"And now, my
beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this straight and narrow path, I
would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come
thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying
wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save." 2 Nephi 31:19
A couple weeks
before I arrived in ZhuBei a member named Dynamo left for his mission in Texas.
He was already in love with the work before he left. He would accompany
missionaries all over town and help them teach most days and was not just
there, he would help teach and clarify. However right before he left on his
mission, he fell asleep while riding a motorcycle and rammed into the back of a
truck. He recovered enough to leave and with a broken arm and a few stitches. He
left blissfully on his mission. However, as the weeks passed by things started
happening and after passing out in the cafeteria in the MTC, he was back into
the hospital. We soon learned from his family that he has a tumor which was
caused or brought about by the crash.
I tremble and
shake at the thought of returning home. I ask myself often what trial would
cause me to fall. Where does my faith end? What could I take? and finally, How
can I overcome when I am given a mountain to climb (or) how can I obtain that
great amount of faith? The trials God gives us often appear sporadically or
accumulate over time, how can I develop the faith to endure?
I'll finish the
story: Dynamo came home. He is tired and trying to hide the pain he is dealing
with right now. I can't even imagine. We had a ward family home evening on
Saturday and he put on a good face but then yesterday he was asked to say a few
words.. I cannot express to you the pain I saw in his face. I cannot and will
not even try. He said only a few words between sobs, and a sorrow entered the
room. It is sad when any missionary goes home for reasons that are not his or
her own and these circumstances only make it seem more unfair. Not only did he
have to leave the work he loves, but he now has a medical problem that will
take more pain to overcome than I myself can imagine.
My point in
sharing this is that, God will give us trials that will lead us to say
"why, when I was trying my best to be so good, did I receive such a hard
mountain to climb?" And when he does, I hope that we will be able to stand
together in the gospel with full faith in Christ.
"Now these
sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him;
therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more
to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed
strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound
understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might
know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much
prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit
of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of
God." Alma 17:2-3
Pray for Dynamo.
Elder Henry David Christensen
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