You
are all probably so sick and tired of hearing about the Coronavirus and
to be honest, so are we!! But that's all people talk about when we try
to contact them! And that has taken up most of my week so... Here we go!
Another email about the Coronavirus! ;) Lo siento.
Yeah
this week was CRAZY. It was a fairly normal week until, on exchanges
Wednesday, we started to see some of the church announcements come out. I
was with Hermana Coronel in Menifee and that's when we saw that General
Conference will have only virtual sessions, the MTCs aren't taking
missionaries for now in Provo, UT and London, England, and all the
missionaries here were asked to go buy 2 weeks of food storage. That was
just the start before it snowballed. Over the course of the next couple
days, the rest of the announcements came out: church meetings
(including sacrament meetings on Sunday) are cancelled worldwide,
missionaries are being sent home if they are in the high-risk category
in other places, and temples are closed worldwide for proxy work. I am
especially sad for that last announcement; I have been waiting to attend
the temple for 6 months. Our mission was finishing its temple trips and
there were only two zones that haven't attended yet: Lake Elsinore for
tomorrow, and Menifee for Wednesday. I'm part of the Lake Elsinore zone.
I was devastated to see that the temples were closing and it would be
another month or so before I get to go. But I know I'm here in Lake
Elsinore for a reason and it will all work out; I will be able to attend
soon! Hopefully! Don't take the temple for granted!! I'm so grateful
the other zones in the mission were able to attend before all this
happened. It was very timely the way it worked out with the exception of
the two zones I work with.
Here's the
update for me here in the California Riverside Mission: we continue to
work like normal. Yes, I'm also kind of surprised, and it's not very
easy to contact people or get in their homes anymore. We're not under
quarantine yet, but we do have the 2 week food storage ready in case
that happens soon. We are super privileged to meet on Sundays with the
other missionaries in our zones for a small sacrament meeting, as long
as we sit 6 feet away from each other and sanitize everything we touch.
The work hasn't changed, though! We are still out trying our best and
keeping ourselves as safe and healthy as possible! CRAZY STUFF Y'ALL!
BASH! :O
Like
I mentioned, I had exchanges on Wednesday with Hermana Coronel in
Menifee and Saturday with Sister Blair in Lake Elsinore. Sister Blair is
actually a missionary from Hong Kong who is here until the situation
abates! It was so fun to learn a little Mandarin and hear her side of
the story. Obviously the Coronavirus has impacted her mission a TON!
Wow! Saturday evening we were walking around trying to contact people
when we ran into an older gentleman taking his trash out. We started
talking and he suddenly said, "you know what problem I have with Joseph
Smith?" He started talking about quotes he had heard and then said, "I'm
going to go get my wife; she knows a lot more about this than I do."
His wife came out and we had a short chat before she started explaining
all the things that were wrong with The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. They attend pageants in Manti, UT where they protest
against us. This was the first "bash" I've had and I'm not sure I'd even
call it a bash. The both of us remained calm the entire time and I
could still feel the Spirit as I bore testimony to her. In fact, the
conversation we had made me even more grateful for the answers I've
received from God in my own search for truth. It solidified my testimony
in the Restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel. Some of the things she
said were along the lines of grace, baptisms for the dead, and Joseph
Smith's first vision. I was able to explain and correct some of the
incorrect things she's heard, and tell her how I know these things are
true. She said, "I don't want to condemn you, but..." It was hard
because she would say something we believe in and then laugh at it. It
would be much better and easier to explain why we believe the things we
do if she didn't mock us personally for it. At the end of the
discussion, I asked her, "it sounds like you've done a lot of research
about the church! So I assume you've read the Book of Mormon?" To my
surprise, she said no! Here is my answer to anyone who attacks the
church and hasn't read the Book of Mormon:
You want us to know the truth. You don't want us to be deceived.
The
only person that can tell us the truth is God. All truth comes from
God. "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all
things." (Moroni 10:5)
To know the truth, we
need to ask God. We need to ask Him what is true. "If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering." (James 1:5-6)
We need to ask
in faith and faith is coupled with action. We have to act and ask in
faith and God will answer us. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is
dead, being alone." (James 2:17)
So in order to
know if the Book of Mormon is true, we need to ask and act in faith. We
need to read the Book of Mormon and then pray to know if it's not true.
It's that simple! God has promised He will answer us! We cannot
judge a book if we've never even read it and asked God. God has promised
every person: "And when ye shall receive these things (the Book of
Mormon), I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father,
in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask
with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will
manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."
(Moroni 10:4).
I don't mean to be pushy or
forceful in anyway. But I do want to testify of the truthfulness of the
Book of Mormon! I have read every word, and I have prayed to know if
it's true. I have received my witness from God that it is true, and I
cannot deny the answer He's given me. My invitation to the woman we were
talking to is to read the Book of Mormon. She's never taken the time to
actually read it and yet she fights against it. Ask God! Ask in faith!
Couple your faith with works! Follow the teachings laid out in the Bible
and God will answer your question. In addition, the Book of Mormon has
only brought me peace, comfort, and happiness. Why wouldn't others want
that? What is there to lose?
The phrase
"the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion" is so true. If the
Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. And that
means God's priesthood is still on the earth today and is guided by a
prophet of God. I'm so grateful to have a prophet of God today, so that I
don't have to be stressed about everything that's going on. I just made
a Facebook post about President Nelson and you can go read it if you
haven't seen it yet. ;) It's a LOT shorter than this email, don't worry
haha!!
Anyway, I love you all!! SO MUCH!!!
Trust in God during this crazy time of uncertainty and know that you can
trust His prophet! He will guide us safely. Prophets have NEVER let us
down before. Ever. I miss you and hope you have a fantastic week!!!
LOVE YOU!
Sister Mary Goss
More Menifee service from last week
Really cool flower we found :0
Seeking with faith and no one to talk to but pretty views soo... ;)
Workout pday with a member's workout program
Menifee service with Hermana Coronel
Jiu jitsu place we're renovating
Lake Elsinore zone!
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