Dear Family,
I'm going to start doing emails a little differently again. A few months ago I attempted to do a sort of small and large plates of Nephi thing. That didn't last long. I'm going to start doing it again and put it all in one even bigger email. The "Large Plates" section will be what happened this week. The "Small Plates" section will be what I learned in my studies or experiences this week.
So, here we go!
-Large Plates-
Monday
As per usual, we played disc golf for 3 hours. I really wish we had more time to play. Elder Gardanier lost his disc. He threw it in the creek in the exact same spot I threw mine in a long time ago. I don't remember if I told you that. The very first disc I bought when I got to Owensboro I wound up loosing in the creek after using it for 6 weeks. For some reason those things don't float. They sink faster than rocks. I don't understand it! They weigh almost nothing!
Not a whole lot happened from 6-9 proselyting. We were supposed to meet with a LA we can never contact, but she fell through. This wound up setting the regular tone for the week. A lot of stuff fell through and not a lot of lessons were taught. But it was still a fun week, overall.
Tuesday
We stopped by Miss El's briefly and shared a quick message. We wound up being her alarm :). She a super nice lady. She has a 3 year old daughter who reminds me of Little Miss when she was that age.
Later we went to Sis S's home and taught her BF. She and her family moved into the ward a few weeks ago. We were finally able to get in and talk with her BF. We intended to talk with all of them, but Sis S had to leave, so we just met with him. Sis S is a member but her BF's not. He met with missionaries in the town they just moved from. He liked the discussions. He's slowly warming up. Most of the lesson was in Spanish so I didn't do much. He can speak good English so I was able to contribute a little. He's beginning to have a testimony.
Later, we taught a man named Jeremy some Spanish. Usually we teach English to Spanish people, not the other way around. Jeremy used to learn Spanish from the sister missionaries but stopped when they were transferred out of Owensboro. He recently started texting us and set up a time to meet. He was a nice guy. He knows a lot about how Spanish works. He just needs to memorize phrases now.
On Tuesday night we had splits like usual. I went out with Bro Emmert. We did a lot in the space of 2 hours. We visited a LA, an active member, and a man named Reg who Elder Salazar and I met the other night. Reg is Micronesian. He's a great guy. He works a ton
at Shogun. For the past year he's been working there so he could get enough money to bring his wife and kid from Colorado to Kentucky. We had a great, short lesson with him. We introduced the BoM and committed him to read it. He accepted. It was one of those member-present lessons that was short, but powerful at the same time. Bro Emmert did a great job testifying of the BoM. He loves that book.
Wednesday
Not a whole lot happened for the first part of the day. We wound up helping Des clean her apartment and make no-bake cookies. Her health is pretty bad so she doesn't have the strength to do things like that for very long. She can do them, but she can only do about a minute or so at a time before she needs to rest.
Later on we met with Ms Val. Her son got surgery on his head the other day and she was asking him what he wanted to eat. He said pizza. She then asked us what pizza we like and ran out to get them. While she was gone, we visited Bro Smith's sister in her care home. We just shared a short scripture and talked with her for about 15 minutes. I think I decided I don't want to wind up in a care home. After that, we went back to Ms Val's house to find that she bought Papa Johns pizzas and bread sticks. We feasted that night. Further into our visit, Elder Miller, an RM who went home 5 months before I came out, stopped in to visit Ms Val. He wasn't happy she's LA. Back when Elder Miller was here, She was a member for about 2 months. We had a lesson on the Sabbath, and she committed to come this week.
Elder Miller said Owensboro is the area he learned the Bible the best because he met a lot of bashy people out here. I haven't met many bashy people out here but the few I have, I've avoided. I hate bashes.
