Episode 21: Merry Christmas!

I have almost no more time at all to write so I'll make it way short!

 

First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope that Christmas was a wonderful day for you and that it filled you with love and appreciation for our Savior.

 

Throughout the week we biked all around the city talking to everyone we saw. Two or three of those we talked to seemed pretty promising! We also finished teaching a rehab patient at the hospital named James. Long story short, he wants to be baptized! Hooray! :)

 

On Christmas Eve we went to the Furstenburg family's home for dinner and caroling. Christmas for us was great. After a sacrament meeting combined with the other ward, we went to the Shaver home for Christmas dinner/lunch. The food was DELICIOUS. Then we got to open our presents and call home! It was great to talk to family and the 40 minutes felt more like 4.

 

Me and Elder Peck before caroling witht he Furstenburgs

 

 check out my on http://mormon.org/me/2JZ1/KennySchank/

 

With love,

 Elder Schank

With Wondering Awe by Elder Schank and company - Merry Christmas!

Episode 20: Elder Schanks Wishes You a Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope that all of you are loving this beautiful time of year.

This week has been a very, very good week. We've found two new investigators, one of which has quite a lot of promise! She's going to be home in Wake Forest for the holidays, and she's a young single adult so that means the sister missionaries will be teaching her instead of us anyway, but it always is exciting to be the ones to teach receptive people about the message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our other investigator is a middle-aged woman who seems very interested in the Book of Mormon. She used to be an investigator before we came to her door, actually, but I guess she doesn't remember a lot of what she was taught, because everything seemed new to her.

We've been teaching another man named James, who also will not be baptized into our ward. We got a call from his wife (who is a member of the Church) last week, asking for us to come and give him a blessing in the hospital before having surgery done on his kidneys and arteries in his leg. We gave him a blessing and then invited him to take the lessons and be baptized as he gains a testimony of our words. He accepted both invitations and now we've been teaching him on a regular basis in the rehabilitation unit of the hospital. He is so prepared. Even though he won't be joining our ward, we are so happy to see how he is already changing and becoming more happy. He told us that one morning not too long ago, he woke up happy and hopeful, with motivation to endure through his difficult therapy. I noted to myself that it was the morning following the night we taught him about Christ's restored church, the living prophet, and the Book of Mormon and invited him to pray to know for himself that these things are true.

Thank you so very much for all of your prayers, fasts, and encouraging and uplifting words on my behalf. My back is feeling better, and, while the pain definitely isn't gone completely, I am a lot more able to work. On Saturday, we decided to talk to as many people as possible. It was a long, tiring, and amazing day. We talked to so many people, and a few of them were interested in learning more! I had, for the first time, a soapbox-preacher moment. We were walking through a ghetto after contacting a few people we were trying to find and off to the side there were some young kids playing 3-on-3 basketball, with other children watching from the side. I never knew that 9-year olds could be so intimidating. Their language was profuse, they already had some swag, and some of them had dreadlocks and piercings. As we walked by them, the oldest one, who was probably 12, yelled at us, and I'm still not sure if he asked us what we were doing because he was curious or because he was making fun of us. But, we left the apartment with a resolve to talk to everyone we could, so I made sure that we weren't going to make any exceptions. We turned towards them and I simply stated that we were out teaching people about Jesus. I asked, "Do you guys believe in Jesus?" In no time they formed a semi-circle around us, and I found that Elder Peck and I had a captive audience of 8 rough children between the ages of 7 and 12, all of whom were interested in the message of two over-dressed---and very out-of-place---white guys. They all said that they did believe in Jesus, and that, in fact, their aunts, moms, and grandfathers were pastors in various churches around the county. We told them about the Book of Mormon and that God had called a prophet today. They thought we were really cool! Towards the end, I waved some pass-along-cards around and said, "So... who wants a card?!" Eight little hands shot up in the air among shouts of "Oooh! Me!" and "I want one!" We wrote our names and phone number on Mormon.org pass-along cards and proceeded to distribute them to the children. They shook our hands (a little confused, because they were expecting something more of a cool hand-jive-fist-bump) and we were on our way. When we got to the car to drive to our next place and passed them, I rolled down the window and gave them my best casual peace sign gesture and they waved back, a little more cool-ly than either of us could manage. As we left, I not only felt somewhat initiated into the group of these cool kids from da 'hood, but I also felt joy that I had opened my mouth and hope that one day our simple words and cards will change someone's life.

On Saturday morning, I decided that I was going to be really disciplined and determined and go on a 5-minute run with Elder Peck around the apartment complex. I woke up on Sunday with a sore throat, runny nose, cough, and almost no voice. So... at least my back is feeling better! I really feel pretty fine, just a little congested and wheezy.

