Cohesiveness

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm going to try to do things a little differently this time. As I was waiting for my companion to use the restroom during a hymn in a conference session I started to fill his water bottle. A few thoughts went through my head: First, I wish I had my water bottle so I could get a drink. Second, no then I'd have to go to the bathroom and I'd miss out on a good talk! Third, But I need to stay Hydrated like sister Miller said! Fourth, What am I doing?!! I don't need a water bottle to get a drink I can take a drink right now while I'm at the fountain! 

A few things I learned here. Stay hydrated. That's just a good thing to do. Another thing is sometimes I have a one track mind and I get so focused on one way of doing things that I forget to just be where I am and do what needs to be done right now. I had gotten so wound up in what I was going to do later about what I was preparing now that I nearly neglected to do what I should have just done right then. 

Looking at a spiritual standpoint, I think that in some ways we try to bottle up all the good stuff to share and to give to people that we want to help and forget to allow from the abundance of God to partake of his goodness ourselves. Sometimes I want to help someone so badly that I just ache inside and I forget that the goodness of Christ is for All times, even when we have the Godly sorrow that he wants us to have which inspires and urges us to become better. 

Cohesiveness is another term I like to use for spiritual, social and emotional interdependence. Just like nature has it's natural disasters, it also has it's natural way of sorting things out and bringing balance or homeostasis. This is described also quite beautifully in Mosiah 18:9-21. In our missionary work we are mostly looking for new investigators right now in our area since the ones we are working with are not making any real steps forward. As we do that I have come to realize that we have been imbalanced in not being a cohesive unit with the ward. Just taking a step back and realizing that the spirit is there, and is guiding so many things in my life is such a comfort, and I know that there are many people who are just waiting to be found as we work together in cohesiveness. Or in the words of Alma, with our hearts knit together as one. May we all strive to be more cohesive with the spirit and with our surroundings and always be ready to give an answer of the hope that is in us. I love you all! Have a great week!

-- by

Elder McGarry

 Helping the Hermanas move​

Breakfast

Bonus pics that were sent this week from the Edwards who are a CES missionary couple, they said Elder McGarry helped with a record time move for some sister missionaries between conference sessions. They love serving with Jacob. :)

Simplify, and again

Dear Family and Friends,

Easter is such a wonderful thing. Eternities of time culminated in the grandeur of time, a pivotal time for the immensity of God's creation. The Atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ are of such magnificent importance in our lives. It allows that we may have a perfect brightness of hope. A hope as bright as our faith. The simple and most important part of this great event can be applied in our lives daily, hourly and even down to each minute. It is the message repeated by prophets from the beginning of days. It is summed up in one word, repentance. As a prophet has told us, "what else is more worthy of our efforts?" Christ is always inviting us to come unto him. This is the powerful convincing message of the Book of Mormon. Summed up in three verses at the end of Moroni's record of his life and his people. "Yea come unto Christ and be perfected in him." 

The message is simple. Our lives, and fears and doubts complicate it. Apastacy at any level creates confusion, division and contention. This could be in our individual lives, in the lives of our families, communities or even entire nations. it is an evil treachery that the devil has devised since the beginning of time. It is designed to Blind the minds and to harden the hearts of those that give into these fleeting promises of security for now, and the promise of awards that are great and tremendous of we only give in for a moment in order to get what is easiest for us now. I abhor the thought of anyone facing the father of eternities and trying to say that they believed their sins would be forgiven, even though they never truly forsook them nor even began to change from them and to become pure. 

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart. God's servants are never to sit idle and wait for him to instruct them, he has given instruction since the plan was even put into action. He will continue to do so ONLY as we accept that which he has already given and Apply it fully in our lives. This is repentance. And sin is doing that which we forthrightly know to be wrong in our innate and instinctive selves as well as in our intellectual and moral awareness, and willful attentiveness. We must simply start where we are and move forward, all the while testifying of the truth and miraculous power of the Atonement as is slowly and steadily unveils itself in our lives and the lives of those around us. This is done simply through faith. Believing that it can possibly make things better. Caring more about what God thinks than what other people might think of us. 

I know that the atonement is real. It has made me who I am today, and is helping me become what Heavenly Father wants me to be tomorrow. I invite each of you to share your testimony of the Atonement with someone this coming week. I know it will strengthen you and miracles will unfold in your life. I love you! Have a great week!

 

Elder McGarry

 

 

Mini Exchange W/ Elder Burnett​

more next week