Did the Savior ask to feel what sinners feel in the Garden of Gethsamane?

Mission Blog Sept  15, 2012

Once it a while I check out the FaceBook pages.  That seems to be how we actually find out any news from home, except for our wonderful Bishop Gordon Whitehead.  I was saddened to see a young friend, of about 40, face book statement.  It is not the first one, where he has attacked the church.  He likes to brag about how monetarily successful he is, been in a Bishopric, etc, etc.  But he is very critical of the church, and is on a kick that they lie about being open and honest.  Then he surfs the internet for anything that concerns this.  He is gathering quite a following.  I have seen his page before and usually don’t even stop to read, but today I did.  When members begin to attack the church, you bet your bottom boots there is a reason behind it.  The reason being an unresolved sin.  And when they accuse the church of a flaw, especially about being open and honest, I wonder just how open and honest they really are.  What does it really tell you about this person.

So, I left a message, asking if he gave the Book of Mormon and study and prayer equal time to his aimless research.

In today’s world, with all of its temptations, we cannot afford to squander time delving into information that will lead us away from God.  We have to give the time to develop faith, by reading and prayerfully studying the scriptures and the word of God.

Elder Storrer and I have had quite an interesting week.

We look at the notes all of our fore missionaries have left regarding the less active.  So the Bishop gives them a list to visit, or they just get a ward list and do it on their own.   We don’t know.  We only know that the results are always the same.  “Not interested at this time.”   Or “It has no value.”  Or “I made some bad decisions in my life and don’t go to church because I feel guilty.”  Or “I had my feelings hurt, and refuse to forgive so and so, and will never go to church as long as he/she is in church.”

So we have analyzed it carefully, pulling from the scriptures,  Alma 31 talks about Alma and his brethren first praying for the missionary spirit, and then praying that they can touch the hearts of the Zoramites.  They never touched one heart -----until they meet those, “poor in heart.”  Because they were poor they had been kicked out of the Synagogues that they had built with their own hands.  They had no place to worship.  “They had a need.”  And so Alma and his brethren were able to teach them.

In working with a less active JAE and trying to get to know her (she is 18 and living with her nonmember boyfriend, whose father is a member) we invited to her to dinner, but she declined telling us, “it has no value.”  This is considered a big put down, that no one, in good company would say.  So as the unknown missionary we tried.  Oh did we try, going to her residence over and over again until we found her home.  Well we had been encouraged by those who know her, believing from some of her recent activity in the church, that she was ready.

That tells us that as a missionary couple we are here 18 mo to 2 years, as strangers from America.  They do not know us, and will say to us, what they would never say to an acquaintance.  And the Bishop gives us the same list as he did the other missionary couple to get them out of his hair.

Well, it is going to be different.  The Bishop was put on alert last Wednesday in the ward council meeting.  When the younger missionaries reported, he asked how many members had they been using in their discussions.  Well we know that missionaries have a hard time getting members to participate.  The Bishop, rightly, told them that he wanted them to use the members more.  In one of our district meetings, we had actually discussed that topic.  It was decided that part of the members problem is they don’t know what is expected of them.  Members either sit there frozen in silence or go off on some rambling tangent.  If they would roll play and help them understand how they can be used effectively in a particular lesson, like bearing their testimony as to what had been said.   Yet the missionaries seem to have a problem with working with the members, so that they can be prepared.  It is more of a last minute thing.  We were talking with a senior couple yesterday who said that they had been going with the missionaries as members, but their Branch President, a very young returned missionary in Solvania, told them that he did not want them doing that.  It was important that the members become involved as they are the ones required to fellowship them.

The missionaries watch the videos of Preach My Gospel, and love and learn, but they seem to miss that those missionaries bear “bold” testamonies. 

So back to us.  Elder Storrer suddenly was having problems speaking German, and the Bishop said, “Perhaps it would be okay if we spoke in English.  In that room was one man who does not speak a fair amount of English.  It was a blessing for it allowed me to know exactly what they were talking about and contribute.  The Lord has promised me that I would have what I need when I needed it.  I pretty much told them quickly about Alma 31-32.  Bishop Schubert did not seem to happy and a little impatient when I started on the scripture. But I just ignored him. Then I told them, “People are not converted to the gospel of Christ, unless they have a need.”  As strangers we do not know what the needs of the less actives are.  Surely there are members here who know them, and can help us.  We cannot do, as strangers, what the members and people they know can do.  We are willing to work with the members, but without them we will just continue to do what every other missionary couple has done, with exactly the same results.  There were those in the room who grasped the picture quickly.  Brüder Brunner, the High Priest Group leader kept nodding his head.  Brüder Denng, in the Bishopric just stared at me.  But you could see in his eyes that he felt the spirit, because I felt the spirit as I spoke.  I knew that they were not my words, but the words the Lord would have me say. I asked for a possible list of people who knew them. I mentioned Samaia, the 18 year old, and reminded them, that she is the perfect example of how successful we will be if we just go through the motions.

Elder Storrer spoke up and said, “Our goal is to have success.”

Elisha Grünnaur, the other counselor, suggested exactly what we were fishing for—a home teaching and visiting teaching list.   While Brüder Dengg  commented, “Do they even have home and visiting teachers.