I have been thinking quite a lot lately about the Christmas story lately, believe it or not. We know that much of it is found in Luke 2 in the New Testament. I read it over again as I do every year, but this time, I have the perspective of a missionary. It is interesting that whatever we are pondering about at any given time can be found almost everywhere throughout the scriptures. I found that there is a message about missionary work in the story of the birth of the Savior. In Luke 2:8-18 we read:

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the ^aglory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you ^agood tidings of great ^bjoy, which shall be to all people.
 11 For unto you is ^aborn this day in the city of David a ^bSaviour, which is Christ the ^cLord.
 12 And this shall be a ^asign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 14 ^aGlory to God in the highest, and on earth ^bpeace, good will toward men.
 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
 16 And they came with ^ahaste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
 18 And all they that heard it ^awondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

The angel in this story was a missionary in that he taught the gospel, or "good news", to the shepherds. He testified of the living Savior, and his (many) companions added their additional witnesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah of the Old Testament. The angel then left the shepherds with an invitation that would build their faith and taught them how to recognize the truthfulness of his words.

As the shepherds accepted the invitation and committed to act on it, the excitedly followed through by taking the necessary steps to see for themselves if the words of the messengers were true. As they accepted and acted upon the invitation, they gained their own witness that Jesus truly was the Christ child spoken of by His representatives. With this new-found testimony, the shepherds noised abroad that which they had learned for themselves to be true. They bore testimony that the baby Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and the Savior of mankind, and all those who were recipients of their witness were touched by that message.

We may not be asked to travel to Bethlehem and see physical evidences of the divinity of Christ, but similar invitations are extended to us throughout all the scriptures. I know that as we accept these invitations to act, commit to do them, and follow through by doing them, then we will know for ourselves---just a little bit more---that Christ truly is the Redeemer, Savior, and Great Atoner. As our testimonies grow through obedience, we can bless the lives of all others by sharing what we know to be true with them, whether they be family, friends, or total strangers.

I know that Jesus Christ, Who we worship and recognize at this Christmastime, is the Son of God and that He is the Savior of all mankind. I hope you have a very merry Christmas and I pray that you will be able to bless at least one person with your own testimony of Him.

Hope to hear from you soon! I love all of you very much!

With love,

Elder Schank

This is what we call a "Posterity Picture". Elder Peck, me (his trainer), and Elder Westley (my trainer)

Me and Elder Alan Conners, a friend from high school, at our Christmas zone conference

 

 

Episode 19: Elder Schank Goes to the Lab

Hi there, friends and family!

We're not making too much progress here on my back. I was prescribed a series of corticosteroids to take a little bit of the edge off of the pain while I'm waiting for a solution to "the issue". On Tuesday I finally got to go to the lab to get a blood test to look for rheumatoid arthritis. Supposedly I'll be informed of the results later today.

Greenville, NC in the middle of December. Our ward members are talking about how cold it is, now that the temperature has dropped all the way to the mid-50s. That makes me laugh a little bit.

We've been to the hospital a TON lately, but not for me. We've gone to give a priesthood blessing to at least four different people, and we've made visits at least 5 times. I guess that's what happens when one of the biggest hospitals on the east side of the state is in your proselyting area! :) There have been a lot of great experiences in that building, and I'm starting to associate the smell of olive oil with hospitals.

Ah, The Pitt County Memorial Hospital.  I almost don't even need a map anymore.  It's a good thing that clergy parking is free!

 It's been a tough week. Virgil dropped us. It's something I really don't understand. It's not because he doesn't want to change; that was part of why he wanted us to teach him in the first place. He wants to continue to live the Word of Wisdom even now that he doesn't want to get baptized anymore. He knows that the message of the Restoration---including the Book of Mormon---is true. He now knows how to recognize the Spirit, and he tells us that the only time he's ever felt the Spirit in his life has been when he has come to church with us or when we have taught him the gospel. He says he's never been happier. I know that he has a testimony of this message and that he has been severely blessed by it's introduction into his life. We have literally seen a physical change in his countenance as he has progressed towards baptism... and we've seen that change reverse has he's digressed. In our last prayer with him, he even prayed to Heavenly Father that He wouldn't get mad at him for not being baptized into the Church. He knows that it's true and that he should do it, but there's just SOMETHING that we haven't nailed down that keeps him from wanting to join the church in which he has gained a testimony. We've tried over and over again in the most loving of ways to explain that if he knows that the Book of Mormon is true, then that means that Joseph Smith was a Prophet called of God; and if Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God then that means that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church and the one that he needs to join. But something isn't clicking I guess. It's depressing and heartbreaking, seeing someone I love so much---and knowing all the happiness and peace that they could have and don't---be so close to finding what he's looking for and then quitting the race in the last lap. He says if he doesn't feel the Spirit at his new nondenominational church, he will know that ours is the one he needs to join---and I know that he will never feel the Spirit as strong there as he did when he was learning the true message of Christ's restored gospel, so I'm not too worried about it---but it still is very painful for me. I love Virgil so much... I just want him to have the peace, relief, and joy that I know he will gain when he makes the authorized covenants with God that can only be made in Christ's church. There is still hope, though. I am sure he will be baptized one day... but why delay those wonderful blessings?

Well, I hope that y'all (Yep, I said it!) are doing well and that Christmastime is a season of peace, not stress, for you. That we will all remember the true meaning of Christmas is my prayer for each of us.

