It's the Resovle that Counts

I once again apologize for missing a post last week. I was on a drive back from New England, where I spent the weekend at the LDS Education Conference, held in Boston, Mass. Read on for a report of the conference:

The conference began at the large and spacious Trinity Church, which is owned by the Episcopal Church. It was the only place large enough to fit everyone on a Friday night; by my count there were more than 1,000 people in attendance to hear Elder M. Russel Ballard address us. As I sat by the massive pipe organs on one of the balconies, I was impressed by the fact that wherever the true Gospel is preached, it does not matter the venue, for it is the same. I was also impressed with the idea that moving to the East Coast has truly allowed me to forge a testimony of this in my own heart. I have seen miracles in only two months, and expect to see many more during my tenure, however long it may be. And Elder Ballard spoke on miracles that first night, saying that miracles occur any time that the power of God is manifest. How grateful am I for the knowledge that the Priesthood has been restored, that God's power can be made manifest to exact miracles!

Saturday's portion of the conference was dedicated to the Young Single Adults (YSA's), of which I am a part. There were 600 of us who gathered in Salon H of the Copley Marriott, a few blocks from the Trinity Church. Elder Ballard spoke to us again, stressing on that morning repentance, balance, and simplicity in life. In jest he said that none of us are perfect, and so we should just find someone and get married! Everyone had a laugh at that. Elder Ballard also said that life's great quest is learning how to feed the spiritual side of our being as well as the physical side, which takes a lot of "spiritual education." So true!

The rest of Saturday was dedicated to missionary work. It was presented in the guise of our great desire to do missionary work, but our fear of how and where to begin. We heard from David Neeleman, who is the former CEO of JetBlue, and a member of the LDS faith. He talked on using the internet as a missionary tool to drown out those voices that speak untrue doctrine about the Church. He is a chair of the MoreGood Foundation, which strives to flood the net with positive, truthful content. He talked about how they have about one baptism per week from people who see one of their 250,000 sites, feel the Spirit, and are converted.

The next speaker was Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business professor who I heard two weeks prior in the Philadelphia area. He brought up myths about missionary work, as seen below:

1. We have the power to judge who is ready for the Gospel and who is not
2. We need to prepare people for the Gospel through developing friendships
3. We should focus our Gospel discussion on how it will make your life better
4. We should teach what we think they should know
5. People already know how to pray
6. It's okay to put off till tomorrow what can be done today
7. You are successful only if your friend accepts baptism
8. If we can't find someone for the missionaries to teach, it's because we don't know anyone who is interested.
9. Perfecting the saints, then, must be our lot in life

Brother Christensen said that these 9 things actually keep many from hearing the Gospel that we know to be true. He said that most people in the United States have a deeper need to serve others than to be served, and therefore should be included in any service opportunity. He also said that to keep people accountable we should give out homework assignments; these would be questions about the reading the missionaries assign, with the prompt to answer in essay format. The protocol for homework is as follows:

1. Pray out loud to begin homework, telling God what you are about to do.
2. Read the assigned passage.
3. Formulate a rough draft in response to the questions assigned.
4. Pray again, asking God for inspiration as you read the passage again.
5. Read the passage again.
6. Revise your answers.
7. Pray a third time, asking God if the things you read and wrote are true.

I learned this method on my mission after Brother Christensen spoke to us there on the same topic. One might notice that this is the method that he used as a pupil at Oxford University, only with prayer added in place of being critiqued by a mentor. I believe that this method indeed works as we put God into the equation, making him a fundamental part of our spiritual inquiry.

The whole weekend was amazing, but I realized this: many will walk away from this spiritual feeding unchanged. Many of the 600 I am sure left apathetic to the things taught, not any more willing to fulfill their duty to help 'bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). I am convinced that it is the resolve that counts, fueled by a humble desire to be better, to be a greater instrument in the hands of the Lord. This desire is fueled by a testimony that must be burned into the soul; this testimony is a knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the entire human race, and it is a knowledge that His true Gospel lies in the hands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the Book of Mormon and the Bible; It is the Priesthood restored on the Earth; it is a Prophet and Twelve Apostles.

I am grateful to have this knowledge, which leads my path each moment of each hour of each day. It is my prayer that we may all come to know these things, and better serve the Lord.

Have a Great Week!