Weekly Post!

Dear Family-

The Lord continues to make his arm bare we go about house to house spreading the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. I don’t think this week could have gone any better than it did. Elder Quimsing and I seemed to be sitting on a cloud as we traversed the dingy side streets, escaped people intoxicated past their physical capacity, and tracted outside of the major churches in the area. This week was definitely a week to remember. I have given more blessings this week than I have my whole mission (everyone in the area got sick) which gave me even more opportunities to express my love for the Lord by using his priesthood worthilly. I think things started getting good when the APs (Elders Lee and Byers) came and worked with us.\

The APs surprised us when they showed up at our door to come work with us. Elder Lee was my Zone Leader in Lopez and me and him got really really close and elder Byers is literally the man. He is awesome. Well, Lee went with Quimsing and I went with Byers. I started talking with Byers and brought up to him some concerns that I was having. One of them was the lack of patience that I have. We have been tracting for 3 weeks and we had nothing to show for it-not even a return appointment. Doors were shut, and hearts closed. I asked Byers how I could further increase my releationship with the Lord and Elder Byers said something that really made me think. He said Muller, what are you holding back from the Lord. I was almost taken aback-I was like what do you mean? He was like Elder, do you remember the Saviors teaching of the Widow’s might? I said yea, it is the story in the New Testement about the paying of tithing. He was like yes, and what happened-what is the lesson to be learned? I was like well, while the rich were paying their shares to be seen of men, the widow put in that which she could-2 mites which, in the eyes of the Savior was more than all others’ shares. Byers was like yes Elder…what is your mite? Are you keeping it from the Lord? Sometimes our mite is studying the gospel-we hate studying so we brush it off and assume we will learn in good time. Sometimes it is talking to people about the gospel-we are too shy so we don’t take the initiative to talk with people. Elder, you want to get closer to the Lord? Find your mite and give it to Him that gives you everything else. It really got me thinking about the Law of sacrifice. Yea, some things are easier for other people. I love studying the gospel. It is something I have found on my mission. I cant get enough of it. I have no problem talking to people…actually most of the time you cant shut me up:/ It got me thinking about what my mite is and how I can go about giving it to the Lord. As we all know the Lord “[makes] weak things become strong unto [men]” so we shouldn’t have any problem giving our all.

This got me thinking about those things that I struggle with. One of them is charity. We all know that without charity for our fellow men, we are nothing. It is really hard for me to love everyone-especially those who blatantly spit in your face and tell you that you are wasting your time. I was thinking about this all day Wednesday until Thursday arrived. Thursday was our zone conference-which I was looking forward too because I was going to see a whole bunch of really close friends from other zones. Hansen, Davis, Bernard, Lee, everyone was there. The workshop of the APs was about giving baptismal goal dates in the first lesson. Elder Lee (who knows I love to talk-that is why he called on me) called on me to answer the question “why do we need charity in our work?” I told him it was because if we have no charity the people aren’t people, they are merely a number written down in our planner to be tallied up at the end of the day and they deserve more respect than that-plus they are no different than us. Their father is our father and the love for them is just as great as the love for us. Elder Lee than said something that got me thinking. He said “Muller that is exactly right-you know there are 2 types of people in this world-those you love, and those you don’t understand yet.” This immediately got me thinking-reviewing the past fights I have had with friends, teachers, family members, and leaders. Why did the fight ensue? Because of a simple misunderstanding things got thorny. It gave me that much more initiative to try to develop that love that our redeemer showed, for our brothers and sisters.

I also learned at zone conference that my emails seem to reach the ends of the earth. I have known for a while that a certain sister that I am really close with her mom read my emails every week and my email about the bagyo that happened got circulated around the moms of the mission. Cool. The only way I could be more publicized is if CNN ran a special… “Elder Jake Muller: Ecclesiastical Expert or Foreordained Flop?” I was under the impression that only you who have blood relation read my email…I didn’t know there were other people who waste their time reading it haha:/

Zone conference was also a bit of a heart wrencher. It was the last time I will see Elder Banawan (my trainer) for a LONG time (as in until we meet under the heavenly lights of the Celestial Kingdom). It was actually the Last time I will see Byers and Scow (Byers and Scow were companions in the MTC and were our APs here) for the next year. They are actually, right now, sitting in Provo waiting for BYU(Scow) and UVU (Byers) to start up. They are gonna tear it UP. It is so weird that they are right now sitting 2 hours away from you, and I talked to them on Thursday. I am gonna miss those guys but ill see them in 12 months anyways haha so no need to worry:D

Friday we had our weekly planning and it really opened up my eyes. Our endless tracting has turned into 12 people we are focusing on. The Lord truly rewards those who trust in him. Am I saying that all 12 will be baptized? No. I am saying that the Lord has given us 12 people who are somewhat ready to hear about the restored gospel.

Sunday was a really really good day. Not only was the Sabbath, which gave us to renew our covenants in the House of the Lord, but it was the day we dedicated to visit less-actives. Less-actives are some of my favorites because it gives me a chance to help those who have gone astray return to the straight and narrow path. In sacrament meeting the speaker gave an interesting talk. It was about “growing up” but not what people normally think of. Her talk was centered around:

G-Go to Church

R-Read the Scriptures

O-Obey and Respect Parents

W-Work on Your Genealogy

U-Understand the Plan of Salvation

P-Prepare For a Mission

It was definitely an interesting talk. Hopefully it got the youth thinking! Prepare for a mission is definitely one of the most important things a young man or woman can do-after all, according to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge” and what is a mission but an enormous class with the Lord as the professor?

I was recently reading amongst the teachings of President Kimball and he said something that interested me: “Pure hearts in a pure home are always in whispering distance of heaven.” Interesting. How blessed we are to have the ability to be sealed to our families for time and all eternity!!!

That is pretty much it on my end of the internet. Things are going smoothly here in Majayjay. We have a missionary FHE this evening in Sta Cruz (an hour drive away) so we are really looking forward to that cause they are always crazy spirit filled. Hope you are all keeping safe. Autumn is slowly creeping up…as is the school year. Good thing I don’t have to worry about cold or school or anything like that for another year:D Love you all. Read something interesting this week:

“And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.” -Moses 6:55

Let us learn to prize the good for it is the thing that will bring true and everlasting happiness.

Love,

Elder Muller

Ps-that picture of the cat is creepy. I swear that cat is the cat of Satan…and in the picture of the 4 elders, left is Hansen, then Byers, then yours truly, then Elder Harris (Hansen, Harris and I are batch)