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.
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
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| This is what we call a "Posterity Picture". Elder Peck, me (his trainer), and Elder Westley (my trainer) |
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| Me and Elder Alan Conners, a friend from high school, at our Christmas zone conference |
