Accountability

I was at a meeting this week in Rapid City, and I was asked to share a short spiritual thought on the topic of accountability. I would like to condense those thoughts for you right now, and add some additional comments.

Early in my mission I was a little bit discouraged because people were not responding to our ministry as I hoped. There are a lot more details to this story, but the main point is that I had expectations for the missionary work in the area, and those expectations were not being met. The important truth that I forgot is that the people I am serving are accountable to the Lord for their choices, and so am I.

When we forget that our accountability is first to the Lord, we lose our humility before him and pride steps in. This leads us to complacency because we appear more successful than others by comparison, or it leads us to discouragement because we appear to fail according to false expectations.

We are all 100% accounted for by Heavenly Father, but our goal is to become 100% accountable to Him. In order to do this, we must come to know Him on a very personal level. Jesus Christ was able to live perfectly because He knew His Father. He walked exactly in line with God's will because He understood and was perfectly united with Him. I offer 3 suggestions to become more accountable to the Lord, which will in turn make us more righteous.

1. NOURISH YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD. The way that we can be accountable to the Lord in this life is by having His Spirit with us, which is the gift that God has made available to us so that we can prepare to live in His presence. If we do not learn it now, it will seem impossible later and will require much more effort and painful adjustment on our part. As we make covenants such as baptism, bound by Priesthood ordinances, we devote our life to the Lord and he rewards us with the Spirit in our lives. If we make all of our decisions based off of our covenants with the Lord, we will successfully fulfill our purpose in life.

2. SEEK THE LORD'S WILL. We must lay aside our desires, hopes, and dreams in life so that the Lord can step in and show us how He wants us to be. If we try to live up to our expectations in life, we will fall dramatically short of our potential. Because Heavenly Father loves us, he will allow us to enjoy life and do the things that we like, as long as we engrain His will as the top priority in our hearts.

3. DO ALL THAT IS IN YOUR POWER TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL. If you have chosen to draw your heart close to His in life, and you have sought His guidance in your decisions, it is your responsibility to move forward in faith that God will make a way for you to do what is right in His eyes. This decision to follow through with the Lord's will is the only way to bring real peace to your heart and mind. This is the peace that Jesus Christ offered His disciples:

  26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

(John 14, KJV Holy Bible)

If you do not seek to carry out the Lord's will, your heart will be troubled and you will be lost in life. You may not feel these troubling effects immediately, but unless you devote your life to the Lord, the misery will certainly come. It may come much later, when the time is shorter and the pain deeper, but it will come. Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance. I am aware that there are some in the world who do not serve the Lord or believe he is important, yet they feel comfortable. The promise is the same to them, that at some day, they will become painfully aware of their unworthiness before God and great remorse will come to their conscience. You will, at some day, feel tormented, if you ignore the Lord. I love the people that I know on this earth, and I do not wish such pains upon anyone. I hope that everyone will turn to Christ.

 39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.

 40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

 41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

 42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

(2 Nephi 9, The Book of Mormon)

Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. If you believe that your life can be acceptable without following the Lord's narrow way that He has given, you will be brought down low. I pray that all of my loved ones can find forgiveness and keep themselves on the path set forth by God. I wish you all the greatest happiness in your lives. I love you!

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My mission summed up in a poem

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I've been really busy, and the computers here in Sioux Falls don't let me upload pictures. I love it here. About a week ago I felt like I should write a poem. I have always enjoyed poetry, but I haven't taken the time to write on my mission until now. This describes the type of service I have attempted to offer my Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you enjoy it:

 

A Labor of Great Care

To be diligent like the Savior

takes a lot more thought and care.

To be prepared in spirit

takes more heartfelt study and prayer.

It's more than going to work each day,

expending strength with none to spare.

It takes a lot more thought and care;

more study and earnest prayer.

To serve the Lord with heart and soul

takes consecration and obedience exact.

To impact the world in heart and soul

takes charity as the motive to act.

It's more than knocking on every door,

wearing shoes out pair by pair.

It takes a lot more thought and care;

more study and grateful prayer.

To work each day with the Master's touch

takes clean hands, and faith, to start.

To be an instument for your King

takes a willing and humble heart.

It is patience and hope; trusting the Spirit

Without fear; never rush or despair.

It takes a lot more thought and care;

more study and Christlike prayer.

Elder William R Dudley

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Elder Dudley, you don't seem yourself. Have a Snickers.

I need to make this email short, but lets just say I enjoyed this gift of candy.

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On a serious note, I really wasn't doing as well as I could have been. The Lord has a way of showing us that.

Ether 12:27 - "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. 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, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

In the past wee or so, I have found this to be very true. I caught myself being very prideful. I made a list of things that I was thinking or doing (or not doing) because of my pride. I then listed the opposites, which were all traits or habits of the Savior. As I have been more humble before God, I have been much more aware, painfully so, of my weaknesses and faults. The amazing part is that I feel much better about who I am as a person. It is easier to love those around me according to the Savior's command, and it is easier to sense God's influence in my life through study and prayer. He will show you things about yourself that you wouldn't otherwise recognize, let alone feel the need to change. The correction that the Lord gives is so loving that is pierces our hearts and causes us to change. It transforms the heart. I know that each of you will experience a "mighty change of heart" and greater happiness and success if you come before your Heavenly Father in humility. 

