Submitting Cheerfully

Hey Everyone,

It's been a little while since I've written anything.  Partially because of other tasks that have required my attention, and partially because I hadn't stumbled upon a truth that I really felt I was prepared to write on.  I didn't feel like I had a topic that was relevant to my life so far that I could really put my two cents in on.  To make a long, and ongoing, story short I've come to really understand a few verses of scripture from the 24th Chapter of the Book of Mosiah very well.  

Let's begin with verse 12 and then proceed forward.  We might as well go chronologically because I really don't have any reason to break from the timeline recording the afflictions of Alma and his little band of loyal converts.  

12. And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to

​ ​

the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him;and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

​

Sometimes it's just not convenient to formally pray, especially in the case of Alma and his people because death is a bad thing.  But when formal prayer is a little out of the question, like when you're driving through heavy traffic and people are merging in and out of your lane like it's going out of style.  That's not the best place to get on your knees, fold your arms, and bow your head.  But when all else fails I can testify that the Lord does hear our thoughts and understand the wants and the intentions of our hearts.  In the past weeks I have had many an experience where formal prayer was right out of the question, but I needed God right then more than anything else.  So immediately I began to do what is recorded in Mosiah; a non-verbal and a non-formal pouring of my heart out to God.  ​I've come to understand in greater measure of what it means to pour.  The people of Alma, and over the past few weeks I, haven't just trickled the wants and needs of my heart and soul to God.  I have poured, and those thoughts have been heard, and those informal prayers answered.  

13. And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions 

In a recent Zone Training Meeting our mission President has emphasized that spiritual power and effective missionary work comes as we keep our covenants.  Jeffrey R. Holland emphasized this point, and was quoted in the meeting, as saying "

Trust me. The key to this work is in keeping our covenants. In no other way can we claim and demonstrate the powers of godliness.You have the word of the Lord on that subject

​"  (​

From a missionary satellite broadcast address given on April 25, 1997

).​  When we uphold our end of the bargain we are entitled to the blessings of heaven, but are not entitled to say when we receive those blessings.  Some relief comes instantly, some is delayed, and some isn't felt until the eternities.  But the Lord has promised, and He will fulfill.  Sometimes the blessing is physical, but we cannot expect by the sincerity of our pleading that it will always be so.  The majority of the times I have struggled in the past few weeks I haven't felt a physical feeling of relief, and it's been anything but immediate, but I know that my prayers have been answered all the same.  I have come to recognize the sometimes difficult to recognize feeling of peace where there once was anguish.  It's been a process much like watching the dew disappear from the grass in the morning.  As the sun rises and is a greater part of the world slowly the warmth of the sun increases.  The heat slowly wicks away the moisture drop by drop.  And it has been much in a similar way with me.  The trials I've gone through haven't been aided by anything but the gentle presence of the Spirit.  And as I press on through the day those drops of affliction and struggle slowly evaporate into a sweet peace.  

15. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

​I really only want to focus on two words that title this post​: submit cheerfully.  This is where I get to toss in my two cents on the scriptures from my own personal experience.  Alongside the truth that there isn't a situation which can't be made worse by a good complaint about it is the parrallel truth that there isn't a situation that can't be made better by choosing to be happy.  Choose to be happy.  I honestly struggle with that concept because sometimes life just makes it too difficult to choose to be happy.  So I'm going to throw in my own little revision to that statemtent and simply encourage you all, no matter the trial, to choose to draw closer to Christ.  I can't choose how I feel in a given situation sometimes, I'm human.  But I always have the choice to draw nearer to Christ.  That's always an option.  And in the case of Alma and his people, they chose to submit to the will of the Lord.  They chose in this instance to draw closer to God rather than drawing away from him, even though the situation demanded it at the point of a sword and at the cost of their lives.  Taking a note from President Monson's talk 'Choices' in this past General Conference, if we choose christ, we'll always have made the right choice, and we will find happiness.  I know that to be true.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Gailey

Fertile Wilderness

Hello Everyone!

It's warming up quite a bit here in Utica.  Compared to the sweater/coat weather we had in previous weeks it's becoming hot and muggy.  It's been well over 90 degrees for the past few days and I'm not sure if you can go over 100% humidity or not, but we probably did.  I've never been a huge fan of the humidity, but I guess I'll deal with it!

This past week as Elder Haslam and I were reading in the Book of Mormon with a less-active member.  We decided to read 1 Nephi 16, incidentally one of my favorite Book of Mormon chapters, and to focus on the faith that Nephi had to act even in a tough situation.  But what caught my eye this time around was verse 16, which reads:

​"​

And we did follow the directions of the ball

​ [the liahona]​

, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.

