This week I had the best zone meeting I've ever been in. Usually we all complain about how long they take and how we don't really get much out of them anyway. Well our zone leaders are completely inspired as are many other missionaries in our zone and we all learned so much. Or maybe it was just me. But it was so uplifting and then President Gelwix stopped by towards the end and he talked to us about Priesthood power.
One of the things we talked about in zone meeting was Elder Anderson's talk from last conference, "It's a Miracle". He said, "I promise you, as you pray to know with whom to speak [about the gospel], names and faces will come into your mind. Words to speak will be given in the very moment you need them. Opportunities will open to you. Faith will overcome doubt, and the Lord will bless you with your very own miracles." Pay attention to those first two words. "I promise," spoken by an Apostle in General Conference. That is a promise you can trust. We knelt down as a zone, Elder Castaneda, one of our zone leaders, offered a prayer, and then we stayed on our knees for about 2 minutes and just listened and felt the Spirit. Names and faces came to our minds. We do this in members' homes. The only time that it hasn't worked was when the phone rang right after the prayer and we didn't have quiet time to just sit and think.
I promise you that Elder Nelson's promise will be fulfilled. If you are willing to accept whatever answer the Lord gives you, when you pray sincerely and with faith to know who to share the gospel with, you will see faces and names, and by the power of the Holy Ghost and the right to revelation that you have, you can also know HOW to share it with them. The Lord is hastening His work! Elder Perry said in a meeting with the Mission Presidents of this area of the world (so I heard this from President Gelwix) that that hastening is NOT the increase in the number of missionaries nor the increased focus on missionary work. The hastening refers to the second coming. When we say the work is hastening, we mean the Second Coming is hastening. It is soon! I know it! This is the time to prepare to meet God, and this is the time for us to help others to do the same. Be bold, but be loving as you reach out to our brothers and sisters. Don't lose sight of how amazing this work is! You are a part of it, a vital part, whether you are a full-time missionary or not. Pray for missionary opportunities, pray to know how to share the gospel and who to share it with, and just serve everyone around you with love, no matter what.
I love you all! I wish I could adequately express my thoughts and feelings on this subject through an e-mail and with the short time I have. I know that this church is true and that these are the latter-days. I know that Heavenly Father loves us, that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that this work is their work, not ours. It will move forward unhindered until it fills the whole earth, no matter what, but we can help speed that process up. We are here to prepare the earth for the Second Coming! Don't falter! Don't give up! There are great things to come!
Love,
Elder Lofthouse
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