This week I have been learning about Diligence, but for quite some time I have been trying to develop patience in all things (in trials, with people, in long lines, etc.). I was touced by a scripture this week in the Doctrine and Covenants that says:
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
The word that stood out to me was anxiously... very rarely the Lord will command us to be anxious. But when it comes to His work, the acceleration will only come when we become ANXIOUS about the work of the Lord! So I decided to trade my patience for anxiousness.
This became very real to me when we were teaching our investigator, Ademir, on Tuesday. We had already marked his baptismal date for that Friday, but he found out he would be working and would have his day off on Thursday. So I took advantage and moved the date up one day more. He said, "You know Sister Culley, you are pretty anxious. You just can't wait for me to get baptized can you?" And I told him the honest truth! I said, "Ademir, you haven't seen the half of it!" So he decided to take away my worries and get baptized that Thursday.
He had a wonderful experience in his baptismal interview, and became even more anxious to be baptized than I already was. The big day arrived and Ademir came almost an hour early for his baptism! After he came up out of the water he stood there wiping away his tears. You could see in his face that he had been completely cleaned of everything. He was starting over.
On Sunday he recieved the Holy Ghost, and said when he sat down, "All because of you."
We visited him that day and he had made a banana pie! We ate and talked about the temple and the priesthood, and all that lays ahead for Ademir. And he said, "I thought you were anxious before, but you were right! I didn't know the half of it!"
I love seeing others find the same happiness I have found living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And now I have a testimony that when we show those we love how anxious we are for them to recieve these same blessings I know they will feel of our love and the love of our Savior. So lets be a little more anxious about the Lord's work!
Love, Sister Culley
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
The word that stood out to me was anxiously... very rarely the Lord will command us to be anxious. But when it comes to His work, the acceleration will only come when we become ANXIOUS about the work of the Lord! So I decided to trade my patience for anxiousness.
This became very real to me when we were teaching our investigator, Ademir, on Tuesday. We had already marked his baptismal date for that Friday, but he found out he would be working and would have his day off on Thursday. So I took advantage and moved the date up one day more. He said, "You know Sister Culley, you are pretty anxious. You just can't wait for me to get baptized can you?" And I told him the honest truth! I said, "Ademir, you haven't seen the half of it!" So he decided to take away my worries and get baptized that Thursday.
He had a wonderful experience in his baptismal interview, and became even more anxious to be baptized than I already was. The big day arrived and Ademir came almost an hour early for his baptism! After he came up out of the water he stood there wiping away his tears. You could see in his face that he had been completely cleaned of everything. He was starting over.
On Sunday he recieved the Holy Ghost, and said when he sat down, "All because of you."
We visited him that day and he had made a banana pie! We ate and talked about the temple and the priesthood, and all that lays ahead for Ademir. And he said, "I thought you were anxious before, but you were right! I didn't know the half of it!"
I love seeing others find the same happiness I have found living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And now I have a testimony that when we show those we love how anxious we are for them to recieve these same blessings I know they will feel of our love and the love of our Savior. So lets be a little more anxious about the Lord's work!
Love, Sister Culley