"Salvation is Not a Cheap Experience"

Mission Leadership Council June 2017

Houston West North Zone Leaders

We went pretty hard in the paint this week. We spent most of our time knocking doors and visiting the members. We found a couple of young adults named Jose and Carlos from El Salvador that were pretty receptive and let us come inside. They said they'd come to church and didn't, but we will continue working with them. I'm still working on trying to baptize someone from knocking doors. It hasn't been easy but faith precedes the miracle!

On Friday we were out knocking in Magnolia, the northern part of our area that we almost never go to, and we saw a plethora of tow trucks and police cars next to an SUV upside down in a ditch. Then we talked to these little kids that said "My cousin flipped his truck over and the cops found drugs on him!" They were pretty casual about it but it wasn't something you see every day.

And then on Saturday, we were out knocking when we stumbled across a group of drunk Mexicans who called out to us "Oye, quieren tequila?" (Do you guys want some tequila?) I've been offered a lot of alcohol thus far in my mission but every time I've politely declined. 

On Sunday we were pretty certain that we would find a lot of families but instead we ended up knocking this one neighborhood that was 100 percent caucasian. We didn't get so much as 5 words out of our mouths before they would say "Not interested" and close the door. One lady threatened to call the police and another asked if we'd like to learn more about the Methodist church before slamming the door. It was pretty rough but it caused me to reflect on the Savior's call to "Take up your cross and follow me." That cross wasn't meant to be light nor easy to bear. In fact, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland mentioned something about this in a talk I read recently called "Missionary Work and the Atonement:

I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."

But all in all, great things are going on here in Oakcrest. Leo will be baptized at the end of this month and we have a mom named Sofia and her son Benny who we might set a date with this week.