Snail mail letter received July 27, 2010
Hi Family and Friends!
We have MDT right now. It is Monday, but I think it is much easier to write little by little each day than to go back and remember what was going on and how I felt back in the time when the event was occurring. The MTC is a rocky ride. I have had a lot of discouraging moments still. The hardest part is planning for me. There are so many goals for me, our companionship, and for the district. Plus I have to balance between language study and gospel study in my personal time. Plus there are so many notes to study from, and so many places that I have written goals that I lose track. I have realized that I am so disorganized. It feels like a disease. It makes it very hard for me to study productively. It is very difficult to organize my tasks in a concise way. We have talked about planning in the MTC a lot. I discovered that for me, it is best to simplify my plans. I think I am taking on too many things at once. I should have a simple, yet specific plan. I should have an overall study plan that can fit on one paper and not worry about anything else. I have also had language study challenges. The language is not the problem. Finding a productive study method is. At school, we always had vocabulary lists that were small and that were all related words. But now, I don’t have set lists. I have to think about what words will be the most beneficial for me to learn. When I write notes for firesides, I write every word shared. I need to cut down and write only the most important things, like in the small plates of Nephi.
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Hi. It is Thursday again. Trying to do it little by little didn’t work for me. As I said before, we spoke with a real Haitian at the TRC. Because of his accent, it was so hard to understand. He was very nice though. As an investigator, he was confused by certain things that we tried to explain that I thought were clear. We didn’t use any LDS vocabulary that would be confusing to someone else. We talked about grace and works and how both are necessary, but he didn’t get that either. I didn’t feel we did that well. I have had a harder time with Fre’ Jean and Alexander as investigators more than the other investigators we have had. It might just be that they are both from a different culture and have a different way of thinking about things. They both acted as themselves before they joined the church. Fre’ Jean is also a convert. He joined the LDS church 10 years ago and came back from a mission 5 years ago. His brother is also a member. He was a bishop in Haiti when Fre’ Jean was around 15 years old. Fre’ Jean is 27 and single. His brother and his sister and their families live in Fort Lauderdale now. He has at least 1 brother and 1 sister. He might have more than that. Fre’ Jean said that his missionaries in that area [I assume this means the ones he teaches in the MTC]usually go to meet him [his brother]. He tells Fre’ Jean how they are doing.
His sister is not a member though. The thing that is keeping her from becoming a member is the word of wisdom. She thinks that since God created certain substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other things, that people should be able to partake of them, or else He would not have created them. There is a drink that Fre’ Jean told us about called Kremas that is really tasty, but it has alcohol in it. For Haitians, it is important to them and they all drink it. Fre’ Jean used to have it at home .They doesn’t consider it an alcoholic drink, because it is mostly nonalcoholic. However, it has 15% alcohol in it. He says that this is crucial to mention to investigators.
The thing that Fre’ Jean’s sister doesn’t understand is that things can be used for good for or evil. She understands that Jesus Christ created no evil thing. What she doesn’t understand is that our heavenly father prescribed the use of all things by giving us commandments. For instance, God created our bodies and our sexual urges, which aren’t evil, but they can be misused. That is something that most of the world doesn’t completely understand. God’s gift of agency, or the ability to chose, doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want without getting the consequences or our actions. If that were the case, then the good actions would not receive God’s blessing either. There needs to be opposition. It is a blessing that we have these commandments. Then we reap the rewards for keeping His commandments. In Galatians 6:7 it says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man sowest, that shall he also reap.”
We can procrastinate doing something and enjoy doing less work, but then the consequences of not doing something you should have done earlier will get back to you. You can't avoid the consequences forever. In the Book of Mormon, which is scripture that we use, along with the Bible describes this so well. In ancient America, long after Jesus Christ visited his people there, there was a prophet named Mormon, who compiled the records of all the people, which later became known as the Book of Mormon. The people in the land, the people of Nephi, began to be wicked again and lived lives of sin. Because of this, God stopped protecting them from the Lamanites, who were their enemies. Robbers would steal from them their riches and possessions, which God allowed to happen because of their unrighteousness. The people were mourning and felt sorrow, which caused Mormon to rejoice because he thought they were sorry for what they did. His response to that in Mormon 2:13 is very interesting. “But behold, this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; But it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in their sin.” The Nephites wanted to do things that would bring immediate satisfaction without getting the backlash of their actions.
