6/15/15 - 11th LETTER FROM BURNABY

Dear Humanity,

Alma the Younger is such an example to me. While teaching his son Helaman just before entrusting him with the records we now know as the Book of Mormon, he expounds on his conversion story, and what he felt as he accepted the Atonement of Jesus Christ into his life. He says that he was "harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all (his) sins", and that he felt so bad about what he had done that he wanted to "become extinct both soul and body" (Alma 36:12, 15). He felt so terrible, so hopeless, that he didn't even want to face God at the judgement. I think that sometimes we can get caught up with stuff in our lives, whether it be a grievous sin or not, that make us feel guilty and shameful, and just overall uncomfortable with being in the presence of our God.

In missionary work, it's easy to get discouraged, beaten down, or to feel hopeless. The adversary sneaks in sometimes. He can cause contention between you and your companion, a lack of faith in your area/the ward, or even tell you that you're not good enough. But there is one who has "descended below them all" (D&C 122:8). And He has the power to change us. To help us. To heal us not only physically, but spiritually as well. His name is Jesus Christ, and He is our Savior and our Redeemer. Whenever we go through a rough patch in life, whenever we make a mistake, He is there. Because He has been there. He has felt exactly what it is like to go through anything we can ever go through. He knows what it's like for all of my investigators. He knows what they need to do--exactly what they need to do--to change. To repent. Why? Because He has felt it. All of it.

I'm teaching someone who smokes and drinks to relieve his stress at work. His job is stressful, and the only way he feels he can get relief from this is through the substances that have chained him down. But the cigarette he picks up doesn't know what he's going through. It can't help him. It just prolongs the problem. But Christ can help him. He can solve the problem. Because when He knelt down in that Garden, He suffered for each of us. He went through everything we will go through. Individually and intimately. He felt, for a moment in that Garden, exactly what it's like to try to raise a young family in an expensive neighborhood, to work all day in a stuffy, dirty kitchen, and to try to quit the addictions that drag him down. He's felt exactly what it's like to go out onto a street, with a desire to share the gosepl, and to get turned down by every single person walking by. What it's like to get yelled at, to get threatened, to get ridiculed. Because He's gone through it all. For us.

And once we reach out to Him, once we live His gospel, His doctrine, by exercising faith unto repentance, being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can feel His strength in our lives. Because we will have shown unto Him that we accept His sacrifice for us.

That's what Alma felt as He repented. Everything in his life changed for the better, "When I thought this, I could remember my pains no more...yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you...that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains...on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:19-21).

That's what we do as missionaries. We invite ALL to come unto Christ, to feel that power of the Atonement. Because it really does change us. It washes away our pains, our sins, and replaces them with joy. That's our message. That through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind may be saved...

My mission is going so well. This week was a blast. My understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ has grown so much these past 9-10 months, and it will continue to grow through my entire life. And that is why I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity I have to share it each and every day. I am even grateful for the hard times! Because I draw closer to my Savior in those moments.

My companion and I are doing so well. This is the last week of his mission coming up, so you'd better believe we are going to go hard in the paint* and work so diligently to preach repentance to everyone we see! I don't care what happens. I just want to send him off well. Elder Marchand has taught me so much. (I have NEVER heard of the saying go hard in the paint....here's a definition: To approach a problem, obstacle, or challenge with supreme confidence of success through a commitment to use all facilities available to one's self to achieve a goal.)

My mission president is awesome. President Burt is so inspired. And our zone is doing so well! I've learned this week more than others what being a leader really means. It's humbling stuff, and I hope and pray every day that I can just rely on my Father in Heaven, and seek His help in all things.

Missionary work is a blast. It's fun, it's energetic, it's chaotic at times, and sometimes it can be hard. But it never ceases to be the most rewarding experience of all time each and every day I go out. We're teaching some awesome people. Please keep Angela, Suki, Michael, Stephanie, Deano, and Alba in your prayers. Because they need all the help they can get.

