Dear Family and Friends,
How are you doing? I hope that everyone has had a bopping week! This week has been pretty good, and I found out that Elder Hiserman, Haskell, and I are staying together another transfer. Or at least 2 more weeks together, because with all of these reassigned missionaries, we have transfers every two weeks. But we heard that we aren't going to get a lot of missionaries in August, but we are getting a bunch in September. Crazy stuff!
But this week I was given the opportunity to speak in our branch zoom call on the topic of ministering. And so this week I was studying about the miracles of Jesus, and so I decided to tie that in.
As I was reading this week one miracle, or one story, really caught my attention. The story is found in Mark 6. And in this story, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue, and there are a lot of people in this synagogue who know Jesus and his family pretty well. It could have been that these people lived close to Jesus while he was growing up or just really close friends with his family, but they were pretty blown away when they saw Jesus teaching and preforming miracles. I am pretty sure they were even skeptical too. It shows us that in verses 2 and 3, where the people pretty much say, We know this Jesus, where did he receive his power. Isn't he just a basic carpenter. He is not anything special.
And we see what goes on to happen when people doubt the power of Jesus Christ. In verses 5-6 where it says Christ could only perform a few miracles.
And as I was thinking about this story. Ether 12 came to mind and the many verses it has which says that without faith, there can be no miracles. Because God doesn't show himself until after their Faith!
As I was thinking about this story, I thought how well it applies to our life right now. And especially how we are waiting for a miracle to free us from this virus, but we know that before any miracle can happen people need to have faith. And that is why I love the first line of the missionary purpose which say, "Invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement..." and there's a little more after that.
But the first thing we do as missionaries is we help people first, strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. We basically prep them for miracles, which I really love to think about.
And honestly that is what every member of the church has the opportunity to do! To help people build their faith in Christ, so they can receive miracles.
We truly are miracle preppers!
So this week, how will you help someone strengthen their faith, so they can receive a miracle?
Elder Jorgensen