Brüder Fegg, the Elder’s quorum president agreed to create a list.  Now we have to get the RS to produce one, and they were not represented that evening.

In the past we have always had to wait, and I am sure this is no different.  So we will continue to formulate our plan and move ahead in a different direction for a second confirmation.

But as we have studied the scriptures, and been preparing and planning.  We have talked a lot about needs and talking to our Heavenly Father about it.  We have also talked about praying to understand how they feel.  Elder Storrer and I had a disagreement the night before.  I feel that without the language, I am always walking around the parameters.  And I like a little independence but more than that I feel that I have to constantly fight for my individualism.  This is not the first time in our marriage that this problem has arisen, so I will not let it go as far as it had before.  Well Norm went to the Lord and asked if he could feel how I feel.  He was shocked and frightened to find that it leaves me with a very empty feeling.  I thought about that as I took my shower and realized that yes it does leave me empty, because when I feel that my individuality is being tugged from me, I do feel empty.  I feel that I am not me.   But it was a very interesting experience because this came out of it.

When the Savior was in the Garden of Gethsemane did He ask the Father to let him feel how the sinner feels.  We know that Joseph Smith had to study and constantly ask.  Is that how the Savior, who had been sin free learn the last great lesson He had to learn? Before he paid for the sins of the world.

Just something to ponder. 

You will have what you need when you need it, God's promise

Mission Experiences  Sep 11, 2012-09-11

This has been one faith promoting experience after an other.

I have have been reading “Articles of Faith” by Talmage.  I have been reading about the fourth article of Faith, and about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel which begin with Faith.  He points out that belief is passive,  Even the Devil’s believe.  But it takes Faith the action word  to really understand.  It takes work to have Faith. 

So anyway, last Friday I lost my little credit card holder.  I keep it in the safest place in my purse.  Saturday Norm asked for my Vorteills Card to purchase the tickets to go to München for a missionary conference, where we were going to have the wonderful opportunity to listen and be taught by an Apostle of our Savior, Elder Russell M. Nelson.  He is also the father of our Mission President’s wife.  Well I went to my purse, in my very safe pocket and it was not there.  We tore the house apart looking for it and then tried to retrace our steps mentally.  And we also offered up prayer.  We knew I had had it Friday as I used the Metro card.  I finally remembered while we were out in Eugendorf I had gotten it out to give Norm the Vorteill’s Karte as he was going to go to the Bahnhoff to purchase the tickets when we got back later in the afternoon.  I went to bed Saturday believing I would toss and turn all night but I slept peacefully the whole night.  I knew that I would find that purse. 

When we were set apart for our mission, I was praying that I would learn the language.  Instead our Heavenly Father knew my needs more than I did and blessed me that I would have what I needed when I needed it.  It has been the most marvelous blessing of our mission.  A couple times I have felt panic, but He has kept his promise.  And when I shouldn’t have it, I don’t.  So as I told Elder Storrer, he has not let me down yet.  Oh, I prayed fervently all right.

But I was not worried.  Since it was the weekend we had to wait until Monday.  I had to prepare for an open house, so I could not dwell on it Saturday  Sunday, I had to accompany the Elders who sang in Sacrament Meeting, (They did a great job, even with my mistakes, which fortunately were minor.)  Then we served the Elders and Heinz a new convert the left overs for lunch, adding some small maltaschen to go with the Mariana sauce.  We went to visit Sister Thibaut our shut-in, and she suggested that we go to the City Magistrate’s office.  If it was found there we were required to leave a 10% of value amount for the finder.  Elder Storrer kept feeling we should go back to metro as that was the only card that could be identified with an address, however, the address is in Wien.  Well we did both, to know avail.

So we prayed again and decided to go out to Eugendorf, about 15 km to the two stores we stopped to check out.  We went to Kikas.  When we left I suggested we pray again.  We were out of ideas with only Lufts left.  We stopped at the cash register and she said she believed something had been turned in and to check at the information desk.  As soon as she saw my name tag she got excited.  I had dropped it in the parking lot, probably when I got out of the car.  I had not put it back in it’s safe place.

I knew we would find it and it would be a miracle.  See our Father in Heaven always keeps his promises.

And then today was a wonderful and warm experience.  The spirit was so strong.  There were three of the zones represented.  Tomorrow they will be in Zurich, and I believe they leave on the 13^th.

He did a lot of question and answer.  They had emailed all of the seniors and asked us not to ask any questions.  Well he asked for questions of the young missionaries, and he kept saying that they were good questions.  And they were.  One young man asked how he could be an affective missionary, and he worried about remaining faithful after his mission as he had friends who went completely inactive after theirs.  He told he wanted him to answer his own question, which came down to keep doing what he was doing now.  Praying and studying his scriptures and planning his life.  Then he told how disappointed he was to see how so many of those missionaries return home and go scruffy.  He said, “It is not a good reflection on their attitude.”

