Becoming a Witness to Grace
Date
January 16, 2017
Area
Burleson Ward
Companion
Elder Matthew Newey
Becoming a Witness to Grace
What to say about this week... It flew by really fast! The weeks seem
like they keep getting shorter and shorter. It blows my mind how fast
they can go by. Best make the most of it.
I got the letter in the mail that contains my flight plans and what
President Whitney would like in my final letter to him. I am so glad
that it was sent 3 months before I go home because I have no idea what
I want to write haha. I am looking at some pondering time coming up
before I sit down to write it.
We met with Violet this week and it was pretty good. She has a lot of
questions, mostly about things the sacrament and priesthood. She kinda
gets some things mixed up between her previous faith. She is
definitely being converted. She loves the gospel even though she does
not understand it all. She also is teaching her kids the gospel. She
even came to church on her own!
Our zone council was awesome! We established a vision that we talked
about with you and the zone was very receptive. I am excited to see
the miracles that will come.
On Friday we did a service at the nursing home in our area. We did a
bible study. We were not teaching them, we are just spreading the word
of God. The residents loved it! We taught about being children of God.
It was a powerful experience. We are probably going to be back every
Friday to share a lesson.
Our stake President's vision for this stake is to didnt he less-active
members and bring them back. Elder Foster, the area seventy over this
area said that there is another stake within the membership of this
stake already and a that we can have a new stake in five years. Now it
is up to us to make that happen. I am so excited to see what happens.
We are setting the foundation for the stake from now on!
One thing that I have learned about while being here in TX is grace.
Now, most people down here love grace – and we all should! After all,
grace is the power of God which brings us back into His presence,
gives us our bodies back and helps us to overcome our trials while
here in this mortal existence. Grace is wonderful! Grace overcomes the
effects of the fall. However, if we do not use grace to change our
nature then we cannot stay in the presence of our Creator. This is
where our beliefs and those of others differ.
Now when I was studying this topic after realizing that I could not
teach it with clarity, I came to wonder how do we receive the grace of
Christ into our lives? How does it operate and change us? Then I made
this connection: the Holy Ghost helps us through gifts of the spirit
such as the spirit of revelation, healing, discernment, charity, hope,
faith, diligence etc. Things that we would not be able to do if left
to our own strength or means. That means that we receive grace by
being in tune with the spirit. So that answers part of the question.
The part that remains unanswered is how do we let it operate in our
lives? The answer to that is simple. It is the doctrine of Christ.
Faith, repentance, making and keeping covenants to receive the Holy
Ghost and continue to keeping the commandments or in other words,
enduring to the end. What I think is so cool is literally everything
that we do in this church is to remain worthy for the companionship of
the Holy Ghost and to receive it in greater abundance. Now, if you
would like an awesome study on that, read Elder David A. Bednar's talk
entitled "Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins." That talk is
fantastic! It will help us understand the way that the Holy Ghost
helps us in staying clean from the stains of sin.
I had an experience in my mission that, in retrospect, taught me how
to obtain grace. I was going through a rough time as sometimes happens
during missionary service, and I found myself, praying intensely and
with real intent everyday during every prayer that I offered. I
searched the word of God everyday with a hunger for comfort and
understanding. Because of this, because I was constantly seeking after
God, I was choosing to humble myself enough to rely on the Lord for
everything. And I felt it. Heavenly Father helped me through it and
not just making it through to the other end, but He helped me learn
and grow while experiencing a trying time. I am a witness that God
does strengthen you to help you overcome your trials. I wouldn't be
the person who I am without it. I have been changed by the grace of
God. I am in no means a perfect man, nor am I close. But I am better
than I was yesterday and hope for the same tomorrow. If you want to
learn more about grace because this obviously isn't everything about
it, then I would study it out in my mind. Studying the doctrine of
Christ alongside grace and with grace in mind, you will learn the same
things that I have learned. So go and search it out for yourself. ;)
Grace is a wonderful thing to come to understand even a little bit.
Keep the Faith and Hurrah for Israel! Love y'all!
