From November 18, 2013: Dropstep

Dear All,

 

 Every week the same keyboard is before the same fingers of a missionary and a man not the same as the one who pounded out a message the week before.  Everything changes and nothing changes.  It's the life of a missionary and therefore the life of an attempted disciple.  The week of the past is not so relevant as the week of the future and yet there must needs be significance communicated through a weekly slapping of keys and racking of brain.  Significance.  What a fascinating term.  It's what missionary life is all about,  Is this effective?  Is this worthwhile?

 It is about first finding the significant in your own life, grabbing hold of it and making it MEAN something.  I fear I'm not being clear though, so me permita tentar de novo.

 Missionary work is the continual struggle to gain and communicate meaning of significance.  It is communication at it's most basic form when done right, which is to say that it is communion.  It is first the struggle to obtain for yourself a witness, a significant communion with the spirit that changes the heart to the extent that we forsake the world and it's flashing lights and descend into the lone and dreary world, pursuant to communicating to others meaning of significance.

What then, are we to term significant.  All that is significant really flows from God.  Everything else is flavor.  Significance is that which edifies, uplifts, instructs, and, above all, CHANGES you.  Which is what the gospel is all about.

I found significance this week in studying the atonement and accepting imperfection.  Perfection is required, and the means of obtaining it is provided through Christ.  The part that is found lacking in most of us is effort.  The effort to partake.  That's really all that life is: an effort to partake of the Atonement.  But to do that, we must recognize the person of Christ, His mortality as well as His rise to immortality while under the duress caused by our carnalities, and accept it as significant.  As something worth CHANGING for.  And that's where most of us disconnect from significance and wander into pursuits of insignificance.  Forget or never experience communion with the Spirit and therefore never prioritize our lives into things of significance and insignificance.  

 

We teach and continue to teach those who are willing to embrace significance.  Some aren't.  And that's all there is to say about it.  

 

The week was significant.  It is fascinating to speculate that the conversations you have with some people will be discussed at judgement day.  There's quite a burden that comes from the knowledge, which is why we must rely on the Spirit.  All things I'm trying to work on. 

Highlights of the week included asking several investigators how their lives would be negatively affected by following the example of Jesus Christ and being baptized.  We all concurred that it would indeed not be detrimental to their lives.  Action is the lacking element in their individual equations at the moment.  It is action that is the essential part, which makes the situation problematic.  Embracing significance and not merely observing that it exists.

 

It was a week of fascinating lessons.  Elder S. and I are clicking more than ever and we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ using Primary (the children's program of the Church) songs.  There's a lady who is the most solid investigator ever and she's has a baptism date of the 14th.  Then we were told to give her to other missionaries far away.  It's a story.  Facepalm.  J. is also progressing really well after this week.  L., too, is getting there.  We had a great and super spiritual lesson with her last night. 

We also went to the temple  visitor's center this week with C. and J.  It was a great experience and there's the temple and it's just so wonderful, those really are so much more than just buildings.  They truly are the houses of God.  

There is a great talk by Elder Holland called "Therefore What?"  That's the question I would have each of you ask this week as you go to your various pursuits of significance and lesser significance.  Ask yourself, "I believe _________________ (fill in the blank).  Therefore what?"  What actions come from your belief? 

Live life embracing significance.  

I also have been reading in the New Testament about Jesus Christ's atonement.  There is nothing of more significance, nothing of more worth, nothing of more beauty and simplicity and love than a God kneeling and praying to His Father, paying a price of spiritual torment so great that His flesh bore witness of the agony.  What does the atonement mean to you individually?  If you don't know, find out.  For all else is insignificance.

The mission is great and President is an all star.  The work moves forward, the Lord looks onward.  All is becoming.

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From November 11, 2013: Joy to the Ward

Drum roll please!  So I totally went to a baptism this week!  "J" GOT BAPTIZED.  She's from my old area --  a 9-year-old who I only got to teach once but I put her on baptismal date and then she actually came and got baptized and I got to take an investigator and see it!  Yea for the perks of having your old area be a small subsection of your new area!  So that was really special.   And apparently "S," who I also found and taught in my last area is progressing really well and should be baptized soon.  Huzzah for postponed success!  

 

It was quite an interesting week, as it always is.  The work is picking up, which is nice.  You could put "miracle" in the description of basically everyone we are teaching.  Or "boyfriend/girlfriend of ward member" in all of them, too.  Haha!  Singles ward for life!   (A "singles ward" is different than a traditional, "family" ward because it is made up of young adults between the ages of  21-30 years of age who are not married.  Such wards have older adult leaders and are typically located around a college campus.  That's the kind of ward where Tyler is serving now).

Let's hear it for McDonalds restaurant, by the way.  We have a miracle lesson just about every week there and usually it has to do with McDonalds.  In fact, there has never been a time that we went into a McDonalds that we DIDN'T end up teaching a lesson.

So this week's miracle is brought to you by a guy we met in a Subway Restaurant one day. He said he was interested in our message, but he was working so he couldn't talk right then.  And then we met him THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 20 miles from where we met him the first time when we walked into a McDonalds.  And he sat down with us and basically said "If I run into you guys again, I'll read the whole Book of Mormon in a day!"  We are handing him off to other Elders because of his location, but it was crazy!  Stuff just happens and it's all for the best. 

Also crazy this week is how many investigators of ours have really started to understand that the church is true.  Now we just have to get them to understand that they need to be baptized.  There were investigators lost, ones found, people brought closer to Christ, experience gained, forms filled out.  The most meaningful routine of existence.

