Week 93 - A land choice above all other lands

Dear family and friends,

Much has happened in the span of a week. Elder Porcelli and I parted ways as he went home, it was hard saying bye to him, love and miss him. Mher (an American Armenian missionary) served with me for a few days until transfers and we had a lot of fun together and worked hard. My new companion is great. Elder Peterson, he has a calmness about him and is very down to earth and mellow. I look forward to all that we will learn from each other and we are excited for a great transfer together and completing the goals we have set out to accomplish. 

On that note, goals..As Elder Peterson and I sat down and made goals for this transfer and we did the same with our auxiliaries, I was reminded just how important goals are and how much they help me navigate my life. Monthly goals, weekly goals and daily goals have kept me accountable and facilitated growth and personal development much quicker than I would of had I not set these goals.

  "Where there is no vision the people perish". I feel the problem with goals most times is that we often forget the purpose of the goal. The doctrine behind it, why are we setting that goal? Those who feel uncomfortable  with numbers and goals, need to understand the purpose behind them and why they are setting that particular goal. The goal becomes a catalyst for growth and completing a specific purpose, a standard of accountability and a personal criterion of determination and desires transformed into action. I find it worth to say that as soon as one loses sight of the purposes behind their goals they lose sight of their vision and eventually fold in, defeating the whole purpose of goals. 

I apologize for my last email as I was cut short and wasn't able to finish my complete thought, however, you probably got the main idea. The work is going well. The member support is not quite where it needs to be, so we have been working with members to fully gain their trust and to complete part member families and attain referrals. This past week as we have sought to work with members and complete part member families for the purpose of finding the elect. We have noticed a difference in the type of investigators that we are teaching and the their level of preparation.

We had many great lessons this last week as we taught with the spirit the investigators responded under that same influence. I often wonder how broad the sphere of our influence extends. One couple we are teaching in their late 40's after explaining the Restoration and the purpose of our meetings ---receiving an answer from God then acting on such-- and how to get an answer by following the basic tenets of the gospel allowed the spirit into their hearts, their eyes were opened and their understanding enlightened. This particular couple in reference to receiving their answer and following those basics of the gospel said "If that is what needs to be done, than that is what we will do" They clearly understood that faith will be manifested by their works as the apostle James declared "faith with out works is dead".  As the spirit pervaded the room Mher and I  capitalized on such an opportunity and told them that what they were feeling was exactly how they would get their answer and that they could not deny such a feeling as this. 

As for myself I am doing great! I am doing all I can to give opportunities to others to activate agency and growth. As I was studying this last week from the book of Ether (1-3) I was amazed with the words I was reading. I felt like I was reading a different book I must had skipped in the past. A land "choice above all other lands which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people". 

"And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people."

"I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come."

As I read I made the connection that the Lord is not only talking about a geographical location but the land preserved for us which is above all other lands is eternal life. He asks that we go into the Wilderness at times and cross the great raging deep of life and trials. As we do so we are perfected, we are become like him as we trust him. At times we like the brother of Jared get comfortable and forget to call on the name of the Lord. Figuratively speaking we stop in the land by the seashore for 4 years. However, the Lord always leads us out of complacency  and gives us the opportunity for a better place just beyond the horizon. It is worth it to think if we are on the journey to reaching our land of promise which is above all other lands. If we call upon the name of the Lord, repent, follow the spirit and go to work our faith will become dormant in that sphere and we can know as the brother of Jared did with a knowledge of the things of the Lord. Love you all and I am grateful for you love and support. 

Thank you

Love Elder Lunt