I hope you all continue to feel the joy that only Christ can give to us, because it will propel you through everything. Thank you all for everything you do for me and for the missionaries around the world! I love you all!

Sincerely,
Elder Stock

Last week for Elder Marchand in the field

6/8/15 - 10th LETTER FROM BURNABY

I love that it's summer, I'm home and ready to email my boy on Mondays!  It was so wonderful to "chat" with him today.  I'm already looking forward to next week's chat.  Here's his letter!

Dear Everyone,

"For behold, Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might know that the Christ must shortly come" (Helaman 16:4). Wow. Talk about Book of Mormon heroes. I just imagine Nephi, running everywhere, talking to everyone, doing everything that he could to invite other to come unto Christ. He was finding, teaching, and baptizing. That's what I want to do. And it's fun to do! Very little will you see missionaries on the street corners, crying, "Repent ye! Repent ye! Or else ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God!" BUT, you always see missionaries talking to everyone, and telling them that this message of the restored gospel that we have to share will change their lives.

We cry repentance as missionaries, as representatives and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The purpose of the gospel is to cleanse us of our sins, and to help change us to become the person that our Heavenly Father knows we can become.  This is a gospel of change, because repentance is just changing our natures.  Changing our will and aligning it with God's. While reading the Book of Mormon, it is impossible not to notice the repetition of the simple word: repent. That book of scripture is the book of repentance, basically. Us as humans always make mistakes. We are flawed. We're designed that way. This life is a "time for men to prepare to meet God" (Alma 34:32)

That's the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation, the commandments, everything! They help us repent, or change, and by so doing we are prepared to meet God after this life. We are then comfortable to be in His presence. And that's our job as missionaries. To cry repentance.

Just yesterday, I was on exchange with one of the assistants, Elder Rolfson. We were fasting from Fast Sunday, and before our dinner appointment, we were going to go and teach someone. But the lesson fell through, thus opening up a long time for us to go finding. We stared out at Kingsway, a long stretch of road by the Metro Town Mall, and start running. Talking to everyone, helping people out, teaching the gospel, etc. It was epic! It was an unusually hot day, and we were sweating so much, but it was awesome to just go out and serve, working so hard for those 4 hours. And then when the dinner appointment came, it was heaven.

This week, a lot of stuff (i.e. our plans, people, etc) fell through. It was crazy! So we had to kind of go back to the drawing board. But as we did, the Lord blessed us with strength and helped us find those whom He has prepared. We were able to cry repentance to everyone, and felt so much joy from doing so. I know that this Work is the Lord's Work. Otherwise, I probably would have died early on out here, because we work crazy hard. But Christ sustains us.

This week was really good. Just last P-day, Elder Marchand and I went to the Vancouver Aquarium to check out the place right after emailing. It was pretty awesome! African penguins, beluga whales, dophins, etc. You name it. And plus, they had this sweet exhibit called Sea Monsters Revealed (no, kaiju were not a part of this exhibition, unfortunately...) where they cut open all of these sharks and stuff and put them on display. It was pretty sweet. Think Body World, but with sharks and eels and stuff.

I went on exchange with both Korean areas this week.  Back to back, Anjun-hassee-yo! I loved it. Super fun. I felt like I was on my mission in Korea. Elder Okamoto is a stud. We went out and did work! He taught me some cool Korean lines to use on the street. I am so white it's not even funny. But I'm trying to expand my culture out here... I went with Elder Kim into the heart of downtown Vancouver. Holy cow! Literally talked to so many people. It was a blast! I had a quality gospel conversation with a Japanese lady about Godzilla. Only on the mish! It was sick! Everything is going so well up here. Seriously, I'm loving it, and I love the support that you all give to me. I feel the prayers! So keep that up, please!

