Hey Everyone,
These last few weeks have been great but crazy. We started teaching another Polynesian family who has been inactive for years and is starting to come back. It was fun to teach them CPR (Church, Prayer & Reading the scriptures object lesson) with cups and knives and teach them the basics of the gospel. We also got to attend a Polynesian stake conference, where members of an inactive family, that we have been working with, sang.
We also met another polynesian family which is a part member family. The dad said his goal is baptism and sealing which is exciting, but as we talked it became clear he has no real desire to change or take action. He is just saying that to appease his wife who is a member. We hope that one day he will recognize the love of his Heavenly Father and the spirit so he can be converted.
Unfortunately, many of our lessons got canceled this week, which was hard, but we kept on working and it has led to lots of cool experiences. Here are two;
Angel
While we were at the stake institute my companion felt prompted to attend a Book of Mormon class. Near the end, one of the people attending began asking some interesting questions and it became clear he was not a member. The institute teacher tried to teach him about baptism but it was going right over this guy’s head. The institute teacher is a brilliant man and has great scriptural knowledge but unfortunately, he wasn't keeping it simple. So, after class, we took over and basically taught the gospel of Jesus Christ with principles of the plan of salvation about life after death to him and a couple other young adults who stayed. As we taught, I could really feel the spirit as I testified of Christ's atonement and simple truths. By the end, he was in tears and my hands were shaking from the force of the spirit on my body. It was a powerful experience!
He said he would be gone for two weeks for sales, but he wanted to learn more when he came back.
Basher
On an exchange with Elder Barney (one of my previous companions) we ran into a Christian pastor. His wife welcomed us into their home and then went in the other room, while we spoke to her husband. He has similar views to most of the Christian world but a few incorrect views on our church. We tried to correct his knowledge of the church, resolve his concerns and bear testimony. Unfortunately, the conversation turned into a bash where he tried to prove our church wrong with the New Testament. As he spoke, I could feel the spirit leave the room. I wanted nothing more than to show him the truth and defend our beliefs, so I kind of went off on him. Scriptures and principles would come to my mind and I would speak the words which were given to me. He would bring up a point and I would show him how he was wrong, so he would switch to his next one. By the end I think I had officially confounded the man and angered his wife (who was shouting random ideas from another room, to which I occasionally responded to). Elder Barney finished it up by bearing his testimony and handing the man a copy of the book of Mormon. Probably not much will come out of it, they have pretty hard hearts, but it was the best we could do. Usually in a bash no one wins, and no one is convinced, because contention causes the spirit to leave. But after we left, me and my companion both agreed we could feel the spirit prompting us as we were talking and testifying.
We also had the pleasure of attending a multi stake event where the Reeves spoke. They talked a lot about the importance of the temple and overcoming trials through Christ. It was great to hear from their experiences since they have served as mission and temple presidents/matron.
On a hard note, our senior couple has been struggling with heart problems and he just got surgery, which is good, but due to the severity of the surgery, is being released. Our new senior couple who was supposed to take their place, got covid right before they came into the field. So they are quarantined for the next two weeks.
Speaking of bad luck, our roommates have the worst luck with popped bike tires. One of them has averaged three popped tires a week! So we worked overtime last week to secure tubes and 'slime' them to decrease this issue.
We attended an institute class on the miracle of forgiveness, and it was interesting to study the importance of forgiving everyone. In the Doctrine and Covenants, God declared he would forgive who he chose to forgive, but we are required to forgive everyone. That led me to ask, “Why is it so important that we forgive everyone when God gets to choose?”
Here are some of my notes: One of the conditions of repentance is a broken heart. When one is unwilling to forgive they are unwilling to give up unchristlike emotions within their heart. When one is unwilling to forgive, they become unwilling to repent. Forgiveness is a gift from God. Being able to forgive is also a gift from God. May we never deny this Gift and Grace from God. May we ever allow others to climb back from the depths of the darkness they lie in. Christ suffered unconditionally for all, even if they wouldn't accept his sacrifice. He will never ask us to take on that burden, but He will ask us to forgive everyone even if they don't accept our forgiveness so we can learn from it. The Lord is bound by the laws of Justice and mercy. He will forgive all that He can forgive, He will forgive as much as people allow Him to forgive. In fact, He will forgive us more than we can forgive ourselves. However, we are not bound by those laws. We will feel the effects of the laws, but we can choose who we extend justice and mercy to in this life. However, we do not have the knowledge that God has, we do not have the justice and compassion He has. We are asked to forgive everyone for we know not what they go through. In the end all things will be made fair. If you want to be fully forgiven, we must strive to be fully forgiving. We must learn that the one hundred pence forgiveness we are asked to give will be nothing in comparison to the 10,000 talent forgiveness God will give. If God didn't ask us to forgive everyone, then we wouldn't learn forgiveness like He wants us to. He would be asking/allowing us to retain non-christ like attributes within our heart. God always asks the highest standard. He can't/won't ask for less than perfection because no unclean thing can enter into his presence. Not reaching the standard is why we have repentance. If trials are a main part of mortality then repentance and forgiveness are of equal importance to learning. But God will never ask something of us he wouldn't do himself.
This week during zone conference, our mission president went off on the doctrine of eternal life, exaltation, and damnation. It was cool because I had just studied that topic the last couple of weeks and had given a training on it in zone council, so he was repeateding a lot of things I had learned in my studies. We talked a lot about the importance of the law (commandments and justice) which does bring punishment, but also they are the way that God rewards his children and helps them feel joy. Unfortunately, in today's society many people think the commandments are just suggestions. Or many believe that they can just remove the law to avoid punishment. We are so blessed to have a comprehensive view of the law of salvation and reasons behind God's ways.
Also, in my studies I have been compiling and studying the names of Christ. So far, I have a list of over 350 and it’s still growing. It’s been amazing to see the scope of how much even just His names and titles encompass everything. From His name in Hebrew "YHWH" (Jehovah), to his most common names like "Jesus the Christ" to less well-known names like "Mediator of the New Covenant".
It has been incredible serving in Utah and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Hope everyone is doing well.
Elder Cluff
Picture of the Mt Timpanogos temple
