May 2013 (4 entries)

May 6, 2013

Hey everyone! I am finally realizing what it means to be patient. It is such an amazing thing for me to finally start to understand and realize what I need to do to be patient. These first 5 weeks have been amazing and very challenging but as I was looking back on the past 5 weeks last night I was realizing how much I have changed from the small things to the larger things like having Faith in Jesus Christ and putting my trust in God and doing his Will. I want to share a very rewarding and a HUGE MIRACLE that I was able to gratefully be a part of last night.

Me and Elder Mason have been making a goal of getting one referral for the English Elders in our Ward. Which has really been pushing us to strive our hardest to talk with everyone which is a very hard thing I realized. But as we have been doing this goal and getting it most days I have not felt the satisfaction that I thought I would feel from devoting myself and really making sure that everyone has a chance to hear His Gospel. But last night as we were walking to this visit this lady that said we could come back later we knock the door and it has been a couple of days. She is not Spanish but we felt like we needed to talk to her. As we knock the door this lady pulls up in a car behind us and says: "Hey Elders! How are you doing?" Us realizing she is this lady we met the past week that owns a huge flower place behind our apartment and also is a teacher at another church in Hatfield. We say hi and talk to her for a second until the door opens behind us and I instantly turn around to talk to the man at the door. His name is Calvin and he is the husband of the lady we are wanting to contact we then start to talk to him about Family History and Genealogy. We kept talking about these things and when we could come stop by and teach him more. We invited him to church and he said that he would try. He told us that we could stop by during the evenings but that he may not be home all the time. So we thanked him for everything and gave him a card of the temple with our number and the address of the church. We then start to walk away knowing we have an appointment in 10 minutes down the street we start to walk to it. As we just barely are about to get to the corner a lady comes out of the top apartment in the building next to us we stop to talk to her and she comes down and starts to talk to us we asked her if she knew someone who needed some hope in their lives. She said well everyone and then we start to talk to her more she tells us that she had her husband die in her arms and that she is having a hard time with her son because she is always sick. I was able to bare my testimony of my grandparents and that I know they are in heaven and that I will live with them again and that families will live together forever. The spirit was powerful she started to tear up and we asked her if there was another time we could come by to share a message with her she gracefully agreed. As we left that thinking this was a true miracle and only having 5 minutes left to get to this appointment we start to walk down the street. And out of no where this guy that is jogging stops and says: "You guys on your missions?" We tell him yes and how did he know that he says that he is from Florida and had a couple of really good friends that went to BYU to play football and that he knows a little we then knowing how much time tell him we would love to come stop by another time and meet with you and share our message with you he says: "Oh ya that would be cool my house is just right down the street." We then get his address and bid him fair well. And as we are now walking away we see our investigator crossing the street that we were going to go meet with. We asked him where he was going and we start to walk with him. He was going to the store and so we taught him as we walked with him. By the end of the night we were finally able to have him understand the authority of the priesthood and why he needs to be baptized and accepted our invitation to baptism on June 22! I was so excited and so humbled at all the work I have put in and that God graciously helped us convey this message to Jorge. This was truly a miracle to remember. 

I finally got my first baptism date and I am so excited. I heard that people have already had their first baptism experience that is so cool I can not wait for that time! I wanted to thank you all for everything and how much of a part you have played in my life by helping me have more Faith in Jesus Christ. Can't wait for this next week! By the way we had a huge multi-stake conference on Sunday and President Uchtdorf and Robert D. Hales! It was amazing and they talked a lot about the importance of family home evening so my advice for this week is act upon those words and have family home evening it is so important and can strengthen your family so much more! Love you all can't wait to here from you!

Elder Marse

May 13, 2013

Hola! Happy Late Mothers Day! 

First it was great to talk to my family yesterday and to see my niece and nephew especially that is what made me cry I got to say they are the best and I can't wait to see them all grown up. Me and Elder Mason are doing great we are realizing that we may say things that the other person does no fully agree with but that we are two different people and that we are to different spirits and two different children of God. We have been able to talk to each other about any struggles so that we can make sure that there is always the promptings of the spirit with us. I am learning everyday to work in a companion ship which I know is not easy at all. But I have learned this past week even more that God has a time for everything and that we need to be patient because he will answer us in the time that he knows we need it not the time that we think we need it. The attribute that I am working on this week is Charity because I have realized that the more I love everyone and love my companion the more the spirit is with me and the more I am guided by God through the Holy Ghost.

This past week we had the opportunity to do exchanges with our district leader. It was my first time taking over the area and I was worried because of the language. But when I was on this exchange I had a calm feeling that the Lord would help me that day with anything that I was going to do and that I needed to be in that area for a reason. To my surprise the area we were in had about 20 apartment buildings and I had about 10 names that I was going to go see. We started to look for all these people and as we started knocking doors no one was home and it was very sad. We then ended up going through all the names we had with in one hour. What was even harder was to know that we still had 3 hours at this apartment complex that we had planned out. So I turn to Elder Sorge and I said to him when we are standing in the middle of the road feeling kind of lost. "Where do you feel like we should go?" Elder Sorge then says G1 which was just a random building to me but he was prompted to go there. As we enter the building there are 12 apartments in each building so we start to knock the doors. As we started to knock the doors no one was answering. We then walk to the next floor and knock the doors no one answers that is interested. We then go to the top floor and I am thinking 4 apartments left. We knock the door and the first door no one, the second door is this nice catholic lady who tells us no and we walk out the door and then in that moment I felt like we needed to knock just one more door the next door we knock is this little Hispanic guy from Mexico I start to talk to him and tell him who we are then I asked if he has time right now that we could come in. He tells me yes but on 5 minutes. I said, "Okay that is perfect." We go in and start to talk he says that he has felt lost from God lately and does not know why we are here. I tell him that we are here because God sent us into the specific building to talk to you and to bring our message to you. You may never know why the Spirit prompts you to go to somewhere specific but that if you don't just knock that one last door you might miss the reason you were sent there.

