GOOOOOOOOOD MORNIN', WORLD!
Man. This has been yet another amazing week in the Canada Vancouver Mission. Westbank is where it's at! Stuff's happening, and we are just seeing so many miracles and blessings from the Lord that it's kind of impossible to deny at this point lol. We are working hard, and guess what? The secret to missionary work, aside from the Spirit, because obviously that's the most important part, is diligence! If we are diligent, truly diligent, and we have a constant, energetic effort in our work, then it will cease to drag out and instead transform into a spiritual adrenaline rush of epic proportions. I've seen that in my own mission so far. And I've also seen the power of sanctification, or that purification that we can receive through the Holy Ghost. In D&C 43:16, it says, "Sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken." Whoa. Sanctify yourselves?! But, sir, I can't physically sanctify myself, the Spirit does it. Oh, but what's our role in it? To CHOOSE to be sanctified. To choose to purify ourselves and cast away the nets that we may hold and walk with the Savior; to follow Him. Sanctification, like anything in the gospel, is a choice. God's not going to force us to do anything. He cares too much about our agency and how we use it. So everything in missionary work is a choice. We can CHOOSE to wake up on time, we can CHOOSE to go out and work, or we can just sit around and expect a guy to walk up to our door in baptismal whites, asking us to fill the font. But that's way less likely to happen than us going out and finding that guy on the street. See, that's the cool thing to me. When we live the gospel, we choose who to become. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, growth is possible. We don't have to be satisfied with who we are. Because through Christ, we can become what God wants us to be. Whoa. yeah, you read it right. That is what the gospel is here for. To cleanse us of our sins, to qualify us for His mercy, but also for us to rise above mediocre and become great. To become like Christ. He's our example, so let's start following Him a little bit more! He will give us strength. I've seen that too much on my mission. He does not want us to fail, and so He will help us succeed.
I had the incredible opportunity this week to conduct a baptismal interview for a boy that the elders in my district have been teaching. It was such a wonderful experience for both of us. What an honor and a privilege it was to be the representative for the Church, for Christ in that situation. The Spirit was so strong, testifying to me that this little 12 year old young man was truly ready to be baptized. He had prepared himself so well. And it all comes down to teaching. We need to be better teachers of this gospel. The quality and power of our teaching invites the Spirit more as we grow as teachers. Again, it's a choice. It all comes down to that. Can I just tell you that life is a blur now? It seems like yesterday, I was e-mailing you all. And another week has flown by in the service of the Lord. It makes me want to work even harder, because it's going by too fast already haha. Thank you all for your support. Your prayers are felt all the way up here in Canada. Seriously. I owe everything to my parents. They are prime gospel teachers. THAT is called magnifying your calling. They could have just been normal and kept me away from the stove and the highway, but instead, they invited me to come unto Christ. Now I can help others do the same. I am so grateful for this gospel. It is so true. Never doubt that. Lean on my faith if you have to. Because I've been there, in the darkness of doubt and uncertainty. And you can't feel God's light all the way at the bottom of that abyss. So get up and choose to be saved, choose to grow, choose to become who God knows you can be. Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Elder Stock
Me and Elder Boehmer at our ward mission leader's house
(amazing view! I would love to visit here!!!)
Me trying to be intimidating...yeah...doesn't work ;)
My superhero name has been announced to the world!
Tired beach contacting weird face. #missionarylife
Chili + Great Value Mac & Cheese....a feast fit for a king!
(at least he didn't combine the chili with creamed corn like his father did on his mission!)
That house, tho!
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