Good
morning all! I pray your all doing well and have enjoyed a change in weather as
here it does not. Haha although we have had an unholy amount of rain that left
26th street flooded to your hips and our apartment street flooded to the ancle!
Mucho Aqua!!
This
week was pretty different for sure! On Tuesday I had a pretty great exchange
will the dominican that lives with us now whose a brand new missionary and is
super start but much more funny! He can describe things much better than I and
brings the spirit into lessons that was sometimes a challenge to do with just
spanish-learning missionaries.
Thursday
however, was zone conference. Never have i ever seen or experienced
something like the conference we had had. Maybe it was the people that were there
or what was taught by the leaders that changed.. much was discussed and taught
during the conference.. to be more charitable, help others feel and recognize
the spirit during lessons, focus ourselves on the Book of Mormon and prayer to
know if it really is true, and as we mark names of Christ in that volume of
scripture we are looking for Christ and that we should, as missionaries help
others look for him too. By the end of the conference I expect us all were
waiting for the silly portion of it, then snacks, then home. However when the
assistants to the president called us back to stand in one big circle, the 2
Elders stood in the middle asking if anybody had wanted some candy.. but as
each person wanted some candy a younger Elder was called to do 7 push-ups for
each piece of candy another missionary wanted. After 3-4 missionaries had asked
for sweets the task began to talk its toll on the young missionary, after
several more missionaries asking for candy less and less people were willing to
ask for any more and the young missionary kept doing the push-ups. After yet
another missionary asked for candy the young missionary had yet gotten down
with a warm smile and did 7 more grueling push-ups to the point of trembling
and shaking, but he did each of them.
I
personally hadn't understood what the activity was for until after this moment,
when the assistants called out to us asking if anyone else wanted candy, just
then a senior missionary who was in change of missionary homes and plumbing
walked up to the young missionary and embraced him with a hug. He then got down
with the young missionary and completed 7 more push-ups with his help and
support, after this round they then embraced each other with another hug, but
the young missionary wasn't done. The assistants called out again to anybody
else and all were silent until they asked a sweet sister of the mission that
had been in my district several transfers ago was asked personally if she
wanted candy. She shook her head in tears and the assistants asked why not? She
simply said that he needed to suffer.. the young missionary then gave another
warm smile and said its okay, I want to. He did then 7 more. Nothing I say can
describe the way the young missionary shook and tembled after each
push-up.
In
that moment I pictured nothing but my Savior there in that circle. Jesus Christ
suffered and died for me. For you. He did much more than just 7 push-ups for
each of us individually and I know that he had done it willingly and
voluntarily.
The
activity was to show how unbelievably real the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for
each of us. It's infinite.
Jesus
Christ overcame the world, and so can we. Because of what he had done in that
Garden. He knows you. He Loves you. I testify with all my heart that he lives and
he is "intimately concerned of you needs, your goodness, and your prayers
for help" as well as our Father in Heaven.
I
invite you all to study more about Christ, His teachings, and His
sacrifice. I invite you all to share this story with friends or family
that all may know the truth of Jesus Christ through another testimony.
I
love each of you. Christ loves you, he wants us to be with our Heavenly Father
again as much as He does.
Elder
Jorgensen