​"​

As they followed and "gave heed", as the scriptures say, to the liahona, they were led through good portions of the wilderness.  I had to pause and think for a bit about how much of a blessing it must have been to be led in the more lush parts of the Arabian peninsula near the Red Sea.  We read in this chapter of how Nephi broke his bow, and usually we describe it like we would if we accidentally dropped our phones and the battery popped out.  Nephi breaking his bow was a big deal, as was being in the best parts of the wilderness.  We'll do a quick headcount of who they had to provide food for:

Lehi and Sariah

​Laman and his wife

Lemuel and his wife

Sam and his wife

Nephi and his wife

Zoram and his wife

Ishmael and his wife

Ishmael's oldest son and his wife

Ishmael's middle son and his wife

Ishmael's youngest son and his wife

We also know that Ishmael had sons who had wives, not sure how many, but we'll just assume ​

Ishmael's sons were comparable to Lehi's sons.  So we'll guess 3 sons to be on the safe side.  

If we assume that at the time they didn't have any kids, and Jacob and Joseph hadn't been born yet, that is still 20 people to provide food for.  I've never personally had to feed 20 people before, but I've had to provide food for 4 missionaries and I think the amount they eat is about equal.  That's a ton of food, and likely a large portion of the hunting lay on the shoulders of Nephi.  

So how great a blessing and comfort is must have been to have been led in the "more fertile parts of the wilderness".  Don't get the scriptures wrong, they were still in the wilderness.  It wasn't that when they were disobedient they walked through the Sahara in the noon-day sun and when they were obedient they were riding on segways in air conditioning.  They still were in an untamed land, full of trials and tribulations, but when they kept the commandments and gave heed to the directions they received from Heaven, they were blessed with an easier route of travel.  And such it is with our lives.  

Obedience doesn't make us exempt from trials, but allows us to endure with cheerfulness and to obtain greater blessings and aid from Heaven.  I know that these are true and correct principles because as I look at our mission, many missionaries who are exactly obedient (or striving to be) still struggle to find and to teach.  But their attitudes are exemplary and their faith is strong that the Lord has a plan and that this is his work.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Gailey

"Why are they not chosen?"

Hello Everyone! 

It's been a little while since I've written a blog post, my schedule has gotten slightly more hectic as of late.  But today, in consequence with a recent study of it, I would like to comment on a verse found in Doctrine and Covenants 121.  This is a more priesthood-oriented post, but the principles of Christlike leadership and the development of our spiritual power is applicable to all.  

This section, revealed to Joseph Smith Jr., contains great advice for those in suffering and those called to serve in any capacity.  The doctrines and principles contained therein are of great worth.  But I wish to focus on verses 35-36.  In these verses we are told that many are called, but few are chosen.  This phrase is not unique to the Doctrine and Covenants, but also appears in Matthew 22:14.  But what is unique is the sentence immediately following which asks the powerful question "And why are they not chosen?".  A short synopsis is given that simply those that are not chosen by God are the ones that don't choose God.  

In verse 35 it says that the reason is the failure to learn a simple lesson, at least simple on paper for practice is where the true test lies.  This lesson, so key to leading and being an example to the world, is that "That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness."  These God given rights come with their own instruction manual, they have certain restrictions and organizations.  The powers of heaven require righteous desires and actions in order to have them in our lives.  

President Russell M. Nelson spoke about unblocking the flow of priesthood power and noted several ways that priesthood power can be blocked or restricted.  President Nelson noted that "the flow of power [can be] blocked by sins such as laziness, dishonesty, pride, immorality, or preoccupation with things of the world."  Much like Doctrine and Covenants 121, we lose priesthood power and lose the power and Spirit of God as we act in ways that aren't in line with God's will.  And this doesn't mean we're doing bad things, but we're just not doing the things we really need to be doing.  These small choices can and will limit our spiritual and priesthood power if not bridled like Alma admonishes his son Shiblon to do in Alma 38:12.  Ultimately we are the culmination of all the choices, great or small, that we have made throughout our lives.  And who we are and where we are in the eternities will be determined by the choices, great or small, that we will make through the rest of our lives.  

As we make correct, and if circumstance demands it, corrective choices we will find a new-found power in our lives.  We will have the Spirit of the Lord to guide us and to give us power from heaven to aid us in all aspects of our lives.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Gailey

A picture is worth a 1000 words

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words then this is a LONG BLOG POST!!  Some of the wonderful people I have had the chance to meet and teach while on my mission....

SPICY MISSION

So there's a lady in the Ward named Thida, she's from Cambodia, and she feeds us every week.  She makes this spicy sauce simply dubbed 'Spicy' that she serves with all of her rice dishes.  Elders Tanner, Miles, and DeSpain said I wasn't down to eat a whole spoonful of it because they can't handle it.  I guess all of those street meals in Thailand paid off because I took it without a hitch.  I also did a food eating challenge this week called the Towering Inferno.  Sadly I didn't beat it, but I'm going to.  I'll send some pictures of that as well as some others in a little bit.  

Love, Elder Gailey 

ps. Missions don't always beat ALL the stupid out of young men.  They just refine us a little bit.  

"Again, For The First Time."

Hello Everyone, 

Since General Conference isn't far behind us I have a new vault of topics to speak on.  I would like to talk a little bit about the phrase used as a title for this post, spoken by Elder Garrit W. Gong.  The complete quote goes like this:

​"​

When you are ready, please open your heart to the Book of Mormon, again, for the first time. Please pray with real intent, again, for the first time.

