This morning was a temple day, which we scheduled to help get our zone ready for Saturday. Saturday will bring a meeting with Elder Richard G. Scott. He is assigned to a stake conference in Gilbert, and called our mission president. President Craig says the conversation was something like this, "Robert, I'm going to be in your mission doing a stake conference at the end of May, and I would like to meet with your missionaries on the morning of May 30th. Does that sound all right?" And in the obvious response to anything an apostle asks, President Craig said yes. I'll let you know how the meeting goes. When Elder Perry came, he was accompanied by a pre-apostle Elder Anderson. The two of them together took two hours. Elder Scott has requested three hours all to himself ... I'm very excited.
An amazing gift is to be able to look back in retrospect. The coolest part about it, is that a retrospect view changes every single day. We are able to see the Master's hand in everything we do, as long as we look for it. Even frustration of plans works to the overall benefit of the Father's purposes. Let me tell you some stories.
As a commitment to the Assistants and to help find new investigators for all areas in the mission, we are contacting inactive families, especially where it is likely that the inactive member has immediate family members (like spouse or children) who have not been baptized. This has been called the "low hanging fruit" though that might be less than true in many cases. We contacted a brother in the branch, and it turns out that he is the oldest in a family with three inactive brothers, two non-member brothers, and five non-member wives. The youngest brother is 11, and all the brothers want to get him into scouts and baptized. Being a pretty normal 11-year-old, Jorge (the youngest) didn't want to go to scouts until he found out that one of his friends from school goes to scouts too. This friend happens to be an investigator who will be getting baptized this Saturday, who was a referral from the recent-convert neighbor next door, and this chain to get a non-member kid to church to help reactivate his whole family and baptize all the non-members is in no way a coincidence or a stroke of luck, rather a calculated plan that our Father has always intended for each person involved.
One day, before getting out of our car to make some contacts in an apartment complex, another missionary called us with a minor problem that we had to fix immediately. We spent a few extra minutes in the car making calls to make sure everything would be okay. When we got out, I was disappointed that the time we could have used to contact some potential investigators and maybe have a quick visit and lesson had been used up fixing other people's problems. As we passed the mailboxes in the apartments, we met a lady named Manuela. She had been going to her apartment and was not planning to go to the mailbox, but kept getting the idea to go check the mail. In the end, she finally gave in and headed for the mailbox. When we met, she told us how she had had a phone number for missionaries in her house for a few years, but that she'd always hesitated to call. When she finally called, the number didn't even work anymore and she lost hope of talking to missionaries that spoke Spanish. She talked about how much she admired the members she had met and how she loved our style of life. She asked us if we had a Book of Mormon with us (which, of course we did) and if we could come by and talk to her and her husband. But then she said, well, we aren't married and we drink and I smoke so we have things we have to change .... If any returned missionary can imagine this kind of conversation on the street where somebody asks all the right questions and volunteers all the necessary information to know how to get this person baptized into the church, you'll understand how amazed we were. Each lesson we have had with Manuela and her soon-to-be husband, Jaime, we have had a different fellowshipper. This would normally be a bad thing, and we have tried to prevent it. But in the process of bringing various members into their home, each new friend has fortified this couple and been an essential step in their conversion. When they finally came to church on Sunday, both Manuela and Jaime felt like they were coming home and were so warmly welcomed that they left after their first time at church with a kind of conversion I have only read about in the scriptures. Both immediately committed to leave behind old habits and get married to prepare for baptism. A miracle that only the Master could provide.
I know this gospel is true. I don't believe it to be truth, or think it's true, but I know it. I have seen it in action, and seen it change lives, including my own. It really is all true. What did I do to deserve this blessing in my life? Or a better question, how do I make sure it doesn't go to waste? I love you all. Have a good week.
-Elder Sam Bostwick
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
a busy week in mesa
We have been very busy this week. Busy weeks feel really great. It feels so productive, so planned out, so valuable. It means we didn't lose any of the last week. It also makes time zoom by. I'm going to have to accept it, I can't be a missionary forever.
