Jan. 20th letter

On Monday, January 20, 2014 11:59 AM, Jared Richardson <richardson.jared@myldsmail.net> wrote:

To my dear friends, family, and fellow laborers in this great work!

I hope that you all had a fantastic week in your various places and efforts. I know that I certainly did. We were working very, very hard and had many great experiences and made many valuable memories. It has given me a much greater appreciation for the time that I have here, serving and teaching the people of Chiguayante. I thank the Lord that I have this blessing in this time of my life. To quote one of the fellow Elders at work with me here in this Ward "There is no where, no thing, and no activity I would rather be, do, and participate in."

You know its always a very good thing as a missionary when your main sadness is that you had too many lessons and coudn't get to everybody that you wanted to. The people of this place are ready for the covenants and blessings that come with the Gospel, and my companion and I are struggling to make sure that they each get the attention that they need. Whole families are listening to this message, and the Spirit is working overtime with so many individuals that we are seeing hearts change at an incredible level. I have had close to four and half months here in this sector, and I hope to stay on for even longer to see some of the fruits of this beautiful labor.

A family that we've been working with pretty consistently my entire time here is the Familia Zarate. This family of four has some absolutely incredible people, and the mother is practically a member already (The older son, Zeuz, is a great friend of mine now and was baptized close to two years back). It seems like a near perfect experience, but one thing stands in the way of the entire family joining the church. The parents aren't married! Companionship after companionship has taught this family, with no results. But, after an incredible family home evening with a powerful family, we might be seeing the Spirit taking root in the hearts of the parents. I sure hope so! It is another powerful testimony that I have of the strength inherent in the members in the work of the Lord.

The missionary work is something shared by all of us members of the church of Jesus Christ. The missionaries themselves can do a marvelous work and a wonder, but when the members apply their shoulders to the wheel as well, that's when the miracles really start to happen. This family has been receiving lessons for close to two years now. But when the members showed them examples of how they can be living, the peace and happiness and strength in a gospel centered family, that changes everything. The Spirit that was felt when we had a lesson with a great member of the ward and this family was far more powerful than anything we could bring on our lonesomes. The members provide what we cannot, a firm foundation of strength and lasting fellowshipping. 

This week in my studies provided a message that really inspired me. I decided to go full, in depth study on a book in the Bible which has inspired me in the past. Nehemiah is only 13 chapters long, but provided so much insight and valuable teaching that is directly applicable to my life that it blows my mind. My notes of the book are actually longer than the book itself at this point. Some of the main values I wanted to point out here are the insistent focus on making sure we have God with us through our worthiness. When we have Him on our side, there is nothing that we cannot do.
We may have a seemingly impossible labor ahead of us, such as missionary work in a hard sector, new callings in the church, or building the walls of Jerusalem, but we can know that these things are from our Father in Heaven, and that He has the power to support His servants in all things. What we need to provide is our labor, our service, our hearts and our minds, and He will make up for the rest and more. The blessings that will be poured out upon us far outweigh the sacrifices of our various efforts, and with that we can move forward with faith instead of fear. 

Nehemiah was surrounded by enemies, constantly trying to tear down his work and put fear into his heart. Though the odds were against him, this inspired individual put his energy into his work and inspired others to do the same. With direct parrallels to the Armor of God, the Title of Liberty, and even several of the parables of the Savior, he taught the people and led them to incredible feats. One person can change everything, if that one person has God on his side.

My challenge to each of us is to embrace the work that we are called to do. It may not be particularly magnificent in its own right, but it is a great work, and we cannot come down from it. God will strengthen our hands, as He has down to countless individuals in times ancient and modern. We can do miracles!

I love you all so much, and I know that there are great things ahead of us in the personal plans that God has for each and every single one of us. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and that Heavenly Father blesses you to the fullest!

With love,

Elder Richardson