​"​ 

(Elder Garrit W. Gong, 'Always Remember Him', April 2016 General Conference)

​This short phrase, as I've thought it through, can be applied to most things in our life that have the ability to become mundane and commonplace.  Extraordinary things should not become 'the norm' in our lives, but we should seek to make them always extraordinary.  As we read our scriptures we should strive to not just stare at an organized succession of ink symbols on a page for 15 minutes.  Our prayers should be a communication that can't be replaced by numbering all of the common phrases and blessings we want or need and then simply saying "Dear Heavenly Father, 15. 21. 34. 1. 27. 3. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  As I was told early in my mission by a wise goofball of an Elder "If you're becoming robotic, you're doing it wrong".  The fullness of the gospel is a lifestyle, it's meant to be lived to the fullest if we truly want the greatest measure of blessings our Father in Heaven has in store for us.  

​Our Heavenly Father doesn't see us as beings that only experience great happiness and fulfillment for a short period of time​ and then we return to a nothingness from whence we were born.  We came from glory and he wants us to return to glory.  Our life is not a "brief candle" as Shakespeare's Macbeth puts it.  We weren't created to simply go 'the way of all the earth' after a brief stint on the Pale Blue Dot.  

Our Father in Heaven has provided ways for all of us to grow in faith, testimony, and happiness.  Patience may be required, but renewed vigor and happiness await the faithful.  If at all your life has become unfulfilling, it doesn't have to stay that way.  Not long ago I felt, as I had in the past, that missionary work was becoming mundane.  I made a choice for it to not be that way.  I came to know through personal revelation what things would be required of me in order to have greater happiness, charity, and faith in this work.  I have since begun again, for the first time, to be a faithful disciple of Christ.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Gailey

Hindrance or Help

Hello Everyone!

Well this week has been one for the books.  We had some amazing things happen, but one that stands out in bright contrast.  We had a teaching appointment this week centered on the Book of Mormon.  We focused on its purpose, meaning, blessings, and the living witnesses that my companion and I bear of it.  The person who invited us in is what I would refer to as worthy of honorary degrees in Religious Studies.  Never in a persons home have I seen more books on religion and science.  But what was more was the fact that they understood them.  They had studied and thought out the scriptures alongside the world around them and had come to amazing and accurate conclusions about the way God works.  Needless to say that if we were to do a side-by-side comparison of pure knowledge and intellect I was far out-classed.  

But this brings me to the point that stuck out to me as I sat on an extremely comfy sofa in a small apartment in Cicero, New York.  The point is thus: no intellectual understanding and comprehension in any number of various fields can compensate for a field you don't care about.  Our desires dictate our actions, and if we don't desire to know more on a subject, we never will, despite our amazing intellect in any other field.  

As I sat in the room of someone who could quote and cross reference scripture upon scripture from the Bible, this thought came to mind as we discussed a subject upon which she lacked understanding, and we had the expertise: The Book of Mormon.  As we discussed we reiterated the point we had begun with, that a testimony of the Book of Mormon only comes if we will humble ourselves enough to read it and pray about it with a sincere heart and real intent.  Again and again we found ourselves led back to this point of all points.  If we were to base our beliefs on pure doctrine we were on a level playing field.  Our beliefs about Christ and his divine nature, the Atonement, faith and works, and the need for authority were seeing eye to eye.  After some discussion our fellow follower of Christ noted what my companion and I had felt before, that the only things we disagree on are Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  I don't think I've stated more clearly and boldly the point that I had made at least a half dozen other times in various ways with this individual that there is but one appointed means to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet of Almighty God and that the Book of Mormon has divine origins and the power to change lives.  The Spirit was present and I knew that those present could feel it.  

So when my companion voiced the simple question of: knowing all of this, will you read the Book of Mormon?  My heart sunk with righteous sorrow as the response was what fell on my ears as a capitalized and well punctuated 'No.'  My companion and I were saddened by this answer, but respected the answerer and after a closing prayer of gratitude for the occasion to meet, we left.  

After all of this it brings me back to the subject of our desires.  What do we desire, and why?  Do we truly desire to live with our Father in Heaven once more?  Do we truly desire answers to our questions of the soul?  Simply put, do we desire what we say we want?  In this scenario our questioner was wanting to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, but lacked the true desire to act.  As Elder Neal A. Maxwell put it "what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become".  If our desires are 'lukewarm', or as Revelation 3:15 puts it, if we are "neither cold nor hot" we cannot gain our desires, we will simply lack the motivation to act consistently. 

If we do truly desire the good, God has promised us blessings unknown.  And that we will be able to achieve our righteous desires if it be in line with God's will.  Our righteous desires, that we consistently work towards, will be a great boon to us and to the world we live in.  

This experience has caused me to question my desires deeply, mostly focusing on the question "Do I love ____ more than ____".  I have to ask myself frequently if I love God more than I love a comfy bed at 6:30 AM.  I have to ask if I love the people around me more than I love getting lost in thought and contemplation while those around me need my words and actions, not my thoughts.  Our desires are ours "It is up to us. God will facilitate, but He will not force" (Neal. A Maxwell "According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts).  I hope that each of you truly desire what is right, and more importantly what is right in the sight of the Lord.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Gailey