I know that this gospel is true and life-changing, that repentance is the way to unlock the mercy of Christ, the only way back to our Heavenly Father. We are all Jesus' disciples. So go and do as He would do. Share the light of the gospel, and bless lives!

Sincerely, Elder Stock

Fatburger in Canada! Aw yeah!

 Shark...on the inside!

Not gonna lie...just seeing the words Sea Monsters got me pretty excited ;) 

 A sting ray...on the inside!

Another shark...on the INSIDE!!! 

 An Orca's skul...they're pretty thickheaded. Bah-dum-ch...

 A vertebrae of a blue whale's spine! Holy!!! Now THAT's a kaiju!

That penguin, tho!

 Elder Okamoto studying. Diligent Koreans these days...

6/1/15 - 9th LETTER FROM BURNABY

Dear Humanity,

"And it came to pass that they did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets" (Alma 32:1). As simple as that verse is, it's so powerful! Alma and his brethren were incredible missionaries. And they did the same thing we do. They preached the gospel to everyone. Wherever they were. On the streets, in their homes, you name it! They realized that teaching wasn't just reserved for a sit-down lesson in a solid investigator's house, but rather an all-day event. Something they were called to do all day, every day. They invited everyone to come unto Christ, for "there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ" (Mosiah 3:17). They had such a drive to do this, that they saw so much success. They literally demolished the areas they were assigned to, in a good way. What made them such good missionaries, though?

At least for Alma, it was that he realized the magnitude of his calling as a missionary. He says, "I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy" (Alma 29:9). It all comes down to that. Realizing that we are all just instruments in the hands of God. He is the one Hastening His Work. We are His servants. But that doesn't take away our own personal responsibility to do all that we can to "keep pace with His Hastening", to labor diligently, to cry repentance to all we can. Everything in the gospel is a choice!

This week, I had the privilege of attending Mission Leadership Council. President Burt is inspired. He talked a lot about hard work, diligence, faith, etc. And the bottom line of it all is to do as Lehi advised his sons to do, to "come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust" (2 Nephi 1:23). Last week was good. But Elder Marchand and I knew we could have done so much better. This week, we worked as hard as we could to invite everyone to come unto Christ, to reach our standards of excellence as a mission. It was hard at times, but God literally blessed us so much as we were able to just be diligent and go out and cry repentance to everyone. It all started with a choice we had to make first, though, to work. To go out there and show true faith. Anyone can say they want a miracle, that they hope for one. It takes something else to expect a miracle and go out and find one, leaning on the Lord for strength and working so hard to earn that strength. We had 5 people come out to church this week! It was incredible! We found an amazing family whom we are teaching now. The wife, Stephanie, is LOVING the Book of Mormon. She's reading it so much and hanging on to every word. they're good people that just want to change to provide a better life for their two-year old daughter. I know that as long as they do the things that He has commanded, that they will see this blessing for their family.

Our other investigators: Angela, Suki, Cecile, and Curtis, are doing so well. We have found some solid people we're teaching, and we're just going to continue until we have found all who our Heavenly Father wants us to find, teach, and baptize! Something I've noticed a lot recently is that the stronger opposition gets, the closer you are to a miracle. The adversary wants us to give up, to throw in the towel, and he is active in this fight. We are all enlisted. There is no more neutral ground. So let's all do everything we can do make sure that we are on the Lord's side! Because He can provide us with the strength we need to withstand the temptations and discouragements that are being thrown at us from all sides. 

I know that the Savior lives, and that He loves each and every one of us perfectly, that His Father, our Father in Heaven, loves us as well. He is so passionate. We are His children! This is His work, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Yes, we are at war. But we already know who's going to win. So put on a jersey and start running! 

I love this gospel. It is truly the only way to find happiness and joy in this life and the world to come.

Sincerely,

Elder Stock

P.S.: I was in New West this weekend, talkin' to everyone, and there was a huge nerd convention there! North West Fan Fest! It was literally a dream come true! I got to talk to Deadpool, Spiderman, the Ghostbusters, the Winter Soldier, and tons of anime people....and be on purpose!!! Haha. God knows His missionaries, and where they can be effective. ;)

Who Ya Gonna Call? The missionaries! Duh! 

