Week 44: Fire

This week I struggled with a random surge of lack of motivation and it was difficult to find that “fire” to share the gospel that has changed my life forever. I still don't know what exactly caused this slump, but I do know how it was fixed.

Prayer, trust, fasting, and faith.

This week, I realized my prayers had been pretty lousy the past couple of weeks. The change was made and I can truly testify that the prayer of sincerity, humility, and faith is an instant catalyst for hope and strength. When life is hard, open up to God. Tell Him everything. Watch yourself be filled with the Spirit and watch the Lord do his work through you.

This week, I was able to spend a lot of time with my mission president. He hit the streets with me and my companion on Thursday and taught with us for half of the day. Friday we had interviews and he was very honest with me and gave me many counsels for my life that were very needed in that moment. Trusting in his inspired guidance has already blessed my life and my faith. Trust in those who love you and are in tune with the Spirit. Trust that the Lord is working through that person to speak to you.

I had one of my favorite lessons of my mission last night. We have been working with our recent converts Alejandro, Alan, and Aaron to start reading the scriptures consistantly. Their neighbor is an inactive member who is 17 but wants to prepare to serve a mission. She started reading the Book of Mormon and in our lesson with the 4 of them, she was just spitting question after question and I don't know how, but we didn't answer a single question with our own words. The spirit guided our minds to scripture after scripture to answer each question and the excitement and spirit these young people felt was unforgetable. They all are so excited to read after seeing how much wisdom is contained in the Book of Mormon. Pure joy and pure Spirit.

In our fast this week, Elder Dávila and I fasted to find new people to teach. The Lord is unexplainably and unfairly merciful. In the second hour of church, towards the end of our fast, we received a blank text message from an unmarked number. We responded asking who it was. He shared his name, which we had never heard before, and asked when we could visit him. That afternoon, the three of us were seated in the chapel. After years of trials and preparation from the Lord, he knew he needed to find God. He told us that a neighbor of his and a “member of our congregation” gave him a Bible to help him start this journey. He proceeded to take a Bible from the religion of the Jehovah's Witnesses out of his backpack… I almost laughed out loud because so many people think we are JWs out here. We politely explained that we were not Jehovah's Witnesses and he said something that I will never forget. “That's not a problem, I am here to learn.” After teaching him of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel, he stated with such excitement and a smile I will never forget, “I never knew that all of this happened, God led me here to you guys for a reason.” The faith of this single father humbled me to the dirt.

Just like this faithful and imperfect man, if we are looking for peace and we trust that God is guiding us and others to help us, we will receive the help we need.

In a mission-wide devotional on Saturday morning, President McClellan shared a video of Elder Bednar that changed my perspective drastically. If we are striving to keep our covenants and do what is right, trust that every thought we have to do something that is good is from the Spirit and will spring forth joyous results.

The gospel is true. It solves our problems.

My favorite verse from my favorite hymn states “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose / I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; / That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, / I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never, / I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

Don't give in when it gets hard. Pray, trust, fast, and have faith and watch your fire grow.

Much love

Élder Snyder