Love, Elder Jefferies
It was super duper foggy over the weekend. It was pretty cool!
like they keep getting shorter and shorter. It blows my mind how fast
they can go by. Best make the most of it.
I got the letter in the mail that contains my flight plans and what
President Whitney would like in my final letter to him. I am so glad
that it was sent 3 months before I go home because I have no idea what
I want to write haha. I am looking at some pondering time coming up
before I sit down to write it.
We met with Violet this week and it was pretty good. She has a lot of
questions, mostly about things the sacrament and priesthood. She kinda
gets some things mixed up between her previous faith. She is
definitely being converted. She loves the gospel even though she does
not understand it all. She also is teaching her kids the gospel. She
even came to church on her own!
Our zone council was awesome! We established a vision that we talked
about with you and the zone was very receptive. I am excited to see
the miracles that will come.
On Friday we did a service at the nursing home in our area. We did a
bible study. We were not teaching them, we are just spreading the word
of God. The residents loved it! We taught about being children of God.
It was a powerful experience. We are probably going to be back every
Friday to share a lesson.
Our stake President's vision for this stake is to didnt he less-active
members and bring them back. Elder Foster, the area seventy over this
area said that there is another stake within the membership of this
stake already and a that we can have a new stake in five years. Now it
is up to us to make that happen. I am so excited to see what happens.
We are setting the foundation for the stake from now on!
One thing that I have learned about while being here in TX is grace.
Now, most people down here love grace – and we all should! After all,
grace is the power of God which brings us back into His presence,
gives us our bodies back and helps us to overcome our trials while
here in this mortal existence. Grace is wonderful! Grace overcomes the
effects of the fall. However, if we do not use grace to change our
nature then we cannot stay in the presence of our Creator. This is
where our beliefs and those of others differ.
Now when I was studying this topic after realizing that I could not
teach it with clarity, I came to wonder how do we receive the grace of
Christ into our lives? How does it operate and change us? Then I made
this connection: the Holy Ghost helps us through gifts of the spirit
such as the spirit of revelation, healing, discernment, charity, hope,
faith, diligence etc. Things that we would not be able to do if left
to our own strength or means. That means that we receive grace by
being in tune with the spirit. So that answers part of the question.
The part that remains unanswered is how do we let it operate in our
lives? The answer to that is simple. It is the doctrine of Christ.
Faith, repentance, making and keeping covenants to receive the Holy
Ghost and continue to keeping the commandments or in other words,
enduring to the end. What I think is so cool is literally everything
that we do in this church is to remain worthy for the companionship of
the Holy Ghost and to receive it in greater abundance. Now, if you
would like an awesome study on that, read Elder David A. Bednar's talk
entitled "Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins." That talk is
fantastic! It will help us understand the way that the Holy Ghost
helps us in staying clean from the stains of sin.
I had an experience in my mission that, in retrospect, taught me how
to obtain grace. I was going through a rough time as sometimes happens
during missionary service, and I found myself, praying intensely and
with real intent everyday during every prayer that I offered. I
searched the word of God everyday with a hunger for comfort and
understanding. Because of this, because I was constantly seeking after
God, I was choosing to humble myself enough to rely on the Lord for
everything. And I felt it. Heavenly Father helped me through it and
not just making it through to the other end, but He helped me learn
and grow while experiencing a trying time. I am a witness that God
does strengthen you to help you overcome your trials. I wouldn't be
the person who I am without it. I have been changed by the grace of
God. I am in no means a perfect man, nor am I close. But I am better
than I was yesterday and hope for the same tomorrow. If you want to
learn more about grace because this obviously isn't everything about
it, then I would study it out in my mind. Studying the doctrine of
Christ alongside grace and with grace in mind, you will learn the same
things that I have learned. So go and search it out for yourself. ;)
Grace is a wonderful thing to come to understand even a little bit.
Keep the Faith and Hurrah for Israel! Love y'all!
Love, Elder Jefferies
It was super duper foggy over the weekend. It was pretty cool!
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