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas I have been thinking about the recordings of Christ in the scriptures. Jacob, a prophet in ancient America, stated: 

 

"For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us."

I decided to record my testimony of the Savior this year, and I would like to share at least some of it with you, maybe all. It is the most important thing that I can share with any of you, because it is the most valuable thing I have:

Recently, two parts of the Plan of Salvation have stuck out to me more than ever before. First, the vitality of gaining a physical body has really sunk in. Second, it has deeply impressed me that Heavenly Father sacrificed and punished His literal Son. The fact that the Anointed, Chosen Son of God was the one to suffer for our sins displays the infinite mercy of Our Father. Christ must have been the most precious gift that Heavenly Father could have offered. They had worked hand in hand since before the world began. How great the pain must have been for the Father to withdraw; not to mention the payment for our sins - which overcame justice.

We lived with God, so why did we have to leave? To gain a body and experience. Then, why couldn't He just pick us back up there when our lives are over? That would destroy justice, and He would cease to be God. He is perfectly just. The options were to either leave us as spirits, not knowing the complete joys of a physical body, leave us in a fallen, sinful state contrary to the nature of happiness for eternity, or to sacrifice His most precious Son. This decision was made before the Creation of the world.

My testimony of the Savior is the most precious possession I have. I draw this conclusion because there is nothing else that, if taken from me, would suck so much joy and peace out of my life. Even with my family, life wouldn't be enough without Christ. But, without my family, though excruciating it may be life could be worth living because of My Redeemer. 

- I am not weak to say that I desperately need a Savior. Every living soul needs Him. Those who do not realize it, though they may convince themselves they are fine, or even comfortable, are left on their own, powerless to take hold of everlasting happiness and peace. They will be miserable. Everybody will eventually confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God; they will confess the need for a Savior. Those who still do not accept Him will be lost forever, but those who humble themselves and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whether on earth or when they have the chance after this life, will be inheritors of an eternal life of joy and peace and freedom from all sorrow and cares. -

I know that He lives and loves me. I know that the love that has brought about such great mercy is charity. To "be possessed of charity" is not to have the capability to love as God does, but to feel God's love for self and all humankind so strongly that one may know how to treat others in a Christlike manner and find joy in so doing, due to the sincerity and integrity of heart by which the person acts. This charity is the greatest of all because it has played the most pivotal role in bringing mercy to our souls through the great Plan of Redemption.

I know that My Savior understands me and will do anything possible to rescue me. Looking at where I am today, I know that His grace is a real power. I know that He called Joseph Smith to initiate this marvelous work and wonder, and that a man can certainly draw closer to God by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon than by any other book. I know that faithfully doing so will bring about the Plan of Mercy upon us and will transform us into inheritors of eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God, because it came at the cost of sacrificing His Holy and Most Precious Offspring; The Gift.

New Area

So, on thanksgiving, I arrived in Sturgis, SD. This place is awesome. Elder Emmett, who I knew before, is my new companion, and we are going to work great together. He cares a lot about missionary work and the gospel! We also work in some surrounding towns, including Deadwood and Lead, which are beautiful. They are in the Black Hills, and really, the towns were built on very hilly terrain. Lead was built there out of convenience for Miners who worked there back before the automobile days. The houses there are beautiful! I took a picture of the town, but the library computers here won't accept my camera, so I'll have to figure something else out for next week.

I just want to take a minute to talk about the Christmas season. The Church has put out a Christmas website (christmas.mormon.org) with a 2 1/2 minute video called He is the Gift. The site is centered around the pattern: Discover the gift, embrace the gift, and share the gift. Last night, the Church also put on a Christmas devotional that we got to watch over satellite. It was full of  beautiful music and great speaking from Church leaders. I would invite you to find it on lds.org. Beforehand, I was feeling a little bit dull. I think that's the right word. I wasn't sad or upset, but there was something weighing on the back of my mind and draining my energy. I was not my cheerful self, and I have no idea what was causing the negativity. But, the devotional brought me some peace. At night, I still felt that weight, though. It was time for my nightly prayer, and here's the experience I had, in words that I shared with my Mission President:

"I was praying, planning to communicate with Heavenly Father about some of my weaknesses and some minor concerns with the gospel that came up, but as I was expressing my shortcomings, I literally felt something stopping me. I tried a couple more times to express different things that were on my mind, but I was prompted to stop and listen. As I waited, familiar yet personal words were put in my mind. They were so clear, and it felt so different than if I were just remembering or reciting the words on my own. I have the words recorded somewhere, but here I'll just say that the Spirit pierced my heart with these words and peace overcame me. I had no more desire to dwell on my weaknesses or even seek guidance on the concerns I had been having. I now feel better prepared to go and help others discover and embrace the gift of Jesus Christ."

As I went to church services and the devotional, I discovered the gift of Jesus Christ through learning about and listening to words about him. Through prayer, I embraced the gift. Now, I wish to share it with everybody. Please go to christmas.mormon.org and at least watch the He is the Gift video. I hope some of you have already seen it.

