Happy Holidays!
Hello everyone. We've run headlong into December, and it's time again to break out the scented candles and strings of Christmas lights. Well, we've got the candles part, anyway.
I'm not expecting this update to be too long. Elder Carter and I have been getting some new investigators and invitations to return to homes for blessings and such, but whenever we call or go to the home, no one answers. It's been a very frustrating week of being avoided.
On Tuesday, we had a Zone conference of sorts down in Searcy (pronounced SUR-sea), which is about a 2-hour drive. On the way to the meeting, Sis. Petersen called and asked Elder Carter to go to the meeting grumpy and all sorts of ill-mannered, which was totally opposite of how he usually is. At the meeting, several people walked up to him in a cheerful mood to say hello to their good friend, but Elder Carter blew them off. It was hard for me not to laugh at first, but as it kept going, I felt like this was really affecting our experience at the conference. Everyone around us was hurt by Elder Carter's unusually uncaring demeanor, and they came to me about it. I just had to tell them it had been a long week.
Thankfully, about an hour into the conference, Sis. Petersen relinquished him of his sulking duties and he apologized to a lot of people. I suppose Sis. Petersen made her point, but it was just incredible how one person's attitude can affect the people around them, especially their companion. I was starting to get angry myself. Life is so much better when you're a positive thinker, that's all I'll say.
Ok, spiritual thought, and then I'll wrap up. It's incredible how God wants to enlighten you. Yes, he wants to. In this case, he wanted me to learn how to teach a doctrine that I hadn't completely understood before, that is, how Christ can be the Father and the Son. This is a very good thing to know about in the South since most churches think Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the same person. I will preface this story, though, by saying I was not actively seeking an answer to my conundrum this particular morning.
As I opened my scriptures to study, I wondered what I wanted to study about. It dawned on me that through my reading of the Book of Mormon, I had skipped Abinadi's story. Something pushed me to decide otherwise, though, and I kept on with where I left off in 3 Nephi. As I was reading 3 Nephi, it said something about how the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite and Abinadi had been fulfilled. I began to wonder what prophecy Abinadi had made that fulfilled what I was reading about, so I eventually turned over to the book of Mosiah and began to read.
Noah, son of Zeniff, became wicked, everyone became wicked, Abinadi stands prophesying that the city would be in bondage -- good deal. I then read what Abinadi said in front of Noah and his priests about their wickedness.
Suddenly, as I read a verse, I was hit by a ton of Spirit bricks.
I read over the verse again. And again. The Spirit bore witness to me and helped me understand the answer to this difficult question I had in the back of my mind, and it was answered in Mosiah 15: 2-3. The line that stuck out to me was this: "The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God;"
As I understood what the scripture was saying, I wrote underneath the scripture the following notes: "Chuck Staib ---> Matt Staib" I am a part of my father in blood and in title. So also is Christ a part of His Father in flesh as well as in title. It not only answered my question on how to explain the doctrine, but it gave me a strong sense of duty and responsibility I have to carry two names on my nametag: "Jesus Christ" and "Staib".
My family has been a grand influence on each other as well as the whole world. I have a duty to uphold a name as wonderful as my own. I am proud to be a member of my family. That's what I came away with.
Well, that was longer than I thought1 I hope ya'll have a wonderful holiday! Be safe if it snows, and I'll talk to you guys next week. Love ya'll!
-Elder Staib
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