There are many times in our lives when you will see people not working hard, breaking the rules, and not keeping God’s commandments. They might look like they are having an easy time. They will look happy. Even more, you might be doing good working hard, but you may have struggles, and not even see what good your efforts are doing. However, the blessings won't always come immediately. They take time to fully bloom. If it were not so, that would rob faith, which we must have to rely on God. That is what we are expected to do; walk by faith rather than by sight. In Psalms 37:7-9, it says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (8) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. (9) For evil doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
The consequences of your actions will always catch you, so do good and work hard. The only way to gain eternal happiness and joy is by following the example of Jesus Christ. Anything other than that is temporary satisfaction, which cannot be called happiness at all. I challenge you all to read all of chapter 37 in Psalms. It is a great chapter. I read the verses surrounding verses 7-9 and it has wonderful teaching. Read it as a family together. Remember to keep on pressing forward and to never give up, even when you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, or any immediate blessings for your efforts.
The Samoan elders are gone now. It is very strange. I will miss them. They were weird, but they were very nice. I got to know a few of them. I taught a few of them for zone teaching. The new missionaries came in today. We have a Tongan district, a district going to Spokane, Washington, and another going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [We moved here from the Pittsburgh area]
We had a whole bunch of Spanish elders move into our hallway. We used to be the only ones in our hallway. It was nice and quiet. It is fun to have a new change though.
We had a district goal to contact seven people. We got to talk to the people briefly and then bore our testimony. We didn't have to, but we had one of us speak in Creole and the other person translate. When I spoke, Elder Caldwell didn't understand some of the phrases and words that I used. There is a purple book that we got at the MTC that I used to learn religious words and terms. He said that he wants to look at that book more often so that he can preach in Creole better.
I have learned how to say so much in my prayers now. I had an interview with Fre’ Nelson tonight (it is now night time, and I am trying to finish this letter.) He complimented me and said that he didn't pick up any incorrect grammar in my prayer. I felt good about that. Even though I am doing well compared to other people, that is not my purpose. I am supposed to do my best. I have a long way to go before I am fluent, but that will come with time, study, time in the field, talking to natives, and faith. Faith is the most important thing. I need to just keep studying, even when I feel that I am learning at a slow pace, and especially when it feels hopeless. Many of us have felt that way these last 4 weeks, but we are learning so much for just a month. I have felt the gift of tongues working in my life here. But that gift is in comprehending what I study and what I practice. The gift of tongue requires effort too.
On Sunday, we had a really good fireside by Richard Heaton, who is a former quorum of the seventy. He talked about the conversion process and how it has little to do with the missionaries. It is not so much what we say but how the investigator feels. We need to teach persuasively, and we need to prepare, but the spirit converts people, not the missionaries. The biggest steps in conversion are when investigators accept commitments to pray, and read the Book of Mormon, and them actually keeping the commitments. We just need to help them see the significance of the commitments. The musical number was “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Elder major, our district leader, played the cello, and Elder Hill, a Figian Elder in our zone, played the piano and Elder Sontag, a Spanish missionary, sang. Elder Sontag has one of the best voices I have ever heard. He is amazing! It was a very good arrangement.
I could go on forever about the amount of things that have been going on in the MTC. I can't remember half of it because there is so much.
It is still hard for me to teach and explain the doctrine. I just need to remember to speak from the heart and to teach simply. I get so caught up on teaching the doctrine in the correct order that I don’t always speak from my heart. I often teach such complex things. I need to simplify it for the people who will be hearing this message that I have been called to preach. I know that the spirit will help me teach and that I will get the help I need, even if it takes time. I know that God watches out for us; just work with diligence and pray for guidance of the spirit. Forget about worrying about yourself and help others. And most importantly, remember the atonement of Jesus Christ, which gives you that change of heart and helps you become the person you were always meant to be.
I love you all. I appreciate the letters I have received. I need all of the encouragement that I can get. It is still difficult and there are hard moments every day. Thank you so much!
Love,
Elder Seamons
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