Have Ye Forgotten?

Hey People!

How is everything going? Hope y'all had a great week! We definitely did here. We saw so many miracles this week!

Last week, in district meeting, we had a training on goal setting and being exactly obedient. By taking those two trainings and applying them, miracles came showering down! In weekly planning we had set some pretty high goals for the next week (which would have been last week). Halfway through, we got news from some of our investigators that they were no longer interested in investigating the church. So out the window went all of our goals... in minutes after setting them! We discussed whether or not we should re-set our goals. But we decided not to. We felt good when we set the goals, so we knew that Heavenly Father would provide a way to meet those goals.

So then came the training in district meeting, and our district leader had us commit to him, in writing, that we would be exactly obedient this week. So we tried our very best! We even made sure that we drove EXACTLY the speed limit. So about those miracles...

First of all, we reached and or exceeded almost every single one of our weekly goals! We taught three times as many lessons as we had been and found ten new investigators! Ten! And we have already set up a ton of appointments for this week to teach new people. And we had a former investigator reach out to their member friend and tell her that she wants to learn again! ITS CRAZY! Heavenly Father ALWAYS keeps His promises. We are so excited for this week!

So we got transfer emails! Both of us are staying. We are pretty excited, especially since things are picking up so much.

So in my Book of Mormon study this morning I was reading the letter that Moroni wrote to Pahoran in Alma 60, and I learned some pretty interesting things.

So background: The Nephites are at war against the Lamanites. They are working hard to take back the lands that the lost, and keep the ones they had re-gained. The Stripling warriors are doing good, they are full of faith and God is preserving them. But Moroni wants them to have a little more back up, just in case. So he asks the government to send in some reinforcements.

BUT the government fails to do anything about it. And the Lamanites start gaining the advantage of the Nephites.

Now, the Nephites were promised that if they obeyed God they would be preserved. So, if the Lamanites are winning, someone is not keeping their end of the bargain.

So Moroni, being the fearless leader that he is, confronts the government through a letter.

I love this, because he is the perfect example of knowing which way he faced. He definitely did not fear man more than God.

So he writes them and accuses them of being the reason that the Lamanites are gaining advantage. He says in verse 5

"But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us."

He uses the word "neglect" more than seven times in this chapter. Other key words he uses are "idleness", "sit still", "slothfulness" etc. Now, did the government to anything wrong? Were they doing back things? No...

Then what was their "wickedness"? What was their sin?

Neglect, idleness, sitting still, slothfulness...

Who knew that not doing anything was just as bad as doing bad things?

Verse 19 "Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded by security?"

I don't know about you guys, but it's pretty easy to remember God when things are not going my way. But when things are going good and I feel SECURE, sometimes I tend to forget Him a little bit. Sometimes He starts to creep down my priority list a little bit.

This Gospel is a Gospel of action. When we are baptized we promise to SERVE, OBEY, WORK. Salvation isn't free, my friends. Sometimes we thing that the gospel is faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We forget the essential ENDURING TO THE END.

If we stop working, stop pushing, stop DOING THINGS, our faith will go away. Like a muscle, if not exercised, it will become weak. Being lazy and idle when it comes to living the Gospel is just as bad as living a rebellious, sinful life.

I can't remember if it is Hank Smith or John Bytheway but one of them said in one of their talks something about how the scripture says, "GO and DO. Not SIT and STEW".

Something to think about...

Well I love you all! And I hope you guys have a wonderful week:)

Love always, Sister Rowland