Our mini-missionary finished last Friday after a week. It was a very tender parting, and he wept. His mini-mission truly was a miniature mission. His first day out in the field (monday) -- although we only GQed for 2 hours -- he had difficulty talking to people, and felt depressed. Nevertheless, he stuck it through. The second day was a little better (not much), but then the third and fourth days, he really began to enjoy GQing! He felt confidence, from having gained a few skills in GQing, and found a lot of joy. Additionally, we had many miracles, every day, which helped edify him even in his times of weakness. At nights, he said, there were more things to write in his journal than he had ever had in his life -- despite feeling, at other times, that time passes so slowly. And before you know it, it was his last day. This is what a mission is like.
On Thursday, Sports Night went well -- this week we had attendance of about 33, about 25 of whom were Chinese. This is an increase in over 35% from the week before! (When you use percentages to measure differences in small numbers, it makes it seem more impressive :D )
On Sunday, we experienced great disappointment when our investigator with a baptismal date text us 30 minutes before church that she wasn't going to come, without giving a complete reason why. Two other investigators also canceled -- one simply didn't show up or respond to calls, and the other told us shortly before that she had something come up. We walked into the Sacrament room feeling a little more frustrated and somber than usual.
But, as often is the case -- God knows when we can withstand trials, and also when we need miracles to sustain our faith. He knows exactly how much we can take, and as long as we remain faithful, He will always strengthen us. Not long after, three other investigators or ours walked into church! One of them was invited by their roommate, who is a member. Another, we had met the day before, and the last, we met several weeks ago. So our miracle was that while 3 people canceled for church, 3 others came in their place. :D
That is about everything that is note worthy that happened this week. Since this email is rather short, however, I suppose I can use this opportunity instead to write about something different.
My mother asked me last week to choose a favorite scripture to place on a plaque, like many wards do back home. Since my ward didn't when I left, I haven't had one, nor have I really tried to choose just one scripture that would represent myself, or my mission, etc. But, by asking me to provide one now, I have had to think about that.
I believe, if I had been asked at the beginning of my mission, I would have provided the scripture in Moroni 1:3: "And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life." Although growing up and attending all four years of seminary, there was rarely any scripture that really grabbed me (most likely because I was usually not paying attention -- I was a fairly poor student...) One year, however, I had a great seminary teacher, who read this scripture to us and invited all of us to replace "Moroni" with our own name. Can we do it? He taught us about Moroni and bore powerful testimony. I felt the Spirit, and I truly longed to be able, one day, to say "And I, Elder Ladd, will not deny the Christ," for at that time, I wasn't sure if I could.
Fast forward to the MTC. In the MTC, I read the Book of Mormon -- not for the first time, as I had read it before, but there first time in such a way a missionary would: awake, alert, taking notes, spending time, pondering, praying, etc. As such, it certainly felt like I was reading it for the first time. One day, there was a scripture that stood out above all of the others, almost exactly half-way through the Book of Mormon, in Alma 28:14: "And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life." How great is my calling! How diligent we must be! How diligent will we want to be! How joyful is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think this is when I felt the "big picture" of missionary work resonate inside of me. Later on in my mission, I studied this scripture, and discovered how there is only one choice we have in life, as it says in 2 Nephi 2:27: liberty and eternal life, or captivity and death.
Throughout my mission, many other scriptures have called out to me and changed something inside of me. In total, I have read the Book of Mormon six times on my mission, and I am on track to finish it a seventh time this month. But when my mom asked me to provide just one, I finally settled on D&C 128:19. One day, as I was watching the "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" Film, in the final scene, as the mob assaults Carthage Jail, I heard beautiful words, like a psalm. At the time, I wasn't sure if this was a scripture, or a quote of Joseph Smith, or something else entirely, but after searching long and hard, I found them in D&C 128:19:
"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received?
A voice of gladness!
A voice of mercy from heaven;
and a voice of truth out of the earth;
glad tidings for the dead;
a voice of gladness for the living and the dead;
glad tidings of great joy.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth!
As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!"
Later, Joseph writes: "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"
Take care, brothers and sisters, and on, on to the victory.
Elder J. Colton Ladd
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