Thursday
Elder Gough and I went on an exchange in the bike area. This was my last day working with Elder Gough before he goes home. It was a fun day. We started off teaching Mr Bar. We taught him L3 and he understood it very well. Later on we taught Mr J. He's currently the most progressing investigator in the bike area. We taught part of L5. He liked it as per usual. He told me about his first experiences with the missionaries. When he first met Elder Gough on the streets, he wasn't really in the best mess but as he's met with the missionaries and come to church, he's softened up. Bro Swope has become really good friends with Mr J.
Throughout the day, Elder Gough and I talked to almost 50 people. Elder Gough's TWEing method is the closest thing to a perfect method I've seen so far. It's super simple too. The thing that's the most different with his method is he introduces himself to a person and askes for their name. I realized that it shows you care for a person. There are a couple of other small things that make his method great too, but that's the thing that's the most unique.
At the end of the day we had an interesting experience. We were biking down a big road at a decently fast pace when this other guy on a bike started biking next to us. He said in a half crazy southern accent "Hey you boys! I want you to know that God's got yo back! He's always got yo back". This guy then rode off another road and disappeared.
I finally popped my first tire. I rode off a curb and must have hit something sharp. My back tube is destroyed. I'll have to get a new one. I figured out that bike lasted about 100 miles before I blew a tube out. I'd say that's pretty good.
Friday
In the morning, Elder Gough taught me some things about doing God's will that were really cool. I'll detail those in the small plates. We had District Meeting. Elder Gough trained on the questions of the soul. That's always a classic section in PMG to train on. After the meeting, we exchanged back, weekly planned, TWE'd, and finished the day eating dinner at the fathers & sons camp out at the Fuqua's farm. Normally we wouldn't have gone, but Elder Salazar wanted to use his new fishing gear, and I wanted to meet Jessie who was going to be there.
While I was in the bike area with Elder Gough on Thursday, Elders Salazar and Gardenier were in the car area visiting the Swope's. Jessie, was there this time and sat in on the lesson. They taught the Restoration and Jessie agreed to be baptized the same day as Sherry, June 11. He had quite the experience earlier that day leading up to that experience.
In the morning he was driving to work, worrying about college, what to do with himself, etc. He was soul searching you could say. He was looking for guidance and answers. He works at a place that makes uniforms and sends them to companies that orders them. On ov the shirts he checked had the name "Jesus" on it and it was to be sent to Mexico City. At first, he didn't realize the significance of that. After work, he felt like he should go to his dad's house. When he got there he found the missionaries, more specifically Elder Salazar, a representative of Jesus from Mexico City. As the missionaries taught the Restoration, he felt the Spirit strongly. More than he ever had. People were crying. Bro Swope was happy. Jessie committed to be baptized. His prayer was answered. Bro Swope mentioned how earlier that morning, he said a special prayer for Jessie, and it was answered that same day.
Jessie drove us to the camp-out Friday night. While there, we ate burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. Elder Salazar got to fish, and Jessie shared his story over the campfire. It was a good night. Then he drove us home.
Saturday
This was an interesting day. We started off teaching the Gom's. We had a long lesson with them. We're working to increase their testimony. Later, we went to the church for a minute and happened to find Bro Inman carrying in table. We helped him out. Afterwards, we went to the Capeners and had Bro Capener work on Elder Salazar's knee. They wound up feeding us PB&J sammiches.
We went to 2nd Street again and found the Tin's there. They bought us Coldstone ice cream. It was fantastic! It's been a while since I've had Coldstone.
We finished the night at the Emmert's. Bro Emmert has his own country ham storehouse in his back yard. He buys pigs, kills them, stores them, and eats them. This was the first time I got to try his country ham. It tasted very different from store-bought hams. It was pretty good.
Sunday
Ms Swope and Jessie came to church. They had a great time. After church, we ate at the Fuqua's. They had ham steaks this time. They were fantastic. Sis. Fuqua wasn't feeling too well. She wasn't at church but she came out to eat a little bit. After lunch we studied, then Bro Swope picked us up for the fireside in Evansville. Bro Swope gave his testimony and another recent convert, Bro Osborne bore his too. Both Bro Swope and Bro Osborne have very similar stories and backgrounds. They really connected.