I'm so sorry, but I really don't have much time today, I had other emails to write. But I'll write quickly.
We are working to prepare some people for baptism. We have a family that we are teaching. The kids speak better English, and the mom speaks better Spanish. This means that we usually split up when we teach the lessons. The kids love stories from the scriptures, and it is so fun to choose a story that will teach a specific principle and talk about it to them. They love hearing about Jesus. Meanwhile, the mom just absorbs true doctrine. One time she had confusion about Jesus Christ and Jehovah being the same person, and she was questioning us. A member from work cleared it all up for her and she decided never to disagree with what we taught again. We still invite her to pray and study for her own answers, that she doesn't just have to blindly trust what we say just because we say it. However, her sincerity and humility is touching and she is a noble example for her kids.
We went to the visitor's center with an investigator on Monday. After watching the movie about Joseph Smith, he threw his arms into the air and almost shouted (in Spanish), "It's all true! Isn't it?" The Spirit was thick as we testified of the Savior, the Restoration, and the temples. What an experience.
God has blessed me with a really strange gift. It is the ability to keep my cool in the face of another person's anger. When somebody gets upset, I find it almost impossible to get upset myself. We had a recent convert who was stressed about new callings her and her husband were receiving and the sacrifice of time "demanded" of them, and she was getting herself worked up. She then started to blame people and her husband for silly things and it could have been a disastrous situation. But Elder Argyle and I, coolly and calmly testified of the Jesus Christ, and that life, though a delicate balance, can be maintained as we are dedicated to righteous living. We taught them to cleave to teachings of modern prophets. In the end, we were blessed with a very spiritual lesson that began with her being upset. It was truly the work of God.
Okay, my time is up. I love you all and I hope you are all well. I constantly pray for you, but I don't constantly think about you.
-Elder Sam Bostwick
I'm so sorry, but I really don't have much time today, I had other emails to write. But I'll write quickly.
We are working to prepare some people for baptism. We have a family that we are teaching. The kids speak better English, and the mom speaks better Spanish. This means that we usually split up when we teach the lessons. The kids love stories from the scriptures, and it is so fun to choose a story that will teach a specific principle and talk about it to them. They love hearing about Jesus. Meanwhile, the mom just absorbs true doctrine. One time she had confusion about Jesus Christ and Jehovah being the same person, and she was questioning us. A member from work cleared it all up for her and she decided never to disagree with what we taught again. We still invite her to pray and study for her own answers, that she doesn't just have to blindly trust what we say just because we say it. However, her sincerity and humility is touching and she is a noble example for her kids.
We went to the visitor's center with an investigator on Monday. After watching the movie about Joseph Smith, he threw his arms into the air and almost shouted (in Spanish), "It's all true! Isn't it?" The Spirit was thick as we testified of the Savior, the Restoration, and the temples. What an experience.
God has blessed me with a really strange gift. It is the ability to keep my cool in the face of another person's anger. When somebody gets upset, I find it almost impossible to get upset myself. We had a recent convert who was stressed about new callings her and her husband were receiving and the sacrifice of time "demanded" of them, and she was getting herself worked up. She then started to blame people and her husband for silly things and it could have been a disastrous situation. But Elder Argyle and I, coolly and calmly testified of the Jesus Christ, and that life, though a delicate balance, can be maintained as we are dedicated to righteous living. We taught them to cleave to teachings of modern prophets. In the end, we were blessed with a very spiritual lesson that began with her being upset. It was truly the work of God.
Okay, my time is up. I love you all and I hope you are all well. I constantly pray for you, but I don't constantly think about you.
-Elder Sam Bostwick
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
maybe a little preachy ....
Dear everybody,
Well, it's been just a few days since I talked with the family (most of the family) on the phone for Mothers' Day. It was very nice, though there was a lot of business to discuss. I love the chances to talk home, but it does make me wonder just how different am I from two years ago? Whatever the case may be, I know the changes have been for the better, and I know that I still have a lot to learn and a lot of progress to make. Good thing I'm not coming home for a really long time still—I need every moment I can get.