 

Elder Marchand G-Q cover pose.

 E-mailin'. 'Nuff said.

 

5/25/15 - 8th LETTER FROM BURNABY

Dear Humanity,

This week has been interesting.  Super fun and rewarding, and full of amazing miracle moments, but not without it's weird plot twists.  Some persecution, some plans falling through, etc.  Character builder moments.  I've learned a lot this week about hope, and what that means for us as missionaries.  In Preach My Gospel, we read that, "hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you...It is believing and expecting that something will occur."  Powerful stuff.  And just like faith, hope is a principle of action.  We can't just passively hope that we will be able to find someone to baptize, that we will be able to fulfill our purpose as missionaries and help God's children to come home to Him, if we aren't willing to do anything about it.  That's just mocking God at that point.  We need to be willing to work.  Something that President Burt always tells us is that we need to be worthy and willing.  Those two components are key, and it's a very common theme in the gospel; change yourself first, and then go out and help others experience that same joy of repentance.  First believe, then do.  They're inseparable.  Faith without works is dead, people.  And works without faith are just as lifeless.

And so we need to have hope and faith in all that we do.  No matter how crazy things get, just put a smile on and trust in God.  Doubt not, fear not, for He is with us.  I remember the time in the book of Alma, where Helaman, Gid and Teomner - three amazing warriors in the Book of Mormon - were trying to reclaim their city of Manti, but to no avail.  Everything they tried was failing, and they were embarrassed at their lack of success.  They didn't understand why they weren't succeeding, and began to be discouraged.  As missionaries, we're trying to "reclaim Manti" if you will.  We are trying to help everyone to come unto Christ and to help build up God's kingdom.  So what happens when we don't see any crazy success?  Do we just forget everything and collapse to the earth?  For these three warriors, they decided to turn to God.  In their own words, they said, "we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that He would strengthen us...and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in Him" (Alma 58:10-11).

I know that if we turn to God, if we truly want peace and assurance, and we're willing to be patient and to suffer a little bit, and to do some hard work, that He will give us peace.  He will help us in every aspect of our lives, if only we let Him.

I had the opportunity to go on a mini mission this weekend with Benson Woo, some guy from the White Rock Ward in BC.  He's preparing to head out in August to go and serve in the California Irvine mission.  It was awesome to have him with us the whole weekend.  He was exposed to missionary weirdness, and to miracles.  He even found us a potential investigator we're going to meet up with on Wednesday!  It was so fun to be around him and to get to help him to prepare.  The mission is where it's at!  Seriously.  No matter how crazy it gets, no matter how hard you think it is, just take a step back and realize who's in charge.  The Almighty God.  The Eternal Father.  He is well aware of what you're going through.  So ask Him for help, for guidance.

Our investigators are amazing.  Seriously.  I am so grateful to be able to teach so many wonderful people on my mission.  It boosts my faith, my testimony, and helps me realize why I am here.

This is His work.  He is in charge, so don't give up, don't get scared now.  You're locked and loaded on the rollercoaster of discipleship, and it ain't getting any slower.  Let it begin!!!

I hope you all have an amazing week!

Sincerely,
Elder Stock

Candid shot of me calling my favorite district leader, Elder Hudson!

 Benson Woo.

Best mini-missionary of all time!

 Elder Marchand and I taking Benson to get "released" from his mini-mission.

 They call him "Miracle March-eazy"...well...I do, at least.  

He's a mission legend, and he's my companion!  Boo-ya!