I'll end with my testimony of Jesus Christ that I have gained from experience and the Holy Spirit of God. We all have burdens in our life, and we all need spiritual cleansing. We suffer from the weight of past sins and unresolved emotional pain. I have felt all of that. I know that relief from any of this can be found through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as His power gave sight, hearing, and health to those whom he ministered in life, the power that comes from his ultimate atoning sacrifice grants us spiritual healing when we come unto Him. If we embrace the true gospel, His grace will make us whole from the negativity that seems to be stuck to us. You may pretend to mask these feelings of guilt and pain from the past, but unless you have embraced Jesus Christ and been changed by Him, they still linger in your soul and they will forever. Let Him help you and heal you. I know that as you discover and embrace the sacred teachings of His gospel, you will find relief and healing, which will make room in your heart for peace and joy beyond understanding or explanation. This process is the only way to be prepared to enter the Kingdom of God when you meet your Creator face to face.

1st snow!!!

Today...the first snow...of the season...hit Williston. I have been here since April 30th and this is my first snow in Williston. And it already got down to around 10 degrees last night. The rest of the week won't be warmer either. But aside from the weather, I'd like to share with you something I have learned lately.

The last week of October, we had a conference with about 50-60 missionaries. We had a visitor at this conference. Elder Marcus B. Nash, of the seventy, came to address us and train us, and it was a fantastic experience. I want to mention something that his wife taught us, though. Sister Nash talked about the importance of a vision, meaning something to work towards. She gave us the following image: You are out rowing a boat in the middle of the ocean, and you do not see land. How long are you going to stay motivated? You'll probably want to drown yourself. What happens if you can see land in the distance. A little more motivation. How about an island a few hundred feet from you. Then you will be very motivated. I thought about this a lot, and I also saw a parallel to covenants. Our ultimate vision is eternal life in the presence of our Heavenly Father. He has given us other things along the way, however, to set our vision on. The first is probably baptism. I have noticed that the knowledge of baptism truly gives people greater motivation to progress in living the gospel. For those who have already been baptized, the temple gives them a vision. For those who have gone to the temple, a temple marriage gives us something to look forward to. After that, we work to keep our families strong and to prepare together to enter the Kingdom of God. We can also be motivated as we see our children and grandchildren working towards baptism, temple covenants, and temple marriage. AND, every week, we all have the sacrament as a time to renew our commitment and refresh our covenants. We can even look forward every day to account to our Father in prayer how we lived our lives that day. Without a vision and checkpoints along the way, we would be lost, and it would be pointless to try to stay motivated to live the gospel. Eternal life, made possible through Jesus Christ, is our vision, and it gives us the hope we need to move forward. Do everything you can to gain faith in Christ's true gospel so that you can have a vision of your purpose in life. The whole message of the scriptures, the entirety of what God wants and needs us to know, is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us and our families to become more like the Father through making and keeping covenants. These sacred covenants must be bound through ordinances performed by the Holy Priesthood of God, found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This gospel, and nothing else, will lead us to everlasting life and exaltation. God's whole work is to bring this message to all of humankind and redeem them from their lost and fallen state. This is why I am choosing to take two years to serve the Lord. I know that He lives and has mercifully reached out to us through scriptures, the gift of prayer, and His Church organization led by a prophet. I testify to all that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as part of His perfect plan, to save the world. I promise you that anything unfair in your life does not go unnoticed by your Father. He desperately wants to bless you and make things right. So live the gospel, and let His grace enter your soul.

Another 6 weeks in Williston!!!

This week I want to share a part of my letter to my Mission President, because I had a great week. Also, check out the sunrise from this morning!

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Ok, here it is:

"There are a couple of experiences in particular that have touched me this week. The first is with a young man who Elder Sullivan actually knew in Hurricane, UT. His parents have lived here for a while, but he just moved in right before Elder Sullivan got here. He has made bad choices regarding the word of wisdom, but has a desire to change. We invited him to come out with us, then we had the opportunity to teach him once about the doctrine of repentance and another time about the plan of salvation. He has a copy of Preach My Gospel, he set up an appointment with Bishop Packer, and he has told us and his parents that he has decided for certain to go on a mission. I feel great joy in seeing him repent! The second experience is Michael. I think I've told you about him being picked up broken down on the side of the road by a member, having health issues that kept him from work; in short, going through unfavorable circumstances yet being guided to us. He was baptized on Saturday, and it was amazing. We told him to think of all the guilt and negative feelings from his past when he stepped into the water. He did, and he told us that He could feel the relief that I know comes from the Atonement. We saw him last night, and that was the first time, at least that I remember, when I could literally perceive a change because of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Up to the baptism, we noticed mighty changes in him. This was from the power of The Book of Mormon, church, prayer, etc. But, there was a real difference in countenance and outlook after the baptism and confirmation. He ended the lesson with a beautiful prayer; perhaps the most sincere I have ever heard. It sounded as if he were right there at his Father's feet. I have learned so much from Michael and his conversion."