-Small Plates-
So let me first clarify what I'm doing throughout the week to be able to write this section. This is a bit of a daily process I go through. In the morning as I study, I'll write a few notes in my study journal (small plates) of things that stood out to me. For the last 5 or 10 minutes of my study, I sit there and ponder on the things I read. I also make sure to remember the events of the stories that took place.
Then throughout each day, I'll ask myself "What did you read this morning?" Then I'll go through in my head what I read. After I do that, I'll ask myself "What did you learn this morning?" I'll then go through what I learned in my head. I ask myself those 2 questions
several times each day.
At the end of the day, I'll write down everything I learned or everything that stood out to me in my study journal. I call it my "nightly pondering" session. This whole process is similar to the "ponderizing" thing the church started doing. But instead of a single scripture a week, I do a chapter or two a day. So far it's been working really well for me and I'm going to start sharing my favorite things I learned each week with you. So here we go with that:
1 Nephi 5:21 And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.
Here we read that the brass plates would preserve the commandments unto their children. A thought that occurred to me was if Nephi didn't get these plates, there wouldn't really be much of a Book of Mormon. If there were no BoM there would be no evidence of the Restoration. That would have terrible effects on all of us if there were no Restoration.
1 Nephi 7:20 And it came to pass that they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down before me, and did plead with me that I would forgive them of the thing that they had done against me.
21 And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.
Laman and Lemuel actually sought forgiveness, but they must not have had real intent to change. Otherwise they would have experienced the Atonement and known of the goodness of God. The reason they were so hard was because they didn't know God
(1 Nephi 2:12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.)
Isn't it interesting how something that seems small like that actually has tremendous effects? Nephi knew God, but Laman and Lemuel did not. This is manifested plainly later when they see an angel and still don't understand His power.
1 Nephi 8:5-10 This kinda blew my mind when I realized this. I'm going to compare 1 Nephi 8:5-10 with Ether 12:27. (Ether will be in parentheses.)
5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him. (And if men come unto me)
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste. (I will show unto them their weakness.)
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. (I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me and have
faith in me,
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. (then will I make weak things become strong unto them)
1 Nephi 11:22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
Growing up I always thought the tree of life represented Eternal Life. It's actually more symbolic of something else. It represents the love of God. The ultimate expression of that love was Christ and His Atonement. So the tree is Christ, and the fruit is the Atonement.
1 Nephi 11:25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
When we consider the rod of iron with that symbolism we see that the only way to get to Christ and his Atonement is if we hold fast to the iron rod. The only way we will know of Christ is if we read the scriptures because they're the things that teach about Him.
I realized a lot of prophets were taught about Christ before they received witnesses. Nephi and Alma are examples. Nephi was taught about Christ, but it wasn't until he put faith in his knowledge and acted on it that he got his witness/testimony. Alma was the same way. When he was struck by the angel, he remembered what his father taught: put faith in His knowledge, and acted by calling out to Jesus that he received his witness of Christ and His Atonement.
This was why the brass plates were so important. They taught about Christ and His Atonement. The scriptures are the conduit to an experience with the Atonement. The rod of iron (the scriptures) will lead you to the tree (Christ) and the fruit (the Atonement). No wonder reading your scriptures is a commandment.
God's Will
Alma 53:20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
The Stripling Warriors were true to the truth. They did God's will because it was their nature to do so. You should start off doing something because God told you to do it, but eventually that reason should change to doing it because it is your nature to do so.
Keep the commandments because it is your nature to do so. God gives us commandments not just to tell us what to do and what not to do. Living the commandments is honestly, the best way to live.
Well, that was this week. It was fun. I'm so happy for Jessie. That'll be the sweetest baptismal service ever. Watching Bro Swope baptize his wife and son.
Thank you so much for the love and support you've given me. You're all awesome! I love you.
-Elder Benjamin Kohkonen Cox (GKLM)
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