5/18/15 - 7th LETTER FROM BURNABY

Two more days and will be at the 9 month mark!  I really can't believe how fast the time is going by.  We are getting so close to that year mark, I can't wait!!!  Here's his letter:

Dear Humanity,

This week has been a week of disorienting awesomeness.  As if I was on a beach, and the water started receding...and all hope was lost, and then...a tidal wave of miracles descended upon the shore, drowning me in blessings and missionary joy.  If that doesn't sound weird and slightly unappealing, then you're a sane, normal person.  But if that sounds awesome to you, then you are qualified for the Work.  I'm kidding...that's actually...not scripture...but...anyways!

To start off the week, Elder Spencer and I - in his dying days and at the end of his Canadian ministry - went to eat at a super fancy restaurant called the Cactus Club Cafe.  It was paid for by a member who knew Elder Spencer's family in Zimbabwe.  Small world.  It was incredibly good.  Food is amazing, and having a steak is pretty nice once in a while.

We then went off to the Vancouver YSA's Family Home Evening to say goodbye to all of Elder Spencer's YSA recent converts.  He had a fan club, evidently.  The day was great, and then the unthinkable happened: Elder Spencer was taken.  Into a legion of departing missionaries, preparing themselves to return to their homes, to the real, scary, secular world by throwing a massive party with the mission preisdent and street contacting for one last hurrah.  I watched him drive away toward Richmond, never to see him again...

That day was crazy.  My zone leader trainer had left, and I had to put together our zone's travel plans for transfers basically by myself.  Insanity ensued.  But luckily, everyone got there in one piece...well, except for one of the new guys coming in.  He's still in critical condition. Kidding. Or am I?  Tuesday, I was up in West Van/Northshore with the elders, basically on an all day, switching off exchange.  It was really fun, and we got to bond before they headed off to Kelowna.

Wednesday came around, and we raced down to Langley's Greyhound bus station to drop off one of our elders, which was insane.  I finally got to see the Vancouver Britist Columbia Temple!!!

Then, the Assistants called, and gave me some crazy news.

Elder Spencer was still around for one more day, and had requested that he stay with me and Elder Marchand before he had to get on the plane...

The man had returned!  So we were jumping back and forth all over Richmond the whole day.  Picking up and dropping off, etc.  It was awesome.

Elder Marchand and I ended up dropping Elder Spencer off at the airport.  It was legitimately the most unreal thing I had ever seen.  A missionary whom I had served with for 6 weeks, now gone.  Just like that.

Elder Marchand and I got right to work.  Our teaching pool had pretty much imploded on itself in the last weeks of last transfer, so it was up to us to replenish it.  I was thinking a lot about this in my studies.  And of what we are tasked to do as missionaries.  My thoughts were drawn to 1 Nephi 17, when Nephi is commanded by the Lord to build a ship that will eventually carry him and his family across the ocean to the Promised Land.

Firstly, the Lord commands him to arise and go to the mountain, which he does without hesitation.  The Lord has asked us as members of the church to basically get up and go to work.  Are we doing this without hesitation?  More specifically, the Lord told me to get up and go on a mission, and so now that I am here, now that Nephi is at this mountain, what happens next?

He is commanded to "construct a ship, after the manner which [He] shall show [him]" (1 Ne. 17:8).  We as missionaries are commanded to invite others to come unto Christ.  To essentially construct the kingdom of God.

To build it up wherever we go.

So what was Nephi's response?  Did he ask for a manual on ship building?  Or that the materials he needed would be on the beach, ready for him in a nice, fancy box labeled Scriptural Ship Builder 2000?  What Nephi asked in return was, "Lord, whither shall I go that I may FIND ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" (1 Ne. 17:9). Whoa. Ok, Nephi.  You're cool!  Not only was he exactly obedient, but he wanted to work so hard for the Lord.  He was willing to start from the ground up on this project.  If I were him in this situation, I probably would have been guilty of asking for some tools to come down from heaven.  Actually, I would have asked for the Scriptural Ship Builder 2000, but anyways, Nephi wanted to go and find. I don't know exactly how ship building works, but Nephi had to start off from literal scratch.  He had to first make the tools to make the ship.  He had to make a bellows, and do everything that his commandment may be fulfilled.  But he was more than willing to do it.

