Thanksgiving passed by completely unnoticed, but that’s
okay, there are a lot of holidays here that we don’t have there so it all evens
out. Not like we celebrate any of them though. Just on holidays there are a lot
more drunk people so it’s more fun to do street contacts.
Every month the zone leaders of the mission have a special
meeting with the mission president to talk about how to better the missionary
work in the mission. I've learned that there is an eternal principal that is
involved in this:
The study of doctrine has a more profound effect on
behaviors then a study of behaviors. When we really study and understand the
doctrine of Christ and the Atonement, we naturally work harder and have better
results in missionary work. You talk with more people on the street and have
more spirit in your lessons.
It’s the same thing in our day to day life, and with
teaching investigators. If someone understands the doctrine of the Law of
Chastity and really understands that they are offending God by living together
without being married, then they can use their agency to choose if they will
get married or not, and they will receive their recompense in the last day.
I can recognize that 90% of all the times we sin we simply
are tricked by Satan into not thinking about the definitiveness of the
doctrine. We think, "Just a little bit isn’t all that bad" or
"what I’m doing doesn’t really fall under this commandment". He tries
to get us to forget where the lines are or better yet redefine our own lines or
the lines set by the world.
As missionaries we try to be "Valiant Defenders of the
Truth" (as it says in the missionary handbook) and testify of what GOD has
set the standards to be in such a way that the person feel the spirit testify
of its truth, then let that person choose for himself if he will follow or not.
I’m really learning a lot on the mission. It really is a
lifetimes worth of experiences all shoved in two years.
I definitely recommend it for everyone.
Love you all!
-Elder Leete