I wanted to real quick mention a couple things that President Uchtdorf said last week. He mentioned things that we need to do in our home. 1) We need to as a family have family home evening at least once a week. It is truly at this time that we can come closer as a family. 2) We need to pray together as a family so that we can always have the spirit in our home. 3) We need to study the scriptures together everyday for these scriptures are the words of God and we need to always have that in our home. I love it out here and can not wait to hear from you next week. Have a great week and don't forget that God will help you with things in His own time not in yours so be patient!

Love Elder Marse

May 20, 2013

Take a Step Back

This past week has been miracles after miracles. But how do miracles happen? Why does God decide to have these miracles happen in our lives in that exact time? There are so many ways that we can say why these things happen, but I want to look into one aspect that with out it we can not experience or merely comprehend why things are happen. This simple but profound principle is prayer. In this world there are temptations all around us and Satan wants us to get distracted or even distorted from the straight and narrow path. Why do we pray? My favorite answer from people is to talk to God. Is it that simple? I think that it is, but is it enough to just pray? In Mosiah 10:4 It talks about three very specific characteristics we need to have when we pray. These principles are: 1) Sincere Heart 2) Real Intent 3) Faith in Jesus Christ. I think that when we pray we should take a step back. I repeat that again for the significance of this statement. When we pray we need to take a step back, to ponder, to remember, and the most important to prepare ourselves for this humbling opportunity to talk to nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial. When we start our prayer we say His name the sacred name of our Heavenly Father. Then we give thanks, but for what? We give thanks for all the blessings, our investigators, our ward, the mission, and other missionaries. But have we ever thanked God for our trials and for giving us these trials so that we can prepare more to live with him again? In Ether 12:6 it he says: "...I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Through thanking God for these trials are we not expressing our faith to him so that we can see this witness he talks about out? We then next ask him for blessings and this is the time where we can humbly ask him to bless all the people by name that they may be blessed by His love and everlasting Gospel. When we close in the name of Jesus Christ we should ponder. Do not be swift with your actions for you might miss the promptings of the Spirit or even an answer to your prayer. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk to my Heavenly Father whenever I want or need to.

Thank you for the birthday package Family! The Jersey es MUY CHEVRE! I am scared to get it dirty at all! I am so grateful for all of your support in my life and for everyone that has touched me and helped me gain a stronger testimony. Keep praying as much as you possibly can!

Love Elder Marse

May 28, 2013

Hola Amigos y Familia! Como estan?!

La Ultima semana fue deficil. Pero no es importante. Well me and my companion are starting to teach in harmony and my Spanish is getting better and better everyday! I am starting to have English fasting days and today is one of them. Es deficil pero posible. I love studying the attributes of Christ because as I do this I find a lot more peace and joy in my life and it helps me to change. I am sorry to say but when I come back I will not be the same person. I will be a better person as I strive to be more Christlike. I recommend to everyone to buy a preach my gospel for themselves and study chapter 3, 4, 5, and 6. I have found so much knowledge from these chapters and so much guidance as I strive to become a Preach My Gospel Missionary and a servant of God. I have found so much charity in this past week with two of my investigators. Jorge is geting baptized onJune 23 and he is amazing and is quiting coffee! He is amazing and calls us he "buddies". He is from Costa Rica and I think 28. Then we have Isaias who is amazing he is like 68 I think but he is amazing and is reading the Book of Mormon and seems to be changing. I love this work and he people that we are meeting ans helping them change as I a changing.

If you did not get to go to Brooke Gledhills fairwell I wanted to share a poem that she read that I received in a letter this past week that really touched my heart and helped me to find strength in this work. As you read this ponder in your heart and mind what the Savior has done for you and how he has helped you get out of this hole. And if there is more that you can do to get out an help others. 

Robbie's Poem
After All We Can Do

I’d been in that hole for a very long time –

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

The shaft was above me; I could see it quite clear,

But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.

Nor could I remember the world way up there,

So I lost all my hope and gave into despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floors, and the walls,

When from off in the distance I heard someone call,

“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder.”

This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind,

So I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, the old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I’d get out of that hole.

So I soon had a ladder that was really quite tall,

And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”

Then I climbed up my ladder, it was no easy chore –

For from lifting those boulders my shoulders were sore.

So I worked and I climbed and at last had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short – some ten feet from the top.

I climbed back down the ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I went back to my ladder and started to cry.

I’d done all I could do; I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die,

And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”

Was my ladder too short? Or my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”

And then hope, love, and faith entered my chest,

As the voice said to me that I’d done my best.

He said, “Nothing’s the matter.  There’s reason to hope.

Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.

You have worked very hard, and your labor’s been rough,

But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.”

I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I stood at the top, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.

I fell to the ground; his feet did I kiss.

I cried, “What can I do to repay thee for this?”

He looked all around Him – there were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.

Then the Lord turned to me and He said, “Feed my sheep.”

Then He went on His way to help other lost souls.

And I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

“Get up!  Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a find ladder!”

It now was my turn to spread the good word.

The most glorious message that man ever heard.

That there’s One who is willing to save one and all,

And we’ve got to be ready when He gives the call.

He’ll pull us all out of the hole that we’re in,

And save all our souls from death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just build up your ladder; He’ll throw down His rope.

Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera y Jose Smith fue un profeta. Yo se que familias pueden vivir con sus familias para siempre. Por favor piensa acerca de estas cosas porque yo se que estas cosas bendicira su vida para siempre. 

Con amor Elder Marse