April 24 2017

So this week has been a good week. We're still struggling to find the elect people here in Prostějov. They're here for sure, but we're not sure what the Lord wants us to do with this area. This week Elder Plewe and I went on an exchange here in Prostějov, while Elder Jensen went to Olomouc to spend a day with Elder Chapple. Elder Plewe and I decided that we were going to go down to a small village called Kojetín wherein we talked to several people who were interesting but had no interest. We even ran into an Islamic/Jew from England (don't ask me how that happened) who was talking to us about religious problems around the world... I was not interested in his discussion, but we kept talking, trying to find some way to bring in the message of the Restoration, but he was not having it. We met a cool family, had a good discussion with them about the gospel, we were super excited to set up a meeting with them, and then at the last minute she said, "yeah, I'm not actually interested at all." so that was too bad. We then met probably the most interesting person of all. An older woman who answered her door, we started talking to her by saying, "hello sister, we are the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." She looked at us funny, and asked us if we knew each other. We talked for a few seconds before she turned to us and said, "guys, you should come see the true faith. in my congregation we have the gift of tonges, and people are healed." She bore her testimony about her church, and it really took me by surprise. I looked over at Elder Plewe who was not having any of it, and simply tried to tell her about the Restoration. I however was hurt... and I felt my testimony shake. For some reason, a Tesimony-like approach against our faith was something that I had never run into before, and I was hut because I didn't have anything that I could throw back at this woman... other than my own testimony which in this particular moment, for some reason, was not as strong as hers. the rest of the day seemed just like a blur, I remember just feeling so upset and confused and frustrated. Even the next day and the day after I couldn't get it out of my mind, or get the thorn out of my heart. I went into our study room yesterday and knelt down, and told Heavenly Father that I wanted to hear His opinion, and that I wanted Him to talk to me through the Book of Mormon. I got up from praying, went into our bedroom, and I opened up the Book of Mormon to a random page. I started reading just where my eyes landed. I read: Alma 32: 24 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out— Alma 32: 26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge. Alma 32:27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire‍ to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. I was reminded that I have Faith, not Knowledge... but that is not a bad thing, I believe that the Church is true, I don't have a perfect knowledge, otherwise I wouldn't have had any problem whatsoever with what this woman said. I talked to president Pohořelický who told me that I should renew/revive my testimony. I read my patriarchal Blessing, and I agree that the Lord probably wants me to revamp my testimony. I thought that as a missionary, who is going home in 2 months, I had the strongest testimony ever, but what is funny, the last couple of days, I have been asking Heavenly Father to help me come closer to Him. But as I have been drawing closer to Him, and to His Son, He has shown unto me one of my Weaknesses, a weakness that I previously had not known about. Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them. I don't know everything, but I do know that the Lord has a plan, and He wants to help prepare us for trials and things that will be hard for us in the Future. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father, who shows unto me my weaknesses as I come unto Him. As we come unto Him, He will show unto us our weakness, but He will make our weak things become strong unto us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. S Láskou, Starší Dean