WHAT???!!!

This week was pretty nuts. My patience has been tested A LOT this week. It has caused me to reflect on my favorite quote. "The dye has been cast! I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slowdown, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear! I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up stored up, and paid up of the cause of Christ. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until I know, and work until He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."-Henry b. Eyring 

That statement above is what I strive to become some day. As I work every day to give my all to him, no holding back, I know that he will bless me in the end. 

We have been finding for 7 weeks strait, and have found only 3 investigators. This seems discouraging, yes. But here is the reality of the situation. It's not that the Lord is building JUST an area. But that he is building me for the area, he is building an instrument that fits the area perfectly. I have come to the realization that I may not be finding people, but that I am following what the Lord needs me to do. The crowning moment here is this: Friday Night Elder Amosa and I were planning and looking for a nice neighborhood to tract in for the next day. Saturday night is the perfect night 7pm. Everyone is home. We planned for  Spring Hill about 25 miles away from Louisburg. We have been having great success in Spring Hill so we were ready to hit some nice neighborhoods. (Maybe find a Family!) After we ended our planning session we prayed. I distinctly remember saying in that prayer "Lord, if we need to change ANY plans for tomorrow, or if something isn't right, will thou make it known unto us?". Saturday night rolls around and we come to the place where we had previously picked. But, something felt off, I felt something  saying "go home, it's not looking good out". Yes, the sky was Black. and lightning was hitting every 20 seconds. But we were used to that, lightning hits but, it's miles away. I played it off as the adversary and kept walking. But then a gut wrenching feeling hit me. "Go Home" I thought it's only 7:30. That's waaaayyyy too early. But following the feeling of pain in my gut, came the warm feeling of the Holy Ghost. Almost saying, "Trust me". We head back to the apartment and it's just pouring rain. I couldn't see 2 feet infront of me the whole way, but the feeling never left. I felt comfort in knowing that we were going to be okay. We get home and the rain stops, the wind settles, and my confusion increased. I was dumb founded. It was about 8:30 now, and I was not going to give up just yet, I was going to be a 9pm missionary, or even better a 9:30pm missionary.. But as soon as I stepped out of the apartment we received a text from a member, saying that "We are under tornado watch, and have been for the past 2 hours. We have had 17 touchdowns throughout the area. Keep an ear out for sirens, and come over immediately if you hear them. I have shelter for you here." My confusion settled, and it occurred to me that It wasn't about what I wanted to do (following out my plans on finding a family) But it was what the Lord needed us to do. There aren't very many members that we could have gone to out in Spring Hill, but Louisburg had a member right down the street from us. I would like to tell you that a Tornado struck, and that something wicked awesome happened like something from the movie "Twister" (although it felt like it for a moment) but nothing happened. The lesson was this: If we had done what WE wanted to do, we might have had a bad experience, and even though nothing big happened from it, I have comfort in knowing that I did what the Lord needed me to do, and that it was only for my safety. He blessed us with 3 new investigators the next day, in the exact same neighborhood we planned for on Saturday. 

I bear my Testimony that God is all knowing and all powerful. His great plan of happiness will lead us back to Him if we follow the path Jesus Christ has made available to us. I bear testimony that the Book of Mormon is the work of God. He directs his work through living Prophets. I bear witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Atonement is not a general thing that is for the whole Church. The Atonement is Individual, for you and for me. It is so personal, so cleansing, and if we are sincere; it will change us, not just our behavior, but our Nature. I can't tell you all of the logistics of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. But I can tell you this: I have felt the cleansing power of the atonement, when I feel like I have given up all my energy and strength in this work. Somehow, I can press on, and I know that it is our Lord and Master, Carrying me through it. I can conquer fear, because I know that the Lord is with me wherever I go. 

      

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-Elder Greenburg

Missouri Independence Mission