This is an article I enjoyed reading very much today that affirms that the True Church has no reason to be afraid of other religions, but can only gain from them. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we embrace all truth wherever it is found, even if it comes from Mohammed (gasp!). It's even in one of our articles of faith (#13):
" . . . If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
That is the joy of belonging to a Church which is run by revelation. We have our standard of Truth, and all other things can be compared to it. We can look at the good coming from all the world's philosophies and religions and learn and benefit from them all, while eschewing the bad.
But anyway, here is that article, written by Grant Hardy (whose book, Understanding the Book of Mormon, has been on my reading list for some time now): http://www.ldsmag.com/church/article/8058/page-12-5?ac=1.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
My Mission Call!
Well, the big news is in . . . I got my mission call last Friday. When I saw it in the mailbox I got VERY nervous/excited. I didn't know it would freak me out that much. It is a very important letter, after all! Inside that letter contained the information of where I will be spending two years of my life. Well, after waiting for my mom to get home, I went downstairs and couldn't wait to open it anymore. My girlfriend Sannah was with me and my friend Stephen, who baptized me, was on speaker phone from BYU-I. He was called to the Perú Arequipa Mission but unfortunately had to come home after only about two months. But he came home just in time to baptize me, so it all worked out! But he kept saying (jokingly) that I was going to be sent to Peru to "finish his work."
Anyway, as I opened the envelope, my hands were shaking, which I also didn't expect. I pulled out the paper and slowly read, "Dear Elder McDonough: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the . . . (I paused for dramatic and effect and because I couldn't believe what I was about to say):
. . . Perú Piura Mission!
Peru! Of course, Stephen was ecstatic. He is sure it is no coincidence, and I agree. At first I was a little surprised I was going to Peru, considering that because of my extreme gringo-ness I am going to be fried to a crisp in Piura, which--I'm not kidding--is called the ciudad de eterno calor, or the city of eternal heat. But now I believe the Holy Ghost has confirmed to me that Peru is exactly where I need to be. It seems strange that I'd be sent anywhere else. The Holy Ghost has a funny way of completely changing your way of thinking like that. In fact, that's how it was when I first gained a testimony of the Church, I could no longer even understand how I didn't believe the doctrines of the Church before. But anyway, I've been researching Piura quite a bit, and I am excited to be serving a mission there, but also sad for those who I will leave behind, especially my wonderful girlfriend of over two years. But the Lord has always required sacrifices of those who serve Him, and even taught that those who lose their lives for Him will gain them in the end. I believe Him, and I am happy to serve Him, because I know all the good that He can bring to people's lives through His restored Church.
Anyway, as I opened the envelope, my hands were shaking, which I also didn't expect. I pulled out the paper and slowly read, "Dear Elder McDonough: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the . . . (I paused for dramatic and effect and because I couldn't believe what I was about to say):
. . . Perú Piura Mission!
Peru! Of course, Stephen was ecstatic. He is sure it is no coincidence, and I agree. At first I was a little surprised I was going to Peru, considering that because of my extreme gringo-ness I am going to be fried to a crisp in Piura, which--I'm not kidding--is called the ciudad de eterno calor, or the city of eternal heat. But now I believe the Holy Ghost has confirmed to me that Peru is exactly where I need to be. It seems strange that I'd be sent anywhere else. The Holy Ghost has a funny way of completely changing your way of thinking like that. In fact, that's how it was when I first gained a testimony of the Church, I could no longer even understand how I didn't believe the doctrines of the Church before. But anyway, I've been researching Piura quite a bit, and I am excited to be serving a mission there, but also sad for those who I will leave behind, especially my wonderful girlfriend of over two years. But the Lord has always required sacrifices of those who serve Him, and even taught that those who lose their lives for Him will gain them in the end. I believe Him, and I am happy to serve Him, because I know all the good that He can bring to people's lives through His restored Church.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Mission Papers Submitted, School Over, Back in Missouri
So... I've been so busy I just feel dazed. The last week of school I did my finals, went to the dentist, got a physical, got sized for suits for my mission, spent a couple days in Southern Utah at the San Rafael Swell, and drove from Logan all the way back to Missouri. In one week! Of course, the most exciting thing of all this is that I officially submitted my mission papers. They were submitted to SLC from my Stake President on Friday, the 7th. It was so nerve-racking when I finally hit that "submit" button at the bottom of the online missionary application... I knew I'd finally know where I was going so soon after that! And, it's true. My bishop texted me today and told me my call has been mailed, just a week later. I can't believe it! I can't believe I'm going to know where I'm going to spend the next two years so soon, because it feels like I have been waiting for and thinking about it for so long. I've been considering a mission since I joined the Church at the beginning of 2010, and now it is so close to actually happening. I have been praying fervently that I will be sent to the place where I will do the most good, where the Lord wants me to be sent. So, now I just have to accept that call and promise to do the best that I can for those people, wherever that will be. I cannot wait to make a difference in people's lives. I cannot wait to share with others what has become one of the greatest joys in my life. All over the world, this Church is misrepresented as something that it is not. I know that it is the Truth, and I cannot wait to show others what I know. It will be a great sacrifice, but I know it will be worth it, even if I help just one person to find the truth.
So, now school is over and I had to leave beautiful Cache Valley. I will miss it. I've already posted about how highly I think of that place, and the wonderful people there. It was nice to be around so many good, happy people. It is a blessed place. But now I'm back to my parents house for the summer, or until I leave for my mission. My family is having problems with the current church they are/were attending, and are now trying to find a new church. As my mom said to me the other day, she's been there four years or so, and that means it's about time to find a new church. Why does it have to be that way? How can I express to her that Christ has re-established a church that is not controlled by the wills of men, but by He Himself? She does not have to run from church to church, searching for something that will fit what she thinks a church should. There exists a church out there that is concerned with what is true, and not what is trendy. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one does not skip from ward to ward because one dislikes what a ward is doing or teaching. There is unity, and that unity exists because every ward is under the leadership of one Being, and that is Jesus Christ. I am sorry that she continues to reject such good news.
But anyway, those are just a couple of things I've been thinking a lot about in the few days I've been home. Very soon, I'll post where I'm going for my mission! Cheers.
So, now school is over and I had to leave beautiful Cache Valley. I will miss it. I've already posted about how highly I think of that place, and the wonderful people there. It was nice to be around so many good, happy people. It is a blessed place. But now I'm back to my parents house for the summer, or until I leave for my mission. My family is having problems with the current church they are/were attending, and are now trying to find a new church. As my mom said to me the other day, she's been there four years or so, and that means it's about time to find a new church. Why does it have to be that way? How can I express to her that Christ has re-established a church that is not controlled by the wills of men, but by He Himself? She does not have to run from church to church, searching for something that will fit what she thinks a church should. There exists a church out there that is concerned with what is true, and not what is trendy. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one does not skip from ward to ward because one dislikes what a ward is doing or teaching. There is unity, and that unity exists because every ward is under the leadership of one Being, and that is Jesus Christ. I am sorry that she continues to reject such good news.
But anyway, those are just a couple of things I've been thinking a lot about in the few days I've been home. Very soon, I'll post where I'm going for my mission! Cheers.
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