Elder Argyle and I make a good team. We have such good relationships with other people as a companionship. We gave a referral to the English-speaking elders for a man we met in the street, but we keep seeing the man, and we teach him on the spot just as much as "his" missionaries teach him. He is so prepared for the gospel; seeing how much he loves to read the Book of Mormon and how much joy he finds in the restored gospel truths is just a joy. Other missionaries' investigators we meet once, maybe twice on exchanges with other elders remember us and want us to be part of their baptismal services. Even the youth in our branch trust us so much that we feel like we can teach them obedience and other gospel principles so easily, because they will respect what we say to them.
It is amazing to watch people's hearts open to change. To see a person come to repentance and grow closer to Christ in any way by small and simple things brings me to a higher plain of joy. Active members can still be uplifted and taught, and I feel so honored that God has put us two in the position to help so many people. Even in silly ways, we have found so many doors to invite people to hear of the gospel and to change their lives. At times it feels comical that as we, two kids, invite people to change habits and repent, that they actually do it. The trust that can be developed as we live honorable lives does so much for the glory of God, and for the furthering of His work. It is a lesson to all. As we model our lives after Christ, the loving, trust-filled relationships we form will be maximized and we can uplift those we love. Only as we become like the Savior and obtain this honor and respect, can we find ourselves being a positive influence in every life we touch.
Of course, we all have flaws and weaknesses, and being truly Christ-like feels so far away, at times even unattainable. This is how we, as Latter-day Saints understand the atonement so well. We understand that it is not only the power by which we become clean of really big sins, but even more it is the force that enables us to modify our lives and move away from imperfect desires. We understand that just because a person is not bad, does not mean they have become like the Savior. The absence of bad does not automatically constitute good, and neutrality can never be a permanent state. The absence of bad, and the everlasting presence of righteous thoughts, actions, and habits is what makes a person like Christ. As we invite people to come to Christ, we don't simply ask them to empty their lives of bad practices, but then at the same turn fill it with uplifting activities. We understand that the quickest way to eliminate sin from our lives is to occupy all our time in righteous pursuits. We must fill our lives to maximum capacity with daily scripture study and prayer, magnifying our callings, serving our neighbors and others, and providing acts of charity to the needy. Only then can we avoid the sins of slothfulness, gluttony, and other temptations that come to us as our hands and hearts are unoccupied. This purifying process is the atonement in action.
Understanding this process also reminds us that mercy is essential. Perfection is not achieved in one day. And we definitely should not put off righteous action until we have been cleaned from all imperfection, for that is not how it works. The day to start is today, understanding our weaknesses and having hope in the process of the atonement. We are each at a different level, and the only one we can afford to evaluate and judge is our own self. Let us be engaged in a righteous cause and leave the old self behind. We must fight the good fight and declare by our actions that we are disciples of Christ, not merely students of his words.
I love you all. Be good.
-Elder Sam Bostwick
Well, it's been just a few days since I talked with the family (most of the family) on the phone for Mothers' Day. It was very nice, though there was a lot of business to discuss. I love the chances to talk home, but it does make me wonder just how different am I from two years ago? Whatever the case may be, I know the changes have been for the better, and I know that I still have a lot to learn and a lot of progress to make. Good thing I'm not coming home for a really long time still—I need every moment I can get.
Elder Argyle and I make a good team. We have such good relationships with other people as a companionship. We gave a referral to the English-speaking elders for a man we met in the street, but we keep seeing the man, and we teach him on the spot just as much as "his" missionaries teach him. He is so prepared for the gospel; seeing how much he loves to read the Book of Mormon and how much joy he finds in the restored gospel truths is just a joy. Other missionaries' investigators we meet once, maybe twice on exchanges with other elders remember us and want us to be part of their baptismal services. Even the youth in our branch trust us so much that we feel like we can teach them obedience and other gospel principles so easily, because they will respect what we say to them.