In building the kingdom of God here on the earth, we need to be willing to go and FIND.  There are three aspects or phases of missionary work: finding, teaching, and baptizing.  Just as Nephi wanted to go and find the ore, we as missionaries need to be willing to go and FIND those that God has prepared to hear and accept our message of the restored gospel.  Just as Nephi made the tools to construct the ship, we need to use our tools (teaching skills, Preach My Gospel, the scriptures, etc.) to TEACH all of God's children about His message, and help them receive it.  And lastly, Nephi constructed the ship. To bring about God's purpose for his posterity, to grant unto the Promised Land and to help them return unto Him.  We need to construct His kingdom, to BAPTIZE those whom we find and teach.  To help bring about God's purpose of returning all of His children back unto Him after this life.  So we did just that.  We did a TON of finding this week, and saw a crazy awesome miracle.  New investigators!  We're now constructing a teaching pool.  We found a young couple, Jordan and Katie, who are amazing.  They love the message of the Restoration of the gospel, and are so excited to keep learning, and to come out to church.  We found a man named Michael, who wants he and his wife to turn their lives around so that they can raise their two year old daughter in a better home.  We found a family who have been looking for a church to go to, but haven't felt at home yet, and many more.

All because we realized what you need in this Work.  You need to be willing to go and FIND the ore.  Not just to baptize.  Sure, that's what we want to do all day. But if you don't have the material to make the tools, then how are you going to construct the ship?

I know that this Work is God's Work.  He is at the helm.  This is His Hastening, and He needs all of us to join together and to go and find those that He has prepared.  They're in our friend groups, they're on the streets, they're our neighbors.  Everyone has the chance to accept this great and wonderful gospel, so go out and share it!  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, that He loves each and every one of us, just as our Heavenly Father does.  They are completely unified in their purpose,  and they want us to be as well.  You are all so awesome!  Thank you for your prayers, and for your support.  Have an amazing week, and Happy Victoria Day!!!! #Canada

You Already Know,
Elder Stock

Our Burnaby Zone...don't ask why I wasn't dressed out.  It's a long story. :D

 I got to see, like, my favorite companion ever in our transfer travels!  Elder Boehmer!!! Aw yeah!

 The Death of Elder Spencer.  The End of His Candian Ministry.  His final hour.

 Unbelievable.  The man, the myth, the legend...now gone.  Why?!  Why?!  

Back to cold, cruel world...

5/11/15 - 6th LETTER (sort of) FROM BURNABY

Yesterday was Mother's Day, one of the best days for a missionary mom....we were able to Skype!!!  It was a fun and very relaxed call from him.  We started with a kneeling family prayer and then he shared how he felt about me.  It was sweet and sincere.  Then we all had the opportunity to talk with him.  He ended by bearing his testimony and I offered the closing prayer.  It was a wonderful 40 minutes! Of course we had to update the family photo ;-)

 His reaction to me taking a photo of him.

We wrote our family letter to him as usual.  I was even able to email him back and forth for a bit...but he didn't send a big letter.  How did that happen?!?

This is part of what he wrote to me:

It's really weird seeing Elder Spencer in his "dying" days. (Elder Spencer flies home to Zimbabwe on Wednesday after completing his 2 year mission.  He's not 'dying', just his time in the mission field is)  He's such a good missionary, though, so he's not even stopping at all.  And my new companion, Elder Marchand, who's coming in?  Yeah, this is his last transfer, too...so, I'll be "killing" two missionaries in a row lol.  I shall be known as the Zone Leader Killer from now on.  Fear the wrath. Lol!!!!!  

