kamusta tanan!
The Lord's work is going great here in Naga! I love working with Elder Seumanutafa - it's very different serving with a Polynesian companion, but that just means I have the chance to learn that much more and work/teach with a different person with a different way of doing things.
Our investigators are doing pretty well, we've got two that we went to give them a baptismal date of January fifth, but they couldn't wait that longs so they insisted on Dec. 22 - they're progressing super well, and the only obstacle we may have is getting their parent's permission. This should go a lot better than last time they asked permission because now they have a much greater desire to be baptized and enter into a covenant with their Heavenly Father, so I think they will be successful in obtaining permission this time.
The other main group of investigators is over in Oceanside - they're referrals from our recent converts there who have been unofficially dubbed "seaside boys". My only worry is that they might just be joining because it's the fad or the cool thing to do right now - we'll do all we can to get them converted sufficiently to endure to the end. That's one of the things I have learned from working on trying to reactivate so many inactives- they were entertained and did what was needed to get through the gate of baptism and on that path towards salvation, but in order to endure to the end, they need to experience constant conversion - not just before baptism, but throughout their life. (to more fully understand "conversion", look it up in a dictionary as well as the bible dictionary)There are many people who develop enough to be baptized, but then later they are not converted enough to endure the spiritual storms and floods of life- for that, they need to not only build their lives upon the rock of our salvation, but also to continue to strengthen that foundation throughout their life through constant sincere prayer coupled with regular study of the word and humble pondering. If these things are lost and the focus on the gospel, God's plan for us here on Earth, is lost, then they are lost to the gospel, and as a result it along with the church become a burden instead of the blessing it can be if we are constantly becoming more converted to the Lord.
We all need to follow the warning of King Benjamin and "watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (Mosiah 4:30) We need to keep the natural man in check by always being anxiously engaged in a good cause; always striving to listen and follow the spirit, which will tell us what God wants us to do; we all know through the spirit what we should do - the only thing left is to have the commitment left to do it. Sometimes, there are people that served full missions or even as stake presidents that have still gone inactive and thus faltered off the path and need to be brought back in order to endure to the end. I just hope that I can magnify my calling as a missionary sufficiently and fulfill my responsibility and do my part in lifting where I stand. I will do all I can so that when judgment day comes, I will have done everything required and have no sins of commission or omission on my conscience, or in other words that no one will have suffered (spiritually) because I have insufficiently fulfilled my calling.
I am so thankful for this chance to consecrate these two years of myself to the Lord and his work.
a missionary of the Lord,
Elder Dallin Carlson
The Lord's work is going great here in Naga! I love working with Elder Seumanutafa - it's very different serving with a Polynesian companion, but that just means I have the chance to learn that much more and work/teach with a different person with a different way of doing things.
Our investigators are doing pretty well, we've got two that we went to give them a baptismal date of January fifth, but they couldn't wait that longs so they insisted on Dec. 22 - they're progressing super well, and the only obstacle we may have is getting their parent's permission. This should go a lot better than last time they asked permission because now they have a much greater desire to be baptized and enter into a covenant with their Heavenly Father, so I think they will be successful in obtaining permission this time.
The other main group of investigators is over in Oceanside - they're referrals from our recent converts there who have been unofficially dubbed "seaside boys". My only worry is that they might just be joining because it's the fad or the cool thing to do right now - we'll do all we can to get them converted sufficiently to endure to the end. That's one of the things I have learned from working on trying to reactivate so many inactives- they were entertained and did what was needed to get through the gate of baptism and on that path towards salvation, but in order to endure to the end, they need to experience constant conversion - not just before baptism, but throughout their life. (to more fully understand "conversion", look it up in a dictionary as well as the bible dictionary)There are many people who develop enough to be baptized, but then later they are not converted enough to endure the spiritual storms and floods of life- for that, they need to not only build their lives upon the rock of our salvation, but also to continue to strengthen that foundation throughout their life through constant sincere prayer coupled with regular study of the word and humble pondering. If these things are lost and the focus on the gospel, God's plan for us here on Earth, is lost, then they are lost to the gospel, and as a result it along with the church become a burden instead of the blessing it can be if we are constantly becoming more converted to the Lord.
We all need to follow the warning of King Benjamin and "watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (Mosiah 4:30) We need to keep the natural man in check by always being anxiously engaged in a good cause; always striving to listen and follow the spirit, which will tell us what God wants us to do; we all know through the spirit what we should do - the only thing left is to have the commitment left to do it. Sometimes, there are people that served full missions or even as stake presidents that have still gone inactive and thus faltered off the path and need to be brought back in order to endure to the end. I just hope that I can magnify my calling as a missionary sufficiently and fulfill my responsibility and do my part in lifting where I stand. I will do all I can so that when judgment day comes, I will have done everything required and have no sins of commission or omission on my conscience, or in other words that no one will have suffered (spiritually) because I have insufficiently fulfilled my calling.
I am so thankful for this chance to consecrate these two years of myself to the Lord and his work.
a missionary of the Lord,
Elder Dallin Carlson
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