There were members who would come up to my face and tell me what a lousy job I was doing in a calling. Some would yell in my face in hopes of driving me out of the church. I learned to turn the other cheek and endure to those trials by leaning upon my testimony and the good leaders of the church and praying to my Father In Heaven who always knows my heart.
These are just some of the growing pain we must all endure as we help one another grow in Christ. I thank God for the wisdom of that great Stake President who gave that little talk at my friends (Dirk) baptism on having a tough skin and enduring to the end.
There are many times when people have hurt my feelings in this church but, I have never learned by experience it is better to have a tough skin and forgive those who may offen us, remembering what Jesus said while upon the cross. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
I feel to conclude this section of my writing with two faith promoting experiences from my mission. While serving in Elko, Nevada in December of 1973, my mission President gave the entire mission a challenge to go tracting for Christ on Christmas. he advised us not to set up any dinner appointments but plan a full days work for the Lord. He promised if we would do this, the Lord would provide a Christmas dinner for us. My companion and I rosse up to the challenge and tracted the whole day with little success. We left tracts and with some we prayed but no food was offered. Then around 9 pm we knocked on the door and two little old ladies invited us in. They were kind and polite and allowed us to give them their message. After which they asked about our Christmas and what we had had for dinner. When we told them we hadn't eaten, they were shocked, and said we can't have that. They took us downtown to a restaurant and trewated us to a fine meal. The promise of our mission President was of the Lord and we enjoyed a great gift of faith from he who made Christmas happen.
Months later, I was called to be an assistant to my Mission President and moved back to Sacramento. He told us (me and my new companion) that we were his new gladiators of truth. He wanted our counsel and expected us to tell him our true thoughts and not just be yes men. This counsel set the stage for another very interesting experience.
One day while my companion and I were on our way to a Zone Conference in Grid Key, our car broke down in Marsville. I had served in the town just across the river in Yuba City. I made a few phone calls to the local leaders and they got our car put in a shop and drove us up to Grid Key to our Zone Conference. While we were waiting I preached the gospel to some homeless person while my companion watched in fright. I was always one to try to make good use of my time. in sharing the gospel with others no matter whether they be rich or poor, good or bad.
After Zone Conference, our mission President drove us down to Yuba City to recover our car. The mechanic assured us it was all fixed and our Mission president left to return with his wife to Sacramento. After paying the bill, we started for Sacramento a few minutes behind our President. To our Surprise, the car again broke down just a mile from the gas staion. i quickly called a member who told us the gas staion was now closed and we would have to leave the car overnight. My companion was upset as he had a lot of office work to do back in Sacramento. I felt this was a sign and that we could do some missionary work. We called the elders who lived in Marysville and they picked us up and took us to their Apt. They offered dinner and I said, "No thanks. I have other meat to eat." My companion looked at me like I was clearly crazy. However, I felt the spirit of God upon me and I had a great desire to visit some of the people I had taught in Yuba City over a year ago and to my knowledge had never been baptised. I asked if any of the Elders would go with me and a young Elder volunteered. We went first to visit the Sister Missionaries who's area it was. They both had been sick and I believe we gave them blessings. I asked them about some of the families I had in mind and they didn't know any of them. I asked if they minded if we visited people in their area and they said fine go ahead. We visited around 5 families that night and they all expressed renewed interest in the church. We had a spiritual feast and knew that the hand of the Lord was in this.
I also recognized that it would be important for this Elder who I introduced to these families to continue the work for with them. i mentioned that transfers were going to take place the following week and i would talk to the President about moving him into that area.
My statease was simple and logical. Yuba City was the larger city with two wards and just one set of sisters. Marysville was smaller with only one ward and two sets of Elders. My suggestion to the President would be to transfer one set of Elders over into Yuba city so that there would be one set of Missionaries in each ward. Since all the people we visited were in Yuba City II it was logical to move those Elders into that Ward and have the Sisters remain in Yuba City 1st.
The next week during our late Wednesday night transfer meeting with the president I made the suggestion and presented my reasoning. Again to my surprise I got a flat no without any discussion or reasons. My spirit was grieved and again I felt misunderstood and understood. My companion and President were both from Utah and had a close friendship. My companion knew of my desires and had heard me tell the Elders what I planned to do. I got the feeling the President had already been briefed on my proposal from my companion who might of put his own spin on it. I don't know for sure but, if he told the President that I promised anything without his permission or authority it would explain why the President shot down my idea.
It wasn't the case. I had felt the spirit and only told the Elders what I would try to do. Now t seemed all was lost. My President had closed the door and I told the Lord I wouldn't argue the point with him anymore. My President was my authority and I would submit to his descision right or wrong and say no more.
In my prayers that night, I expressed my hurt to the Lord and how I thought his hand had been in our strange encounters in Yuba City, but there was nothing else I could do. it semed my President and compaions were dead set against my proposal. Yet, I thought, it isn't my proposal, but the Lords. However, I didn't have the courage to tell them that. It is the President's right to receive revelation for the mission and not me. I was just a counselor. My President had the final say.
The next morning came and it was our duty to meet early in the Presidents office to make transfers by phone. When my companion and I arived, we found the President sitting in his chair behind his desk holding his head. He said, "Elders, I have a terrible headache and haven't been able to sleep all night. There is something wrong with the transfers."
At that very moment, the spirit prompted me to present my proposal on Yuba City again. As quickly as I finished, the President said that's exactly what we need to do. Now Elders, do it. My companions mouth dropped to the ground in surprise as I felt vindicated by the Lord.
The true vindication came a few weeks later after I had completed my mission and arrived home. I received a leter from one of the Elders I had trained earlier in my mission. He wrote that he was one of the Elders transferred into the Yuba City ward where I had helped to reactivate a number of families into investigating the church. He thanked me and shaved a marvelous ending to this miracles story. He wrote' we visited with the Nelson family and taught them the gospel. This last Sunday Bro. Nelson Got baptized and was ordained a Priest. Then he baptized his wife and children and ordain his son a Priest. The will of the Lord was done and great joy entered into our hearts.
The Lord rules in Heaven and Hell in Earth and in his Church. For those who have eyes that see, ears that hear, hearts that understand, minds that discern and wait patiently upon the Lord all things are possible. The Holy Ghost is real and the gifts of the spirits are ours according to ours desires, faith, and faithfulness.
Oh, my Brothers and Sisters never, never, never, give up. This Church is true, the work is real and your lives will be tried to see to the end. Have a tuff skin and a tender heart and true faith in Jesus Christ and you will gain eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
There were members who would come up to my face and tell me what a lousy job I was doing in a calling. Some would yell in my face in hopes of driving me out of the church. I learned to turn the other cheek and endure to those trials by leaning upon my testimony and the good leaders of the church and praying to my Father In Heaven who always knows my heart.