Darkness! Whoa! Since when did it get so incredibly dark?? The darkness in and of itself isn't so bad, but I now clearly remember how it was a year ago in Mo i Rana during this time. The darkness does something to your mind. Suddenly, it's difficult to focus on anything, you have the strongest desire to sleep all day long, and it feels like 10 pm at 3 pm :P. Man, who knew we were so dependent upon the sun?
Elder Levine gave me a call earlier this week saying "Oh hold on, I need to close the blinds, the sun is blinding me." Rude! Hahah. Dark time really puts it into perspective: how much we truly depend upon God's creations. How merciful God is to create a sun for us to obtain nutrients and happiness from! Luckily, we have access to "The Light of the World" to help us, and others out during this time :) Merry Christmas, by the way!
Yay Christmas packages!
As for a miracle this week: we've been working really hard to have members with us on teaches. In Tromsø, as you all know, there aren't very many members quite yet. But Brother Swede happened to be working nights this week, instead of days! He was more than willing to help us out with some lessons (oh it's nigh-contagious how much he wants to help out :). Most of our lessons went wonderfully, and a few rather awkwardly. Some people remember that we're coming over, others completely forget and get high right before we arrive. Woops! Bad timing on our part. Good thing Brother Swede was there to help us out :).
Look at that Christmas smile :]
For bonking on doors, we've gone with a different approach recently. We made Christmas packages! Who wouldn't want a free DVD explaining the reason we celebrate Christmas, and then sneakily have attached Another Testament of Jesus Christ: The Book of Mormon!! And we're giving this out for free! We love sharing that which makes us happiest: coming closer to the Savior Jesus Christ. Why do we love sharing the message of joy and gladness from Jesus Christ? Because He sacrificed Himself for us to return back to Heavenly Father, if we will but follow Him.
We received a very good question this week regarding how a loving, merciful God could ask Abraham to sacrifice his most precious son Isaac upon an altar. God, of course, knows the end from the beginning, and was testing Abraham's faith. But this brings me to the topic of sacrifice that I studied in detail last year around this time.
What is sacrifice? It is to give up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth. For example, Abraham was willing to give his son to God (Genesis 22) to show his willingness and complete obedience to Him. Members of the Church give obedience to God's laws in order to receive great blessings. Missionaries give up 2 years without family, friends, music, comfort and rest to serve the Lord, in hopes to touch someone's heart with a message of love, forgiveness and hope. God Himself gave His Son Jesus Christ for us all to return to Him (2 Nephi 2:7, John 3:16).
Why must we sacrifice? We sacrifice in order to grow spiritually. Through sacrifice, we develop the faith necessary for salvation, and eventual exaltation.
What must we sacrifice? Back in Old Testament times, they were required to sacrifice their firstborn, unblemished lamb (symbolic of Christ's sacrifice) in order to receive the blessings from obedience. Since Christ has fulfilled the Atonement, we are required to sacrifice our God-given right to choose (2 Nephi 2:27). This is described as a broken heart and a contrite spirit (D&C 59:8). It means to be humble, and receptive to God's will, and to the Prophet's and Apostles' counsel. We sorrow for our sins, and sincerely repent.
What, then, do we receive in return? We receive peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come (D&C 59:23). A remission of all of our sins. Baptism by fire from the Holy Ghost, which makes it possible for us to be glorified and sanctified here on earth. We receive an easy load, and a light burden (Matthew 11:30).
Now the question is - is it really worth it? To be honest, you'll never know unless you try it for yourself. But I can testify from my own personal experiences (at times easy, at times very difficult), that sacrifice is always worth it. It is always worth it. God has made it so that, through sacrifice, we learn, grow, develop and eventually become the happiest, most free, and richly blessed beings we are capable of becoming. As we follow God's commandments, we are opening ourselves to the abundant life (John 10:10).
As missionaries, we normally ask others to sacrifice some of their time and efforts in order to find these things out for themselves. Typically through prayer, scripture study and coming to church, they are able to connect themselves with God. And the more we connect ourselves with God, the happier we become. It's an on-going process we all must go through!
I hope that helps, C. :)
-Eldste Bryce Thomas Johnson
p.s. For all of you interested in reading my companion's blog: http://charlesstrange101.blogspot.no/ :)
p.p.s. I am extremely jealous of all of you who are able to watch the Hobbit this upcoming week. But don't worry, Elder Hazen, I'll still wait for you ;)
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