked
"Where is the Wisdom we have lost in Knowledge, where is the Knowledge
that we have lost in Information?" I have realized that on my mission
I have gained a lot of knowledge from information but not a lot wisdom
need to teach the gospel from that knowledge. I then realized that I
needed to Go back to the basics being, Reading the Book of Mormon and
Preach My Gospel. I want to as soon as Im finished with my prayers in
the morning to read a Chapter of the Book of Mormon to start my day
right. I would Invite you do try to do the same and see how it works.
I know that as I do this I will be expressing to God what matters
first to me.
Thursday was pretty uneventful due to weekly planning but Friday we
had to drive an hour and a half to Naperville for MISSION CONFERENCE.
What a great conference. Like I said I love meeting and I love hearing
President Fenn give discourses. I hope President Fenn becomes an
Apostle some day so I can hear him at least twice a year for general
conference, Which is coming up too!!!! woot woot! General conference
is Like Christmas for missionaries. Back to mission conference though.
The conference was based on the "coming forth of the book of mormon".
Sister Fenn taught the importance of the date of September 22 1823,
191 years ago to this day. On this day Joseph smith saw the Angel
Moroni. which this day is also very special to the Jewish Faith
because of the holiday The Feast of Trumpets, which signifies the
-gather Israel
-renewing the covenants given to their fathers
-start the millennium
-and the great harvest.
How profound because the Book of Mormon is fulling those prophecies
RIGHT NOW!!! It is also jewish Traditions that for 3 weeks after
September 22 the veil is at its thinnest.
After the President Fenn arose and Gave us a 2 hour lecture on the
history of the Coming forth of the Book of Mormon, starting with the
First vision and ending at first Printing of the Book. I was blown
away at the account of the Book of Mormon which I have never before
heard. I bet he has Just about read any and all accounts of the Book
of Mormon. He went on and on teaching every little detail of the Book
of Mormon. On of my strongest testimonies about the Coming Forth of
the Book of Mormon is that Joseph Smith Could not have fabricated it
out of his mind. Emma Smith said once as she was a scribe for Joseph
that. Joseph at the Beginning of the Translation of the book of mormon
couldn't write a letter or dictate to some a well composed letter, let
alone dictate a Book to someone. At the time the beginning of the
Translation Joseph was also very illiterate on the subject of the
Jewish culture. He was say in the middle of the translation statement
like.I didn't know that Jerusalem had walls. Then Emma would have to
confirm to Joseph that there were wall around Jerusalem. Joseph was in
a VACUUM of Knowledge. how could the Prophet Joseph, A Farm boy,
compose a Book 531 one pages in 65 days? It would be impossible with
out the influence of God!
President Fenn then Finished off with the Doctrines of the coming
forth of the Book of Mormon. That as missionaries we are under a
mandate to teach the things that are revealed by Joseph Smith. God has
promised those who serve a mission worthily will Gain a testimony of
the Book of Mormon. Those who Gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon
have a steadfast testimony in Christ and will not fall and those who
have just have a testimony of the Bible may not have such as strong of
a testimony. The Book of Mormon teaches us that the Book of Mormon is
True. You should not try to prove the Book of Mormon by the bible. the
old testament is vague about christ. The Book of Mormon is not. The
doctrines of the only Begotten, The fall, the atonement and the
resurrection , are best taught in the Book of Mormon.The Book of
Mormon is a great sifter for the second coming. The Book of Mormon
holds us under condemnation if we do not use it right. And the MOST
important doctrine of the Book of Mormon is that people need to read
and ask did Joseph smith write the Book of Mormon or has it been
translated by the power and authority of God.
I don't want to bore you with a long email so I will wrap it up with My
Testimony.
As I have been On my mission I have gained the BIGGEST witness to the
Truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has been the
biggest corse corrector in my Life. Mainly because of the constant
corse correction. My life as been Like an Airplane Flight I took of
real fast and climbed to the skies because of my new found testimony
of the book of Mormon. As I have Looked to the Book of Mormon as a
compass I have been able to make small corse corrections to keep me on
tract to my destination. I have been through, much turbulence of
affliction, even in Clouds that seem innocent and I have broke through
those Clouds to see the Beautiful sun rays of God's Glory to give me
strength time and time again. I will always keep that testimony strong
and lit so that I can help others find the way. I know that this is
Christ Church because I know the Book of Mormon to be True. I know
Joseph Smith to be a Prophet of God because I know the Book of Mormon
to be True and I know that Jesus is the Christ and My Savior because
As I have read those pages I have felt his love stronger than any
other time in My life. I pray you may look for a Testimony of The Book
of Mormon so you can know these Truth. I Pray for these things in the
name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
ELDER HERDT
