As we were approaching our second set of days of no proselyting, we had to think of some good things to do that were a good use of time. As we were talking to the Hermanas that are serving in the same ward as us, they mentioned to us that some members lent them the DVD collection that has movies such as Ephraims Rescue and 17 Miracles. They had finished most of them, so they let us watch them! As we watched the stories unfold in front of us about the early mormon pioneers, I got to get a better picture and a new perspective on what these individuals went through. Being out on a mission, my perspective of the gospel has changed a lot. Things that I considered as things that were just important to do, or even chores, are clarified with greater eternal importance that I never knew before.
So as we watched these videos it gave me an even deeper perspective of the necessity to be worthy of the Lord at all times and to be willing and faithful to do His work at any cost or expense. In Elders Quorum we were also treated with the story of John Tanner. A man who had everything the world had to offer, but gave it all to the Lord and His church. He lived the law of consecration to the upmost and, in other respects, help saved the Lord's kingdom on the earth at that time.
As we began watching Ephraims Rescue, there was a great lesson that I was privileged to learn that night. As Ephraim learned of one of his spiritual gifts of healing, he grew in understanding of his role in life. Earlier that day, we were asked by the family we were eating dinner with, if we could give a blessing to one of the children. The parents weren't members, but were open to receive any blessing for their little boy. We looked to see that his skin had reacted greatly to some medicine that was for his skin. According to one of the members that we visited yesterday, that his condition went also below the skin and was affecting other parts of his body. When we went to give him a blessing, at first the little boy was scared and didn't want us to put our hands on his head. However, our ward mission leader, who was a convert of 3 years made the difference. At first, he didn't want to be a part of the blessing because he was dressed casually. But the boy wasn't willing to cooperate. So he went up instead and offered, and immediately the little boy calmed down and let him anoint the oil. Following which I sealed it and he received a promise of being healed and a good recovery. As we finished the blessing I looked up to see that almost everyone in the room was crying, for the Spirit was in abundance in that room.
Shortly after we left, the member told us that the boy began to feel better and his skin was improving. During this experience, Elder Thurber and I had a great discussion about the necessity to always be worthy and prepared for moments such as this. I came to recognize personally of the importance to also build my faith and my knowledge of God's will so that I may be a worthy and primed tool for any moment I may be needed. The following days from New Years Eve to Sunday I was a part of 6 blessings on 3 different occasions. All of which strengthened my testimony of the power of the priesthood and the need to be obedient.
In my life I have a greater appreciation for the blessings I have. From temporal to spiritual, there is nothing that does not testify to me that the Lord loves me and is taking care of me. The one thing I can do in return is give all of my heart, my mind, my time, and my efforts to His work. As I can give more of myself to Him, I can give the greatest gift I can, and He will bless me with the greatest He can to me, as long as I live faithfully.
A fun side note during New Years Eve, we ran across some fun time-lapse feature that it can do. I'll see if I can send a few.
🌅 Elder Nathan Benson 🌅
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