But he brought up some ideas about missionary work that goes along with how Norm and I are viewing it.  And then in our Zone meeting after lunch,  a young elder brought it up and Elder Storrer was able to reiterate it later.  Read Alma 31, I believe starting with verse 12.  Then go to Alma 32.  First they prayed for the spirit and asked their Father in Heaven to touch the hearts of the Zoramites.  They did not convert a one-----Until those Poor of heart came to them.  They were not even allowed to worship in the Synagogues that they had built with their own hands.  They had no place to worship.  They had a need.

People are not converted until they have a need.  We run in to it all the time, even less actives.

We had been trying to work with a young JAE, who is living with her boyfriend.  She gave Norm the brush off back in April, but since it appeared she was reachable.  Well we made contact, told her we would like to get to know her and Sabastian a little better.  He is not LDS, but his father is.  She said, “call about a good time in September.  Well when Norm called her she said, one of the rudest things one can say in German, “It has no value.”  She thought she was sending an insult to us, but we were only representing the Lord, so she pretty much told him “that it has no value.”

My heart goes out to her for she thought she was clever, but she as no idea what she as done to herself.  God does not curse us, it is our actions that do.

So in setting our goals, we have decided we can go to the doors and meet with these people and get the same results our predecessor have gotten before us or try a new approach.  I will write about it’s success or failure in a different blog.  I just know we have to have faith in all things.  If we create and work at this with a lot of prayer, we will show our Father in Heaven our faith.  We will have what we need when we need it.

Pictures

My size of door.

So we returned to the Burghausen Castle in Germany

It is the longest Castle in Europe and probably the world.

An ancient garden

Living quarters

One of a number of arches.  I seemed to have missed posting one of the original large iron doors

There were roses planted around this church.

Old tree and trunk 

The short doors.  I believe probably so if the enemy entered he had to duck

and made him an easy target.

E. Storrer inside the castle, the round circles are old cannon balls

Their usual icon either as a babe held in Maria's arms or on the cross.

We never see a reserected Savior. 

Castle is on a ridge and this is behind the castle.  It is surrounded by water

One of the gothic arches.

There were piles of old cannon balls everywhere.  

The living area, and the outer walls

One of the chapels within it's walls.

Continued lessons in Missionary Work, and working with Members

September 9, 2012

Missionary work is hard enough but when one runs into logger heads because of Culture it is discouraging.

The standard here is Socialism.  If you are not using it, it belongs to others.  Sister Zaugg, had set a standard that I did not understand.  She had JAE things spread around the church, and much of it in cupboards that could not be found or used by the members because it was under lock and key.  I gathered it all up and organized it neatly in a box in the allotted cupboard.

We had a baptism two weeks ago, and after the baptism I watched them using the disposable plates, and other items from the closet.  Well I was glad that they had felt comfortable using things.  But then I was a little chagrined  when they left the reusable items just sitting in the kitchen.  I was even a little disturbed, when Heinz the man who was baptized was cleaning up.

I noticed that they had just shoved the unused stuff back in the box.  So later in the week I went into to organize and was really disturbed and in shock.  The JAE had not been meeting at all since the middle of July.  I needed the napkins and found that Sister Zaugg's huge stash of napkins were almost depleated.  I had purchase straws for the JAE, the bag had been torn open, and the straws were dumped out.  I had purchased some plastic dipping cups, but change of program had not even opened the box, and they were gone.  Also the box was totally disorganized as they had pawed through it.  The foils and wraps and boxes of plastic bags had been thrown around.  These were from JAE funds.

Well I was read y to get one of our carry all plastic boxes and haul everything down to the computers that are locked up.  But as we talked about it, Elder Storrer laughed and said, "they live the united order."  But then he added,  actually this is Socialism.  They are required to share.  They really don't know any different.

Then I thought of all the extra stuff that I had gathered up, and realized that Sister Zaugg had such a large stash of knives and forks, and other stuff, that she herself had probably gathered up a lot of left over stuff, believing that she was saving JAE funds.  So some of the stuff they had used probably belonged to them anyway.  So the only thing I am really disturbed about now is the stuff that I have in the past purchased and set in the kitchen for JAE use on a Sunday, All put together in a box. It was all there for an obvious purpose. yet some sister decided she wanted my green hot sauce and took it..

I remember the other CES couples complaining that if they put anything in the church fridge a day early that the YM and YW program would eat it, even if they labeled it for JAE use only.  Now I realize that it is just their way of life and we have to work around it.

Even the Saints here are against Romney because he is a conservative.  We do our best to avoid any political discussion, so they say to our face.  They don't understand Americans at all.  Of course not they moved through Kaizer's, Natzism, and now Socialism.  They have "vacation time,"  It is about 8 weeks from middle of July through August.  Everyone are required to take their vacations then.  They might as well shut down Austria at that tijme.  And then we see those required to take 5 months of vacation because they had a baby.   And at a very reduced rate of what they normally make.  Then we see the tax 50% to support the nonworkers.  Yet they cannot understand why we cling to a piece of paper, "The constitution."  Many admit that they really don't understand Americans.  Well we have no choice but to cater to Socialism, and believe me the Freedom of America has become more precious to us.    It is hard to watch things unfold in America because we see the bad side of it here.  These people really don't have a clue and want for America what they have here.  Thank goodness none of them can vote.