It is amazing to watch people's hearts open to change. To see a person come to repentance and grow closer to Christ in any way by small and simple things brings me to a higher plain of joy. Active members can still be uplifted and taught, and I feel so honored that God has put us two in the position to help so many people. Even in silly ways, we have found so many doors to invite people to hear of the gospel and to change their lives. At times it feels comical that as we, two kids, invite people to change habits and repent, that they actually do it. The trust that can be developed as we live honorable lives does so much for the glory of God, and for the furthering of His work. It is a lesson to all. As we model our lives after Christ, the loving, trust-filled relationships we form will be maximized and we can uplift those we love. Only as we become like the Savior and obtain this honor and respect, can we find ourselves being a positive influence in every life we touch.
Of course, we all have flaws and weaknesses, and being truly Christ-like feels so far away, at times even unattainable. This is how we, as Latter-day Saints understand the atonement so well. We understand that it is not only the power by which we become clean of really big sins, but even more it is the force that enables us to modify our lives and move away from imperfect desires. We understand that just because a person is not bad, does not mean they have become like the Savior. The absence of bad does not automatically constitute good, and neutrality can never be a permanent state. The absence of bad, and the everlasting presence of righteous thoughts, actions, and habits is what makes a person like Christ. As we invite people to come to Christ, we don't simply ask them to empty their lives of bad practices, but then at the same turn fill it with uplifting activities. We understand that the quickest way to eliminate sin from our lives is to occupy all our time in righteous pursuits. We must fill our lives to maximum capacity with daily scripture study and prayer, magnifying our callings, serving our neighbors and others, and providing acts of charity to the needy. Only then can we avoid the sins of slothfulness, gluttony, and other temptations that come to us as our hands and hearts are unoccupied. This purifying process is the atonement in action.
Understanding this process also reminds us that mercy is essential. Perfection is not achieved in one day. And we definitely should not put off righteous action until we have been cleaned from all imperfection, for that is not how it works. The day to start is today, understanding our weaknesses and having hope in the process of the atonement. We are each at a different level, and the only one we can afford to evaluate and judge is our own self. Let us be engaged in a righteous cause and leave the old self behind. We must fight the good fight and declare by our actions that we are disciples of Christ, not merely students of his words.
I love you all. Be good.
-Elder Sam Bostwick
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
not transferred, no, not one
Transfers are always a hard time for me, and have become even more so recently. Even if you get to stay in your area, and stay with your companion that you get along great with, there are inevitably other missionaries that you have made great friendships with who will be transferred. It gets more and more nerve-wracking each transfer as I realize the possibility of serving with my friends again in another zone in the future is getting slimmer and slimmer. I reaffirm my decision to never come home and stay in the mission forever. Look, it was counted for righteousness for John and the Three Nephites, why can't my wish be granted too?
Elder Argyle and I are, in fact, staying together, as are Elder Snyder and his companion. Elder Argyle and I were surprised to be staying together for a third transfer (if you remember from the famous Elders Bostwick and Snyder companionship, two elders usually serve together for two transfers tops), though we think the decision was influenced by our assignment in the Employment Center, or maybe because we are a great team teaching investigators, members, and other missionaries, or perhaps because we keep finding and teaching amazing new people. All in all, we are happy with the results, and we will have yet another strong zone for the coming weeks.
We, of course, look forward to Mothers' Day and will call on Saturday to make arrangements for a time to call home. We are on the afternoon church schedule, so we'll have to coordinate this like clockworks.
As of Monday, I left for Nauvoo over two years ago ... can somebody shove a broom handle in the Hudsucker Industries clock and stop time from moving so fast?