P.S. Elder Spencer and I's baptismal picture made it onto the front page of the mission newsletter!!!! (wouldn't that have been a nice thing for him to send?!?  I can't complain at all though.  Yesterday we found out that he has the same amount of time to be on his email as every other missionary, but he has to complete and send off all his reports during that time also.  No extra time for the Zone Leader!)

Can't wait for an actual letter next week ;-)

UPDATE!!!!!!

He wrote again this afternoon!!!!  Here's the letter...and photos:

Dear Humanity,

Life is good.  This week was full of miracles, and epic missionary moments with my awesome companion, Elder Spencer.  Literally, the pure joy that comes from this Work is indescribably awesome.  It's as if the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, like, true, or something. ;) I was so happy that I was able to Skype my family for Mother's Day yesterday.  I have the best family in the world, by the way.  It's unfair.  I feel like the blessing of having such a good family was supposed to go to someone else, but it flew over to me on accident.  But hey, I'll roll with it!  They are so good, and having even just our short amount of time to talk with them was such a blessing.  I felt even more of a desire to serve God afterwards, and we had an amazing night at Metro Town, finding so many potential investigators.  

This week, we went on a TON of exchanges with our elders.  It was fun to be able to go into their areas and help them see miracles.  I was with the Korean missionaries on Friday, and that was a pure blast!  I've learned how to speak a little bit of Korean so that I can help them find people to teach.

It was pretty awesome, this last Saturday, because we had the privilege and the honor of participating in the baptism of Laurie Moore.  Pretty great because it was Elder Spencer's last weekend in the mission field, and he finished it off pretty well if you ask me.  It's so cool to see the miracle of the gospel truly unfolding in people's lives.  I feel the blessings of the gospel each and every day.

Our P-Day was pretty crazy today, with Elder Spencer getting ready to head off and all, so we don't have too much time to e-mail.  I'm sorry, I'll go crazy next week just for you guys! :D I know that this Church is true, that the Book of Mormon is not only true, but life-saving, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is our Savior and our Redeemer. So obtain His gift: the Atonement.  It can heal everything.  Both physically and spiritually.  I love you all!  You are the best!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Stock

Us and the Vancouver South sisters right before Laurie's baptism.

 Laurie, her twin sons TJ and Zach, and me and Elder Spencer after the baptism.

Elder Porter in his natural habitat. #exchange He's Korean speaking, and is also from Gilbert, AZ....small world!

5/4/15 - 5th LETTER FROM BURNABY

Only 6 more days to wait before we have our 2nd Skype call with Elder Stock!  We're so excited and can't wait to see him again!!!!  Here's his letter:

Dear Humanity,

This week was....crazy!  Literally, everything flew by in a blur of awesome sauce.  By the time I am writing this to you, I don't know where to begin, or what even happened... It's a weird feeling.  But I do know that Elder Spencer and I basically had the flu this week.  See, when we went to Mission Leader Council, we had the Terrace zone leaders over with us for the night... And Elder Aldredge had the flu...  Thus, the Plague of Terrace was spread to Burnaby.  Literally, we were drained of all energy.  Super stuff noses, coughing, and just general death.  I felt as if someone had taken a syringe and literally drained all of the energy (I mean, there wasn't too much there to start with...) out of each and every one of my muscles (again...not much there... ;) We were toast.  And there was no way out of this predicament.  Especially since on Tuesday, we were to stand before the zone and conduct a zone meeting to relay the information gained at MLC and to build the faith of our missionaries.

We were sick.

And looking for help.

The Assistants, Elder Engelstead and Elder Cottingham came by on Monday night and went through our agenda for the zone meeting.  They noticed our awful and wretched state, and decided to help us out.  We received some priesthood blessings, and went on our merry way, feeling pumped up and ready to go.  The promised blessing was that we would be able to endure through zone meeting...we assumed that we would be healed after that, but...obviously I didn't read the fine print.

Literally, we were miraculously not sick for our whole zone meeting, and then as soon as our missionaries left, everything started flooding back.

