Helping others return home

We had a wonderful visit with Conner yesterday and he also was able to talk to his brother which left him with little time to write this week so he asked if I would share some of the highlights he shared with us.

This past week he and his companion Elder Wirt were able to visit more with their friends Suzanne and Danielle and had a wonderful time teaching with them. 

They also had the opportunity to do service for one of the member’s neighbors. His neighbor is building a home and so Elder Madsen and Elder Wirt were the helpers in transporting things, clearing away things and assisting him with other needs. Conner said it is wonderful to help others with their needs no matter what they are. 

Now for the title of the email.  While they were out this week, they saw a German Shepherd puppy that was lost. They felt impressed to stop and help him. They walked around for 15 minutes hoping to find his home.  As they went down the road, they saw his family calling to him. Apparently, he had taken off to chase a cat. Conner said it was so rewarding to help this sweet, lost, young puppy be reunited with his family. 

Just like they helped the puppy be reunited with his family they have the opportunity to be part of another one of their friend’s special days this Saturday. Their friend Alejandro is following Jesus Christ by getting baptized and entering the gate to put him on the covenant path that leads back to his heavenly home to be eternally united with his earthly and heavenly family. JOY!

 

Elder Madsen and Elder Wirt are feeling the joy of helping others to find the path that leads back home by teaching them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I too testify there is no greater joy than this. What an amazing blessing it is to be the lord's hands in teaching and serving. 

A spiritual message we were talking about yesterday was a principle from Elder Wilcox's talk at conference, Worthiness is not Flawlessness. 

Some mistakenly receive the message that God is waiting to help until after we repent. God’s message is that He will help us as we repent. His grace is available to us “no matter where we are in the path of obedience.”23 Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said: “God does not need people who are flawless. He seeks those who will offer their ‘heart and a willing mind’ [Doctrine and Covenants 64:34], and He will make them ‘perfect in Christ’ [Moroni 10:32–33].”24

I invite you to read the account of the prophet Enos in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ and see:

1. What prompted Enos to have a desire for the welfare of his soul and a remission of his sins?

2. What did he Do to receive this peace?

3. What was the key factor in the process of asking? 

4. What did he desire to pray for after he felt the joy of healing and purity from Christ Atonement working in his life?

I testify that the work Elder Madsen and Elder Wirt are engaged in is the work of helping others find Jesus Christ and make covenants with him so they can receive his healing grace and start on the path back to our heavenly home for eternity. This labor of love brings the greatest JOY. Joy that Enos felt, joy I have felt and joy we all can feel as we partner with the Lord becoming clean each day through repentance, calling on him in prayer for guidance from the Holy Ghost and following those promptings to be his hands to bless others are what make it possible for us all to return home. 

Are we willing to offer our hearts to God to be his hands? Are we more willing to help a puppy or one of our brothers and sisters find their way home? Some things to ponder. 

Have a blessed week!

From Conner's scribe

Sister Madsen



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