Come What May, and Love It

Hello again, and welcome back to Keep Moving Forward! My apologies for missing last week; it was rather busy setting up the baptismal service of some very close friends of mine (Pictures Here!)

While thinking about what I might write about next, I read over a talk from a previous General Conference that struck a chord (what is General Conference? Find out here). The talk, entitled "Come What May, and Love It," was written by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who has now since passed. The power and truth in his words are palpable.

So, without further ado, the talk! (For the written version, go here)



As Elder Wirthlin summed it up,

"As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, 'Come what may, and love it.'" (But you should really listen to the entire talk)

I too testify that, although adversity and trials may come our way, facing them in the way that Elder Wirthlin says will make everything go smoother. As we look to laugh, see things eternally, wait patiently, and pray for support, we'll all be aided in our quest to Keep Moving Forward. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well, a bit shorter this week, but I think that's alright. Onward!

-Elder Richmond

Have Faith

Hello everyone! We're posting early this week, because tomorrow is going to be crazy busy with missionary meetings for me. A Wednesday pick-me-up is still good, isn't it?

So, if you came here from Facebook, you might have seen the teaser yesterday and found out that today's topic is Faith. Faith is really what helps me keep moving forward, what helps me pick myself up when I'm feeling down, and I believe its power is pretty much universal.

Before we get into that, though, let's talk a little bit about missionary work. As missionaries, we get up early, work out, study the scriptures, and then spend the rest of the day trying to help and teach people. In order to find people, we often resort to "tracting," which is going door to door and asking people if they're interested. Sadly, most aren't. Some people argue with us, others yell at us and slam the door in our faces. I've heard reports of some people spitting on missionaries (although that's never happened to me personally). Basically, tracting has the potential to turn out very, very badly.

So why do we keep doing it? Why do we still go out every day and put ourselves in peoples' paths? I've literally had days where not a single person we talk to wants to hear anything we have to say; why, then, do I keep trying?

It's definitely hard. And discouraging. And frustrating. But what keeps me going is this: the belief that somewhere out there, there is someone who wants to listen. There is someone who'll listen to us. There is someone we can help.

Belief is a part of Faith, but not all of it. When we have Faith in something, we believe it, but there's more involved. To have Faith in something requires us to first believe in it, and then act according to our belief. If I believe that there's something tasty in the fridge, for instance, it won't do me any good to believe it and then just sit on the couch, hungry. In order to exercise Faith, I have to get up off of the couch and open the fridge in order to see. Only then can my faith be rewarded with something tasty, like orange juice or cold pizza (delicious).

We can easily apply this back to the previous example: I believe that there are people out there (currently, in Jacksonville) who really want to hear what we have to say. But, in order to meet these people, I have to act. I have to leave my apartment and try to find them, through tracting or some other means. Only then can my faith be rewarded, and it has been, for which I'm very grateful.

Now, how do we apply Faith on a more practical level? It's all fine for missionary work and midnight snacks, but how can the majority of us use Faith?

Before my mission, I studied at BYU. I was usually pretty good about doing my homework, but I'll readily admit that the dorm atmosphere led to a lot of procrastination. I can still clearly remember some very desperate nights in which the assignments had piled up and I was very sleep-deprived. In the midst of this desperation, it was often hard to see how things were going to get better. I couldn't reason out in my mind how all of it was going to work. But, it didn't matter so much, because even though I couldn't see how things were going to be okay, I believed that they would, and then took action based on that belief.

We're all going to have bad days here and there. It's an unfortunate part of life. But believe that things can get better, then do whatever you can to realize it, and I know things will turn out okay.

One last note: perhaps you're in the state where you actually can't believe that things will get better. That level of desperation does exist, and I've been there once or twice. If you find yourself there, I'd like to share the words of Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon (what is the Book of Mormon? Info is here):

"But behold, if ye will... experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe..."
(Alma 32:27)

If you can't believe that things will be okay in the end, then desire to believe. Want things to be better. Want to be able to believe. And if you act on that faith, I know that you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel some day.

I know that there is power in Faith and that it can truly help everyone overcome their challenges. It's helped me overcome mine. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well, until next week, everyone (all 27 of you who have been here. Thanks for coming!)

Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond