Monday, September 29, 2014

Theme: Master, the Tempest is Raging

Transfers! Im going to Viana. Its bitter sweet. Im excited, but sad to leave at the same time. But all in all, im looking forward to it!

One of the great things of the church is modern revelation and a living prophet. Serving a mission, I've tried my best to explain things as simple as i could. So in simpler words, God speaks with us! meaning me and you!

Sometimes we're slow to recognize what He's saying. I've found that He speaks to us with themes. What i mean by that is that Heavenly Father will send the message to us multiple times and in different ways so that we can understand and recognize it better.

One theme I've been noticing in my life this past month or so is the hymn/story: Master, the Tempest is Raging. It started out with a lesson to a less active. Before we started the lesson, he wanted to sing Mestre, O Mar se Revolta. So we did. It was a cool experience. Then I started learning to play it on the piano. At our Zone Conference a couple weeks ago, Sister Merrill gave an awesome training on the tempests in our lives and how the Savior has the power to calm the storms in our lives. She talked about nights that she would stay awake looking out the window, waiting for the sun to come up. And in the end, she said after every storm, comes the rainbow. Also as i was looking for pics to put on my next planner, I found a picture of the sea with some of the words from the hymn. Which is now on my planner :) And more experiences. But I really have come to learn that on the mish. That the Lord really is All-Powerful. And sometimes all we need to do is ask him for help. And we dont have to wait til the storm is in full force either. Sometimes I'll find myself feeling down, and i'll say a quick prayer to cheer me up. It works, Try it!

  1. 1. Master, the tempest is raging!
    The billows are tossing high!
    The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness.
    No shelter or help is nigh.
    Carest thou not that we perish?
    How canst thou lie asleep
    When each moment so madly is threat'ning
    A grave in the angry deep?
  2. (Chorus)
    The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
    Peace, be still.
    Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
    Or demons or men or whatever it be,
    No waters can swallow the ship where lies
    The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
    They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
    Peace, be still; peace, be still.
    They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
    Peace, peace, be still.
  3. 2. Master, with anguish of spirit
    I bow in my grief today.
    The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
    Oh, waken and save, I pray!
    Torrents of sin and of anguish
    Sweep o'er my sinking soul,
    And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
    Oh, hasten and take control!
  4. 3. Master, the terror is over.
    The elements sweetly rest.
    Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
    And heaven's within my breast.
    Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
    Leave me alone no more,
    And with joy I shall make the blest harbor
    And rest on the blissful shore
Love,
Elder Money

Monday, September 15, 2014

Prayer

This week, I wanted to talk a little about prayer and receiving answers to our prayers. I feel like already have, but oh well! My testimony of prayer has grown a ton on the mish. And i feel like i should talk about it a little more. We read all over the place,

D&C 4:7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
Before the mish, i didnt believe these kind of scriptures. I thought to myself, ''Well I've asked lots of times, but never received an answer.'' I remember one time arguing with my mom about wether the church was true or not, and she told me that i needed to pay better attention to the Holy Ghost, I responded by saying that the Holy Ghost has never told me anything, She told me ''He has, you just didnt recognize it.'' Of course being my stubborn self, I denied what she said. But ive always remembered what she told me and there have been multiple times on the mission where i have had a flashback to something that happened before the mish and i was now able to see how the Holy Ghost did influence my decision and talk to me, Even though i was unable to recognize it at the time.
I've thought a lot about this and I've realized that i was asking wrong. Like was responded to Oliver Cowdery in section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
If we want an answer to our prayer we have to be worthy of that answer. We have to be worthy, and ask with faith, nothing doubting. A friend emailed me a quote this week that said ''You wont get a $10,000 answer from a 2 cent prayer.''
One thing as well that we forget is repetition, if we truly want an answer, we're probably going to have to ask more than once.

I have learned while being on the mission that Heavenly Father truly does hear AND answer our prayers. I have a testimony of this. He has answered many of my prayers. So much in fact, that I have to be careful what I ask for :) haha
Two more scriptures that are super simple and have helped me a lot on the mish:

The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. - Proverbs 15:29
And also the Lord will remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them. - Mormon 5:21
Pai Celestial ouve nossas oraçoes! Pergunta com fé! Ele vai responder!
Com Amor,
Elder Money!

