June 30, 2014

Elder Low's report:

This week while studying in the Book of Mormon I became very interested in King Benjamin’s discourse found in chapter 2 of Mosiah, particularly where he, the beloved king of such a great people, speaks about his own nothingness before the Lord, and in comparison the greatness of God, and his mercy unto those who follow him:

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve [God] who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

24 ...[for] he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

I love these verses as it shows the great mercy of God. Without him we are nothing, and yet if we will follow him he will exalt us that we may come to live with him forever and ever.

This week I went on exchanges into the Doral area. By the time we got back to the house that night on that exchange I was sick. I had a very hard time doing simple things and I was extremely worried that it was going to impede my work the next day. As I was thinking about this near the end of the night, a thought came into my head, "ask for a blessing." I hadn't received a blessing since I left on my mission a year ago, and though I had thought about it in the past, I had usually brushed off the thought. Now I knew I needed it. I went over to my temporary companion Elder T. and asked him to give me a blessing. In the blessing he said that the Lord did not want me to get discouraged at that time, and said according to my faith I would be better by the morning. I worked hard to make sure I did everything that I needed to be obedient and worthy for the blessings, and I went to sleep knowing that I would wake up at 6:30 cured. I woke up at 4:20 to use the restroom and I was very sick still. I'm not going to lie, my faith fell at that point and I was really worried. A thought came into my head as I headed back to bed, "did the Lord split the red sea or didn't he?" Though I could not see the results I knew I needed to have faith to I went to sleep knowing God would heal me. That next day we went and worked hard, biking all across the city and had the best day we had had all week. We began to teach three new people who were entranced by the restoration and we committed 8 people to church. That morning I woke up that morning strengthened, not perfectly well but certainly healed, nearly all of my symptoms having left me. I know the Lord healed me both because of my faith and my desire to serve.

I know that if we honor God that He will strengthen us. He will give us more than we deserve. Out of the dust of the earth, from the humble and the weak, he will make prophets and servants. I know that truly this is God's work, and that as we seek his guidance he will bless us immensely.

Elder Low.