"All That Is Unfair" (10/31/2018)

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So,

We've had a slight uptick of missionary action here this past week. We are teaching a lady named Juanita--she came to the ward Halloween party a couple of days ago, which was pretty cool. That happened immediately after we had the bishop and his wife meet her at her home. She told us that she is willing to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, that she wants to know which church is true, and that so far the only answer she's received from God about the Book of Mormon is "It's okay to read it." So pray that she DOES read it as she said she would and receives a witness of its truth. We are meeting with her again tomorrow, to be joined by some great members who volunteered to join us for the lesson even though they have to get a babysitter! Wow, that's cool!

We have met other people here and there, but meeting with them is still a challenge! We will keep at it though.

Due to it being Halloween, our P-day today is from 1 PM to 9 PM, which is pretty different. Normally I would have less than an hour left before we get back to work, but not today. The funny thing is, here in Ashland (and surrounding towns in the township) they already did trick-or-treating several days ago! Pretty funny how some places just do their own thing. But we were told to adhere to the Halloween-P-day schedule anyway. So here we are!

We had zone conference yesterday and it was pretty good, though I've been sick with some kinda virus since midway through Sunday. Working through that has been interesting. That reminds me, Sunday we had a baptism!! It was for two 8-year-old boys in the ward, but hey, that's okay! We got to help by filling the font! 😉

Spiritual thought from "That I Might Draw All Men unto Me" by Elder Dale G. Renlund, from the April 2016 General Conference:

"Because they were distant from the Savior, Laman and Lemuel murmured, became contentious, and were faithless. They felt that life was unfair and that they were entitled to God’s grace. In contrast, because he had drawn close to God, Nephi must have recognized that life would be the most unfair for Jesus Christ. Though absolutely innocent, the Savior would suffer the most.
"...The closer we are to Jesus Christ in the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the more we appreciate His innocent suffering, the more grateful we are for grace and forgiveness, and the more we want to repent and become like Him. Our absolute distance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is important, but the direction we are heading is even more crucial. God is more pleased with repentant sinners who are trying to draw closer to Him than with self-righteous, faultfinding individuals who, like the Pharisees and scribes of old, do not realize how badly they need to repent.
"...The sacrament truly helps us know our Savior. It also reminds us of His innocent suffering. If life were truly fair, you and I would never be resurrected; you and I would never be able to stand clean before God. In this respect, I am grateful that life is not fair.
"At the same time, I can emphatically state that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, ultimately, in the eternal scheme of things, there will be no unfairness. 'All that is unfair about life can be made right.' "

This is why we worship, preach of, and spread the word about Jesus Christ--because all things on this troubled earth will be made right because of and through Him.

Love,
Elder Gallagher

P.S. I tried eggnog for this first time earlier this transfer and BOY howdy, it's good. Where has eggnog been my whole life? Why did my family keep me from knowing about the delectability of this drink? "I DEMAND RESTITUTION!" - Sally Brown

PIC: the District. Elder Lewis, my companion, is to my left. (I don't remember if I sent a picture of him yet...)
 
 
 

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