Hello from KNampa! (a silent K because my heart is in Kuna)
The inevitable happened. I was transferred to Nampa, the
heart and namesake of the Idaho Nampa Mission. I thought I might never serve
the people here.
When I found out I was getting transferred, I felt a
twinge....no, more of a pang, of longing. I love Kuna and I always will. I've
learned a great deal about charity there. The Lord required me to transfer that
to a new area and I felt hesitation. I prayed about it and then I opened up the
Book of Mormon. Interestingly enough, I felt I should read the chapters in Alma
with corresponding numbers to the wards I am serving in now. My soul came
alive!
In Alma 26, a missionary, Ammon, is glorying in the strength
of the Lord. He said, "And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed
upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about
this great work." Many people were brought to an understanding and faith
in God's truth and it caused Ammon to be very joyful. I recognized in this
chapter the joy that I can choose to have while serving in Nampa. I felt the
expectations that God has for me in Nampa.
Then I turned to Alma 38 and received the comfort of the
Lord. "And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you,
because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have
commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you
will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to
the end. I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already,
because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy
long-suffering..."
I know God spoke to me that morning when clouds were
starting to gather, even in a teasing way, but the solid and bright assurance
of God's plan broke through and His will was given to me through the attending
of His Spirit.
God is alive in reality. His living is a witness of the
companion reality of Jesus Christ. The mind and intellect of man hasn't
convinced me of this (and that includes my mind and intellect) but rather the
Holy Spirit. How have I come to know this? Choosing to believe, to have faith.
When I made a choice to believe in God a while ago, which
was before I was a Mormon, it was a decision based off of experiences and
feelings that I had gathered. I used my mental faculties, which are extremely
limited, to make that initial choice to believe. I had sincere desires and trhe
best intentions I could muster to receive whatever might come from a God that
might be there. When I made that initial choice, God sent blessings to me that
included faith. I didn't recognize the difference at first between the faith He
was giving to me and the weak choice of belief I was putting forth. Overtime,
my understanding was elevated at times to recognize how my belief was not
coming from me, solely. Faith came from God.
The people we meet who tell us they aren't interested make a
choice. They choose not to believe. I can't judge them off of that because
everyone is at different points in their lives. But at some point, it will come
down to making a choice. Will I believe or will I not? It's an intimidating prospect,
and perhaps even sounds risky. What will I lose as a result? It's natural to
think that way. However, if we never choose to believe, we will never
believe.
As one who has taken that risk and made that choice, I know
that I now have a God-given faith that is increasing and leading me closer to
God. All the steps previous to that were necessary and heaven-inspired as well,
but it would not have moved on and become more full had I not made a choice.
God has given us the ability to choose. I'm grateful for
that. I love Him for that. I have written several words today and I hope one
has stood out to you. That is God communicating with you.
I hope you have a wonderful week and see a miracle of life
each day!
Love,
Elder Adamek
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