Sanderson Family, 4/22/2013
Another great week has passed here in the arid desert of
Laredo,Texas. Haha we got news last week and turns out that I am going to stay
here another transfer with Elder Wilding! So stoked! He is an awesome
companion and we will do awesome things this coming transfer.
This week we found 2 awesome families that are so prepared to
act upon this wonderful gospel message. They both have the same last name, the
Villarreals. They are wonderful people and so willing to put their faith into
action. One of them we found this Thursday while looking for a former
investigator. We knocked on the door and the father (Miguel) let us right in
before we could say anything. It’s a family of 7, 4 of which are baptismal age.
They all eagerly accepted the baptismal date for the 19th of May. The other
family was a referral from a recent convert from the San Isidro sisters. They
had already been taught by missionaries before and wanted to come closer
through Christ. We simply taught that baptism was the way, so they also
accepted to be baptized on the 19th of May. I need you to keep Miguel's family
in your prayers though. They are in a pretty crazy situation. Miguel drives
semis for a living and this last Saturday he was hauling a shipment and turns
out there were drugs in it. He called the authorities and they took care of
everything. The only problem is that the drugs were being smuggled by a Cartel
called the "Zetas". They are CRAZY people and so you don't want to
mess with them. So they found out that their shipment went wrong and are now
looking for him. So he and his family are in hiding right now so please pray
for their safety :)
This week was also interviews with President Trayner. What an
awesome man and such an example for me. We talked about the district and how we
could improve. He then asked me to speak with him this Sunday to the Spanish
branch here. They have been struggling with their missionary work for some time
now and so President and a few other missionaries throughout the meeting block
were assigned to speak on the importance of missionary work. I was assigned to
speak in Sacrament meeting on the commandment to be actively involved. Here are
some points of my talk that I wish to share with you today.
I love the quote by Spencer W. Kimball when he says,
"One must live, not only exist; he must do, not merely be; he must grow,
not just vegetate". At times as members of this Restored Church we
sometimes develop the mentality as if we can just vegetate or sit here, refrain
from doing evil, and expect blessings from our Heavenly Father. It is not so.
President Kimball states, " to break our sacred covenants we have already
made, one only needs to do nothing." We have all been enlisted...but
for what, and for how long? A few conferences ago Elder Holland taught us that
an encounter with the Savior marks the beginning of a Christ-like life, not the
end of it. We must be actively involved in this work along side the Lord of the
Vineyard. This work stretches on into the eternities and we must be a part of
it. All excuses of why we can't participate or help are irrelevant.
President Uchtdorf taught us, "We certainly cannot do
this with a dragging-our-feet, staring-at-our-watch, complaining-as-we-go
approach to discipleship. When it comes to living the gospel, we should
not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went
swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so
much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to
be." God has endowed us all with talents and time, with abilities
and with opportunities to develop them in His service. He therefore expects
much of us.
In the Book of Mormon, Ammon describes what he and his
companions experienced:
3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites,
were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them
are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing
which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the
hands of God to bring about this great work.
4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought
into the fold of God.
5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did
thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did
ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered
into the garners [temples--according to Elder Maxwell], that they are not wasted.
6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last
day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the
storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm
cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds
whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the
harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.
22 Yea, [the member missionary] that repenteth and exerciseth
faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing.
. . it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance,
even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our
brethren. . . , we go up to the land of [Laredo], to preach unto our brethren,
. . . , and they laughed us to scorn? (Alma 26:3-7, 22-23)
The harvest was plentiful for Ammon and his companion.
We live in such a day. Let us then follow the mandate from our Savior to the
Brother of Jared and "Go to Work" (Ether 2:16) This is a marvelous
work and a wonder, and we cannot just simply be bystanders as this work moves
forward.
con amor,
Elder Sanderson
Texas
McAllen Mission
