STARKE, FL
COMPANION: ELDER COLLETT
This week I had more fruit than I could eat! Oh goodness I love fruit. One fantastic family from my old area in Gainesville drove up and dropped off an ENORMOUS load of fruit for us, we were invited to a member's home where the biggest fruit salad I had ever seen in my whole life had been prepared for us, and another family from the Sister's area gave us fruit to take home TWICE. Such wonderful blessings from such kind, generous people here in the South.
We got to do a couple of funny things this week. Even got to go swimming! Sort of. We set up an above-ground pool and cleaned it out. It was FILTHY. But we got to dress up in our normal (we call them "service") clothes and stand in about an inch of water and scrub the dickens out of that pool for an afternoon. So it was basically swimming.
My heart goes out to all those who have suffered as a result of the fires there in San Diego. Suffering doesn't just come from actually having your possession burned or lost. The fear, the uncertainty, the reek of the smoke and the heat bring a need for patience and endurance all their own. I love and will pray for you. on the other end of the continent, we have also been on the other end of the spectrum. It POURED rain on Starke this week, but we had work to do. So we were out, wetter than I have ever been in my entire life, having to leave our car behind and run from door to door because the roads were flooded. To give you a glimpse of how wet I have been this week, I will tell the story of the morning I found something GROWING in my SHOES. I have since aggressively scrubbed them in bleach.
Our investigators are progressing marvelously. We have one named Larry Fowler who is planning on being baptized on June 8th. Larry, like everyone else I have met in the last 5 months, is Southern Baptist, and knows his bible very well. We go to his lessons and sit as he fires off the great questions of Christendom. Who created God? What is the role of an apostle? To whom does God speak, upon what basis, and how? What must a man do in this life? What is the nature of the post-mortal existence? His questions range from all-encompassing musings to specific, almost minute piercings. And we, children that we are, sit quietly, smile sweetly, listen attentively, flip a couple pages, and read a Book of Mormon verse. Then we bear our testimonies, and we listen some more.
When we see people, and we say, "The Restored gospel of Jesus Christ will answer every question that has ever been asked, heal every sorrow that has ever been felt, redeem every mistake that has ever been made, and actualize that heritage of godhood within us not only in the life to come, but in this" they are not capable of grasping what we are saying because no such claim has ever been made in the history of mankind, but for this. Oh the grandeur and the majesty of this message. Oh the mercy and the goodness of God. We say this exact phrase or one similar in phrasing and identical in meaning in our first encounter with our beloved brethren here in Starke. The rest of our meetings, all the six lessons, are simply to allow them to marinate in it, and make the decision whether to look and live.
LOOK AND LIVE! For the sake of goodness! Look and live. Long ago there were people who would not and we laugh and wonder and judge them so. Those ancient Israelites so hardened that the commandment to gaze upon the serpent lifted up above them fell upon deaf ears and rebellious hearts. They perished there, never more than wanderers, never more than slaves. This was the tragedy of our fathers, and we repeat it now. I repeat it every time I struggle, and run to anything but the pages of my holy books. I repeat it every time I mourn and resist that spirit of comfort and joy within me. I repeat it when I am willful, looking ahead towards my goals and appetites and agendas in resistance to the will of my Lord.
LOOK AND LIVE! For the sake of goodness! Look and live. Long ago there were people who would not and we laugh and wonder and judge them so. Those ancient Israelites so hardened that the commandment to gaze upon the serpent lifted up above them fell upon deaf ears and rebellious hearts. They perished there, never more than wanderers, never more than slaves. This was the tragedy of our fathers, and we repeat it now. I repeat it every time I struggle, and run to anything but the pages of my holy books. I repeat it every time I mourn and resist that spirit of comfort and joy within me. I repeat it when I am willful, looking ahead towards my goals and appetites and agendas in resistance to the will of my Lord.
Wanderers, rebels, and slaves.
How Moses must have wept to watch his people perish. How it must have hurt the Christ to watch Peter's eyes flicker to the waves of the storm. We can feel their agony in Jacob's words echoed by Nephi the son of Helaman: "Why will ye die?"
Sigh. So I wave it around. This book, this precious book. This ancient tome of holy scripture, this perfect volume of pure doctrine, the embodiment of the everlasting gospel of my Savior, Friend, and King. I will wave it and declare it, and hold it over my head mere inches from the faces of these modern Israelites, these precious souls, my brothers and sisters, these children of God and beg them to look and to live. I actually do this in lessons you know. It's not a metaphor. Just did it again Saturday.
Sigh. So I wave it around. This book, this precious book. This ancient tome of holy scripture, this perfect volume of pure doctrine, the embodiment of the everlasting gospel of my Savior, Friend, and King. I will wave it and declare it, and hold it over my head mere inches from the faces of these modern Israelites, these precious souls, my brothers and sisters, these children of God and beg them to look and to live. I actually do this in lessons you know. It's not a metaphor. Just did it again Saturday.
I have more than eyes to look with. God was merciful enough for that. Life is more than existence, and so more than food, water, and sleep are necessary to achieve and sustain it. I am laboring to discover and to use what I have to look with! I am endeavoring to search out and embrace that life which is there for me to live. Maybe one day I'll manage it. Maybe one morning I'll look and live! I do hope so.
Well I must be off. We have to go get a bunch of pamphlets. Did I mention we got in trouble recently? This came right from the top; we were even pulled aside by the Zone Leaders a couple weeks ago in Zone Meeting. We have apparently been giving out far too many copies of the Book of Mormon. I know, we are the very vilest of sinners. Oh the shame. We now have our own special rules for where and when and to whom we can give them. Hehehehehee, it is great to be a missionary. I cannot even explain how much FUN I am having. Anyway, that's why we need more pamphlets. Recently we were out of Restoration (the first lesson) pamphlets AND copies of the Book of Mormon. All we had were pamphlets for the Law of Chastity lesson. Let me tell you, that made for some interesting street-contacts.
Love you!
~Elder Jorgensen
~Elder Jorgensen