But this is not a Work for quitters. And so, partly out of obedience and our love for the Savior, and partly out of stupidity, Elder Spencer and I decided to work through it.

There was no way out.  But, as Alma said, "If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed" (Alma 15:8).  I can testify to you all, that if you put your trust and faith in Christ, and seek the knowledge that He can heal you, that He will.  Now, I'm not saying that we said a fervent prayer and worked, and we were OK.  Not at all.  We didn't even know why we're still going!  I fell asleep on a bus and almost fell on somebody!  We looked like fools walking around Metro Town, and we didn't even see any crazy success stories or find any new investigators.  But we kept working.

Healing doesn't come, usually, in miraculous moments of realization.  I mean, it can, don't get me wrong.  God is ALL powerful.  Which means He can literally do ANYTHING.  But if you turn to the scriptures, when Christ visits the Nephites in the Americas and ministers unto them, He say, "for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you" (3 Nephi 17:8).  Whoa....

According "to our faith in Jesus Christ, He can heal us, both physically and spiritually" (PMG, pg. 62).

So, if it's according to our faith that we are healed, and if faith is something that we need to work for, to earn, then it makes sense that Christ doesn't usually automatically heal us.  Because we always need to learn something from our trials.  In Lehi's Dream, Lehi walks through a mist of darkness right as he begins to follow Christ (1 Nephi 8). We will all face those mists of darkness.  Our trials won't stop just because we are seeking to follow Jesus Christ.  But we will ALWAYS be rescued from these mists, at some point in time, as long as we just continually hold fast to the iron rod, to the word of God, to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

That is truth.  Yesterday, I met a man who argued that all religion was "subjective truth", that the only truth was what you could see right in front of you.  He held up a newspaper.  "What shape is this?!" he scowled.

"A rectangle..." I responded curtly.

"Exactly!  THAT's truth. Watch this...I am going to 'share' my truth with everyone on this street, and they will agree with me, while you will share yours and no one will."

Before I share with you what happened next, let me just tell you: the only truth that we can actually trust is that God is real, that He loves us, and that the gospel that He has provided for us is true.  Everything else is man-made fluff.  That rectangle?  Named by a human being.  The more I live the gospel, the more I realized that it is the only truth worth following.  Because it does not change.  No matter if you believe in Him or not, God is real.  He is our Heavenly Father.  And He loves us.  That's His motivation for everything He does.

So back to the encounter.  The man then walks up to everyone walking by, screaming at them, "Excuse me!  What shape is this?! What shape?!" Almost everyone starts running away in terror...people don't like crazies.  Go figure.  He then gets an answer.  A young man walks by, and is asked the question.  Confused, he stares real hard at the newspaper, and says, "A triangle."  The man, stunned, tries to change his mind.  But the kid walks away.

He turned to me and said, "well, obviously they can't speak English or something..." And then walked away, embarrassed.

People, there IS absolute truth.  We don't need to swim in this cesspool of moral relativism and subjective reality, searching for an existential purpose to our lives.  Because God lives.  I have seen too many miracles in my life to deny that, and I have felt His Spirit, the Holy Ghost testify to me that He does indeed live, that He does indeed love me.

I have seen people, lost and broken down, with nowhere to go, find hope in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, immediately apply it, and receive deliverance from their sins and afflictions.  I have seen people humble themselves before God and receive blessings from it.  I have seen someone, who didn't even believe in God two months before their baptism, discover that He is there, and receive a testimony of light and truth that holds firm to this day.  I have seen the hand of God prepare people to receive the gospel, and I have felt Him strengthen me as I do this work.

I know that Christ heals.  And I know that He does so according to our faith.

So go out there and share your knowledge.  Your testimony!  Because the world needs your light.

Sincerely,
Elder Stock

He didn't send a photo this week.......truthfully, I'm thankful since he's been sick, but I have to include a photo.  So here we are with a photo from 2005.  

The Stock Boys of the House of Steve!