"And Still it Stands" (Jeffrey R. Holland) - November 8, 2021

Spiritual Thought 

When we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints introduce our friends and neighbors to the wonders of this gospel such an introduction almost inevitably begins with an exposure to the Book of Mormon.  We are eager to invite all to "Come unto Christ" through the source by which such a testimony can most readily be received.  The Book of Mormon stands as a pillar of light and knowledge against the canvas of the restoration begun by Joseph Smith.  Through its capacity as "Another witness of Jesus Christ" this book has forever changed the lives of millions of readers spread throughout the world.  As Joseph translated this sacred record I wonder if even he fully comprehended the impact this text would have on the world collectively and countless sons and daughters of God individually.  The Book of Mormon and the latter-day work initiated by it can only be reasonably described as miraculous.

One of the great truths of eternity is that their must be opposition in all things.  Perhaps in no other example is this more true or apparent than the Book of Mormon.  Since the moment when Joseph first saw the plates he would later translate all the forces of darkness have combined to hinder the power of this book.  A book possessing such incomparable power for righteousness must terrify Satan and his followers.  However, in the words of Brigham Young, "let the devil rage...for he knows he is eternally subdued".  This work and the sacred book which accompanies it have constantly been attacked and diminished "and still it stands" (Jeffrey R. Holland)  

This is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon is truly God's word to man.  No force can or will stop this work from progressing.  

Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Weekly Update

Hello everyone,

We met with Micah and Phoenix again on Tuesday.  They are both progressing so well and everyone is excited for Phoenix to be baptized.  Micah and Phoenix are very close to the ward mission leader and his wife, Brother and Sister Ita, and would naturally like for both of them to be there.  Sister Ita will be out of town on the Wednesday, the 10th, which is the day the baptism was originally scheduled for, and will not be back until Saturday.  The only problem is that we have transfers on the 16th of the month.  Elder Holdaway and I will both most likely stay here but none of us want to take the risk of one of us being transferred and missing the baptism.  We are still coordinating everything but the baptism will most likely take place on the Sunday or Monday before transfers.  Stay tuned!

About a week ago we knocked on someone's door who met with missionaries two months ago.  He was very friendly and willing to meet again.  His name was Kirk and he was probably about fifty years old, white, and recently moved from Texas (I promise these are all important details).  Fast forward to Thursday evening and we came back to the same house for the appointment we had scheduled.  Kirk was nowhere to be found.  Instead, the person who answered the door was a twenty-something year old hispanic man named Miguel who recently moved from Argentina.  To complicate things further there was also another man named Matt  (who was white, didn't speak any Spanish, and had a scared look in his eyes) and a woman from Mexico who is entirely unrelated to anyone else who was there.  She doesn't speak any English and nobody even knew her name when we asked.  In fact, they acted surprised to see her when we asked what her name was.  Everyone reacted like she had been hiding under the table and suddenly grabbed their ankle while screaming profanities rather than sitting calmly on the couch in full view of the front door.  Oh, I almost forgot, there were also at least nine kids (I counted) that didn't seem to belong to anyone.  Two other details: there was only one light on making everything seem very ghostly and I'm ninety percent confident they were burning incense.  When I asked if Kirk was there they looked at me like I had lost my mind and said "who is Kirk?"  They then "jokingly" said "we killed him and hid his body in the shower".  I have no idea what was going on with that situation or where Kirk was.  They let us teach a lesson though. We then we referred them to the Spanish elders after making a hasty exit, not because they speak Spanish but because if anyone is going to be forced into some sort of Argentine voodoo cult and sacrificed to pagan gods, it's not going to be me!

I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Payne

P.S. Some of you have asked for my mailing address.  Please do not feel like this is a passive aggressive cry for attention.  This is purely FYI.  The address below is the mission office so this can be used for as long as I am in the Layton mission.  Zone leaders distribute mail on p-days.

Elder Brian Payne

190 North Country Lane 

Fruit Heights, Utah 84037

 

 

Somebody put this pearl of wisdom on a pole in our area.  I never knew that birds were fake!  Seriously, you go on a mission and the whole world decides to change before you even hit halfway!  If somebody wanted to do some research on this website and report back to me I would not be mad.

On exchanges with Elder Feilzer

The sign says it all.

Elder Holdaway's mug shot after weekly planning.

We call this the missionary radio.  For some reason there were pool noodles in the apartment when we got here (no idea why).  Elder Bringhurst has started taking one in the car with him and using it like a trumpet.  One day he told me to put it up to my ear and he would sing into the other end as we drove down the street.  Our next goal is to do this with the car next to us at a stoplight. 

More missionary shenanigans.  This one shows missionary life in raw, video format.  We had to be home about two hours early on October 30th and 31st.  When you leave four guys alone in an apartment for eight hours, things start to get weird.  For some reason Elder Rawson and I decided at about 9:45 Saturday night that it would be a good idea to drink a raw egg.  You can watch the video to hear our thoughts.  We sent this into the Utah Layton Mission group chat and President Johnson's response was "Elders, I only have one thing to say: once you get home get married as soon as you can or this is all the future holds for you."  Point taken.