Monday, September 8, 2014

21st Birthday

Well Finally 21!
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It truly was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. Also Shout out to my COUGS on beating Texas, again! ;)
This week, Id like to talk about the blessings of living the Gospel. We sing a song that poses the question ''Who's on the Lord's side? Who?'' One thing I have learned on the mish is that the Lord protects those who are on his side, given they are worthy of his protection. With that said, If we want the Lord's protection and the blessings of the Gospel, we have to be worthy of that. Sometimes Ill stop and look around where we are and it amazes me. In the middle of the bairro, late at night, and 10 times out of 10, we're the only white guys there haha. But what amazes me is that we never feel afraid. I have learned to put my trust in the Lord. I wouldn't dare enter in 90 percent of the places we go if i wasn't a missionary. But I know that as long as I am doing what I'm suppose to, I will be protected, because I am on the Lords side.
I have also developed a Love for the scriptures. I love finding little flecks of gold in the scripts. I know that this is the Lord's church. I hope you all are doing what you need to to receive of these blessings. I cant imagine living my life without the blessings of the Gospel. Love you all. Thanks for all the support!
Love,
Elder Money

Monday, September 1, 2014

September!

Well, September is finally here. Its come fast. about3 and a half months left, but he who's counting ;) I just wanted to share a quote about temptation that a friend emailed me. hope you guys like it:

~

C.S. Lewis “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”
Love,
Elder Money

Monday, August 25, 2014

New Transfer

So a new transfer with a new companion. I really like Elder Rigby. We get a long well. We teach really well together. We love messing with the little kids and showing them magic tricks haha.

I was thinking of a message to share with you guys. There is a new Mormon message that I really really like. Its awesome. It has to do with God answering our prayers. I hope you guys watch it and learn from it and how God answers your own prayers.
 

Monday, August 18, 2014

4 months

Crazy to think i only have for 4 more months left. Its going by fast! But yeah things here are going good. We had a busy week with all sorts of things. Going out and doing baptismal interviews, activities, service projects, etc. It was a busy week, it was different than our normal weeks so that was good.
Ive been studying a lot about Patriarchal Blessings lately. They are one of the things I love most about the true church being restored. A Patriarchal blessing-Direct communication from Heavenly Father to you. I listened to a talk by President Faust as well as another one by a Patriarch at BYU. President Faust talks about how his blessing is small, but it is perfect for what he needed. I heard once that President Hinckley's was only a paragraph or two. The patriarch at BYU talked about 3 purposes to a patriarchal blessing:
1. Declare Lineage
2. Stand as a testimony of the truth
3. Show Heavenly Father's love for you.
Mine does all 3 of these as, I'm sure, does yours. I think of things that are in my blessing that only God could have possibly known. It declares my lineage and Shows Heavenly Fathers love for me. I am so grateful for my patriarchal blessing. I encourage you to rely on yours and study it prayerfully if you already have it and if you don't, pray about it and see if its the right time for you to get it.
I love you all. I pray for you every day. Thanks for everything.
love,
Elder Money









 




 

 

Monday, July 28, 2014

Hey Fam!

Hey guys,
Things are going good here in Angola. The area is doing well. The weather is cool, relatively. Not too much new going on. How are things for you guys? I don't really have anything new to say, so I just wanted to see how you all are doing... Write me! and i wanted to share a story that i really like, That's helped me a lot on my mish.

Love you guys!
love,
Elder Money

One Night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you you'd walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Monday, July 21, 2014

Compartilhar

Hey y'all.
Sorry its been a while. We've been pretty busy. Things here are going good. Same old same old. Thanks for all the emails and support you guys give. I love to hear all the good things that are going on. Sounds like you guys are having a blast without me.... ;)
Trish, Ryan, and Ash, This week in moms letter to me, she addressed it to me, her favorite child. Sorry guys, guess its finally sealed. ;p
Some of the Elders in our zone got robbed this past week. Their house got robbed in the middle of the night, with them in it! but no worries, they're all fine. The robber just took some food, a DVD player, and a cell phone.
People keep calling us German cause of the world cup, we just accept it and give them a thumbs up haha.
We've been focusing a ton on The Book of Mormon lately. Which is good, cause i got really caught up in using the bible and bible bashing. Really it all just comes down to whether The Book of Mormon is true or not. As Ezra Taft Benson says, ''every man is eventually backed up to the wall of faith and there he must take his stand.'' I know its true. No church understands the bible as well as ours, thanks to The Book of Mormon. Knowing this, we have a responsibility to do our part. To go to church, ON TIME. to keep the commandments, and especially to share it with EVERYONE. I challenge you all to reach out and try and share the Gospel with someone who hasn't felt the blessings of it in their lives. I know the Gospel has blessed my life and because of that, i enjoy sharing it with others. Help the missionaries out. I hate knocking doors. The best way to do missionary work is through the members, but this requires the participation of YOU, the members. I love you all. You guys are the greatest. Heavenly Father has blessed us all more than we realize. Love you!.
Love,
Elder Money