I can't believe I've been here a week. It has been incredible so far to see the things that God has planned for the summer. I've been learning this week that everything that we do here is completely useless unless we do it with love. I really noticed this when we were at Manti. I had a couple of conversations with some LDS members and really felt a tendency to want to argue and fight these people. Then God just reminded me that even if I win the argument and these people leave the LDS church, they're no closer to a relationship with Christ than in the LDS church.
That's another thing God's been teaching me. I came out here with this whole hatred toward the LDS church as a religious institution and a money-making business. I saw that hatred come out while we were watching the pageant down in Manti and this quote came up. "You are the greatest miracle on this earth. Nothing is more important in this world than your development toward becoming gods." I've learned there's a difference between a righteous anger and hatred. Through spending time in Manti and at the LDS ward, as well as talking to Kelly, Colleen and Allie, I've come to realize that members of the LDS church are no more lost than anyone else who doesn't know Christ. As I said before, I really wanted to fight mormonism, rather than presenting the Gospel.
Saturday night I had the opportunity to have a really good conversation with a guy named Evan. He was a member of the LDS church, but as we got into a conversation, I could see him really trying to understand the Truth. He asked us what is good and evil. So we proceeded to explain how good is anything that affirms God's character, and evil is anything that diminishes His character. We then proceeded to discuss salvation and the law and he could not wrap his mind around Christ's righteousness freeing us completely. He said that the Gospel was too extreme for him. We got to pray for him and I trust that God is going to do something through our conversation.
Right now there's a High School team from Bethel Grace Baptist Church in Southern California. They were in Manti with us and I thoroughly enjoy having them down here. We're going to Temple Square with the team and then they will be working with a local church to help with a Vacation Bible School, which should be cool.
I'm really excited for the Spanish ministry I'll be starting. Thursday Kelly, Colleen, Allie, Joe and I got to just go on a prayer walk of the neighborhood where I'll be doing ministry. We got to walk around and found out where a lot of the smaller Spanish churches are and got their contact information. I will be trying to work with them to help meet the needs of the community around them, as well as just sharing the Gospel, doing Bible Studies and just spending time with these people.
One of the things I enjoy most about being here is the community that has started to form. Just about every day we have something going on in the Blue House that brings people in. Whether it's meals at night, pancakes on Thursday mornings, Bible Study on Wednesday night, bonfires, movie nights, or just hanging out and having conversations, God has provided a lot of different people who are from different walks of life. Praise Him for placing people into our lives and entrusting us to be His mouthpiece. Pray that He would empower us to be obedient to what He would have us do this week.
God Bless!
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