To respond to a comment Mom made in her email to me about el Cinco de Mayo, I would like to clear the record. We had no fiestas on 5 May, and I assure you that there were very few fiestas on 5 May in Mexico, not necessarily because of the Swine Flu, but rather 5 May is a trivial memorial to some revolutionist somewhere in Mexican history. In the United States, we have a concept that Cinco de Mayo is something like the Mexican Independence Day, and we feel we are honoring our neighbors to the south by celebrating with them. This is merely more evidence to prove how silly we can be in the United States. El Dia de Independencia is on 16 September, a day worthy of note and celebrating. It is a huge celebration accompanied with dances, fireworks, killer food, music, and at night, it is traditional to fire a few bullets into the air (a practice which is illegal nowadays in populated areas because what goes up must come down and people were being killed by bullets falling from the sky). Yesterday was a completely normal day, which we only celebrated as the day before transfers, getting tasty 40-cent buffalo wings for lunch after the Employment Center, and then taking an eight o'clock dinner with Elder Snyder and Elder Reynolds at our house to watch Legacy (which we are allowed to watch, of course). Thank you for listening to my brief cultural history lesson!
So, resume sending mail to my previous address.
All right, I've gone on enough. I look forward to talking with whoever I get a chance to talk to on Sunday. I love you all and I do look forward to seeing you. Thank you for your prayers, love, support, and mail ... it is all greatly appreciated and needed.
Love,
Elder Sam Bostwick
P.S. Our baptisms this weekend all went awesome. I got a lot of surprising compliments on a talk on the Holy Ghost I gave at an English baptism (long story) and the good news is I still remember how to share my testimony in my own language.
Elder Argyle and I are, in fact, staying together, as are Elder Snyder and his companion. Elder Argyle and I were surprised to be staying together for a third transfer (if you remember from the famous Elders Bostwick and Snyder companionship, two elders usually serve together for two transfers tops), though we think the decision was influenced by our assignment in the Employment Center, or maybe because we are a great team teaching investigators, members, and other missionaries, or perhaps because we keep finding and teaching amazing new people. All in all, we are happy with the results, and we will have yet another strong zone for the coming weeks.
We, of course, look forward to Mothers' Day and will call on Saturday to make arrangements for a time to call home. We are on the afternoon church schedule, so we'll have to coordinate this like clockworks.
As of Monday, I left for Nauvoo over two years ago ... can somebody shove a broom handle in the Hudsucker Industries clock and stop time from moving so fast?
To respond to a comment Mom made in her email to me about el Cinco de Mayo, I would like to clear the record. We had no fiestas on 5 May, and I assure you that there were very few fiestas on 5 May in Mexico, not necessarily because of the Swine Flu, but rather 5 May is a trivial memorial to some revolutionist somewhere in Mexican history. In the United States, we have a concept that Cinco de Mayo is something like the Mexican Independence Day, and we feel we are honoring our neighbors to the south by celebrating with them. This is merely more evidence to prove how silly we can be in the United States. El Dia de Independencia is on 16 September, a day worthy of note and celebrating. It is a huge celebration accompanied with dances, fireworks, killer food, music, and at night, it is traditional to fire a few bullets into the air (a practice which is illegal nowadays in populated areas because what goes up must come down and people were being killed by bullets falling from the sky). Yesterday was a completely normal day, which we only celebrated as the day before transfers, getting tasty 40-cent buffalo wings for lunch after the Employment Center, and then taking an eight o'clock dinner with Elder Snyder and Elder Reynolds at our house to watch Legacy (which we are allowed to watch, of course). Thank you for listening to my brief cultural history lesson!
So, resume sending mail to my previous address.
All right, I've gone on enough. I look forward to talking with whoever I get a chance to talk to on Sunday. I love you all and I do look forward to seeing you. Thank you for your prayers, love, support, and mail ... it is all greatly appreciated and needed.
Love,
Elder Sam Bostwick
P.S. Our baptisms this weekend all went awesome. I got a lot of surprising compliments on a talk on the Holy Ghost I gave at an English baptism (long story) and the good news is I still remember how to share my testimony in my own language.
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