Random Posts from UB

My companion and I have been working hard, and we have been blessed to meet new people and find some inactive members we didn't know lived in the area. It often happens that we are working toward one goal, but we are given a different good result from the Lord. He knows who He wants us to teach.

1 Nephi 15:14 says that the Gospel will be restored so that people can "come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come until him and be saved." That's an important thing we teach, the very points of his doctrine, that all people may know HOW to be saved. Many good people do many good things, but only from Christ's revealed doctrine can we learn exactly HOW to be saved--which we can't determine or figure out ourselves because only Christ has the power to redeem us.  Many things about our lives come down to personal revelation, but the Gospel teaches us specifically those doctrines, covenants, ordinances and commandments that we need in order to be saved.

Also, I noted that in 1 Nephi 16:18, Nephi says "I broke my bow" which is an active sentence, but he says "My brothers bows lost their spring," which is a passive sentence. He accepts responsibility for the malfunction of his own bow but does not blame his brothers for what they  may or may not have done to their own bows. It is a good example.  We need to accept responsibility for our own mistakes and avoid blaming others.

I was reading in Matthew 12:13.  In this passage, the Savior commands a man with a withered hand to stretch his hand forth. When he does so, he is healed. I thought this was a good example of how the Lord gives us commandments to bless us. Oftentimes, the Lord would lay hands on someone or command them to be healed, but in this and other cases He commanded the person to do something in order to be healed.  While showing his power to bless, He also demonstrates the importance of obedience.

Well, I have my official release date now: December 18.  That's the same day I headed to the MTC two years ago.  I look forward to being home, but I still have four months to do my best to serve here.

Farewell Choibalsan

I am back in Ulaanbaatar, back to Enktaivan Ward, where I served for six months last year! It was a little strange being back in my old ward, but it's great to see how people are doing. We are now 4 Elders in one apartment here.  Since we are all  North Americans, we ate at Pizza Hut last week (it's not far from our apartment)!

I did enjoy my time in Choibalsan and all the people we worked with there.  I have a couple of photos from my birthday excursion.

Mongolian horses on the Steppes. It's so remote and beautiful here.

The home we visited on my birthday.
The solar panel gives them electricity, so they can get Chinese TV. 

Last week, I thought of the spirit of contention that sometimes comes into many lives.... Sometimes we try to cast out contention with contention, but from Christ's teaching we can see how that is impossible.  Contention will never cast out the spirit of contention; only humility, love, charity, and the Spirit of Christ can do that.