I love you all very much! I would love to hear how you are doing! A letter from you (yes, you!) would be the greatest Christmas present ever.

With lots of love,

Elder Schank

Episode 18: Elder Schank Works Around "The Issue"

Dear friends and family,

Hello! This last week has had a lot of great and not-so-great moments.

Just hours after sending my last email, our previous investigator Andreea called us while we were writing letters during our preparation day. She asked if I would be the one to baptize her on Saturday! Of course, I said YES! We totally called it. We just knew she'd go all the way! The service was wonderful. I baptized her and Elder Peck confirmed her a member of the Church and bestowed the Gift of the Holy Ghost to her on Sunday.

before Andreea's baptism

Other than that, the news is kinda depressing. My pain is increasing and evolving and it's really just more frustrating than anything because it inhibits us from doing a lot of the work we'd like to be doing. Now my joints aren't only achy and stuff, but now I have consistent pain in my lower back and neck and every once in a while I get these random sharp, shooting pains that go from one joint to the other: shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, hip to knee, knee to ankle. Those shooting pains last for just a few minutes, max, but it still hurts and we don't know what's wrong with me. I reported my pain to President Cotterell and our mission doctor, Dr. Liljenquist. Dr. L apparently thinks I have either ankylospondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis (judging by the symptoms I gave him over the phone). I know I'm not a doctor, but I don't really agree... I'm thinking more like a stress fracture, slipped disc, or pinched nerve, because if I remember correctly from Medical Anatomy and Physiology, ankylospondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis don't just suddenly happen... plus the pain and frequency of the shooting pains increases when I lay down, which I think would indicate that there is something wrong with my spine. Plus there's no swelling. And ibuprofen doesn't help. But then again, I can't think of any thing traumatic that would have caused a fracture or slipped disc or anything like that. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, enough of that. This... condition (whatever it is) is really making it hard for me to not be frustrated. It keeps us from working as hard as we'd like... we've been making a lot more phone calls and we've done a lot less tracting, to say the least. I can't ride a bike in traffic with cars and there are no sidewalks; the other companionship in Greenville has kindly agreed to let us have the car full-time. I just want to get this fixed and for the problem to go away. Elder Peck and I lovingly refer to my pain as "the issue", as we don't really know what else to call it.

Speaking of medical stuff, we were asked by missionaries in another area to go to the hospital to visit a man who was flown from their area ours to give him a priesthood blessing. That was interesting. He was in the ICU, which I've only ever seen on TV. We went, not knowing a thing about this man besides his name, and when we got to his room we had to sanitize our hands and put on masks. He was completely unconscious; he had an eye patch on; his legs, arms, and face were cut up; he was missing patches of hair; and, judging by his breathing pattern and the sound he was making, he was probably on a respirator. We gave him a blessing to help him heal and to be more open to the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It was amazing how as we layed our hands on his head and administered that blessing, I felt a sincere love for that man and I earnestly wished for him to heal well and accept the gospel message. I also felt that even though that man had no idea who we were, what we did, or that we even know he is there, that the power of the priesthood will affect his healing process and his outlook after he comes to.

We don't even know what's up with Virgil. He postponed our appointment with him last week and didn't come to church. We have an appointment with him tonight. We have been praying and fasting very much for him to be open to realize that he should follow the spiritual confirmations he has received that have told him time and time again to be baptized for the remission of his sins. Please, if you read this before 7:00 (eastern time, of course), pray for him... and for us.

Over the last week there has been a sentence running through my mind pretty frequently that I have come to know is very, very true: "No gospel principle is fully learned until it is consistently applied." I believe that. Looking back, I realize that the principles in which I have the greatest faith are those which I have applied to my life. For example, I know the Book of Mormon is true because I have applied its teachings to my life. I know that we can grow from our trials because I have done so. I know that we are happy when we follow the prophets' teachings because I have applied them and they have led me to be happy. This is in line with the Savior's own teachings: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17, emphasis added). Similarly, I recognize that there is a strong correlation between those principles with which I am unsteady in my testimony and the principles I have not yet applied. Application, application, application. This is the key to the building of our faith. This is how we gain a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My challenge to you is to think---right now!---of some specific gospel principle that you would like to have a better testimony of. Pray for help to increase your faith and do what you can to apply it in your life. Then see if your testimony of that principle doesn't grow. I know that it will as you do your best to apply it, and that your increased testimony will be a wonderful strength to you in your own life. Though it may be a little seed, it will sprout and grow into a tree as you nourish it by applying gospel principles in your lives until you can partake of the good fruits that come from your work (see Alma 32:28-43). I will pray for you to find success as you accept this invitation.

Thank you so much for your prayers and fasting on my behalf. I know that through prayer and fasting our faith swells to qualify for miracles... which is exactly what I need, so thank you! :)

With love,

Elder Schank

Alma 32:28-43 reads:

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
 30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
 31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.
 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
 34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.
 35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
 36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
 37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
 38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
 39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
 40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
 41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
 42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.