 

This week, something that has come up again and again is being perfect.  It's a commandment.  The scriptures even tell us so, that it is a commandment and as such must be followed.  "Be ye therefore perfect."  This is devastating if it is not understood.  We think:  "Perfect?!  How can I be perfect?!  I'm so far from that."  And so we all curl up in a little ball and despair for a while because perfection is something we think of as unattainable.  People shout their condolences at us.  It means "Uhhh... be perfect later!" they think.  But no, we can be perfect...in this small facet of life.   The fact is, we are to be perfect.  And we are to be perfected NOW.  This is the source of the despair of the world.  If we can't be perfect, we can't come to live with God, because He is perfect and we must be clean to live with Him.  We are to be perfect.  Once we live that commandment on our own, we can truly begin to be like Him.  Until then, we have been given Christ, who promises us that we can be PERFECTED through Him.  He helps us live up to the commandment until we can finally live up to it on our own.

 Let's talk about something else quickly, too.  We are to live our lives pursuant to a purpose.  People agree on this, but most choose to ignore it and live their lives day-to-day with no clear direction.  What's the point of that?!  The disagreement emerges when we begin to discuss what we are to live our lives pursuant TO.  But that's the easy part.  We are to live our lives pursuant to growth, which is pursuant to perfection, which is pursuant to Godhood.  Think of that before you make a decision.  Think about that as your purpose.  And slowly, each action will be brought in line with a purpose: living pursuant to becoming like God.

 

I love you all.  Thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and love.

 

With Hope,

Elder Molinaro

From November 4, 2013: Lucky 7

 Hi hi hi hi hi hi hi!

 

Well this week was quite a week.  I'll hit some highlights for you:

Found a new investigator last night who we challenged to be baptized and he said, "Well, sure if I'm not doing anything."  We are working on that.

Had interviews with the mission president.  I requested in one of my last letters that we have a training on how to better our weekly planning.  He requested that I train my zone on weekly planning.  See, it's funny because it's ironic.  ha!

 

 

Found this former investigator named J. at a Taco Bell.  He's so cool!  He's investigating again.  What a stud!  His address pin balled around a bit but it turns out he is on the very edge of our area!

 

We quite literally crushed evil with the word of wisdom. The Lord's timing is a real thing.

 

Timing.  Let's discuss timing.  The Lord's timing.  All right, let's start at the beginning.  So Halloween. We were trying really hard to  plan by the Spirit  because I thought "So, since President thinks we can plan, maybe we should prove him right."  Which is probably what he was going for.  But anyway.  It felt like it really was not working out all.  And then we got to the house of a less-active member and he opened up and said "Come in, come in" and we did and it turned out he was going to an addiction recovery facility in 15 minutes.  We committed him to read the whole Book of Mormon while there and he was in tears talking about his past spiritual experiences and he's totally going to come back and it was PERFECT timing.

 

 That was the BEGINNING.  So then we really had to go to the bathroom so we are walking through a McDonalds to get to one and this group of high school students said the word "Mormons" -- so clearly we sat down and started teaching them.  For an hour and a half.  9 of them.  And one of them was a member and they all listened and participated and 3 were "atheists" and so we talked truth with them and they believe in absolute truth and so I said "So you believe in God!" and it was great.   We totally had an impromptu lesson in McDonalds.  And they thought it was a Halloween prank for a solid 20 minutes but what else is new?  ha!

We also had the most guided lesson of all time the other day.  T. is the man.  It's like he teaches us the principle through what he's experienced in the past few days and then we slap a name on it and say "Yup, that's called tithing."  "Yup, that's called the word of wisdom."  "Yup, that's called blessings for reading scriptures daily."  He's an absolute all-star.  And our lesson was about the plan of salvation and it could have been in "The District" (a missionary training video).  It was that cool.  

The work is for sure picking up here.  There's still much travel time and it's hard and frustrating sometimes but I have come to know that the Spirit really guides you when you let Him.

A word on studies.  If we aren't studying every day from the scriptures, we need to go to a quiet place and repent.  It's a commandment. And I'm finding the most effective study comes from writing a question at the beginning and searching for an answer.  And I PROMISE you that if you sincerely seek an answer, you will get it.  You WILL get your answer.  And it will build your faith.  Everyone wants more faith.  I figured out this week as I looked at all my study journals that those were all my revelations on my  question and answer sessions with the Spirit.  That's what study and that's what church is supposed to be: a revelatory experience.  But if you don't go with questions, you will never get the answers you crave or the faith you need.

IMMERSE yourself in the NAME of Christ.  Read Mosiah 5 and D&C 130 and figure out the judgement.  Study the topics of blood, study knowing, study truth, study, study, study.  Don't you realize what you have when you hold the Book of Mormon in your hands?  You have the very word of God.   Time flows forward with or without us.  Let it be with us.  

Will you all have a question and answer session with the Spirit this week?  In the words of flight attendants gone by, "I need a verbal 'Yes'."  ;)

 

I love you all.  I pray for you.  I feel your prayers as well.  Ask the right questions.

Love,

Elder Molinaro

A Few Pictures

Elder Molinaro with Elder S.

Elder Molinaro's group with visiting Elder Teh

From October 28, 2013

Hello dear friends.  Guess what? Guess what?  Guess what?!!  Beatrice got baptized!!!!!!!  Who is Beatrice?! Well I'll tell you. One of my investigators?  No.  One of my old investigators?!  Also no. She was a woman who got baptized into the Spanish branch on Saturday.  I found out about it this morning and that's why I'm all bouncy about it.  'Cause I do have a connection to her.  I totally randomly knocked on her door when we were looking for a less-active member on the records who apparently had moved.  Beatrice said "Not only am I not that person, but I totally don't speak English either!"  I replied "Well, we're missionaries and I'll try to speak Portuguese which I really don't speak well enough for you to understand.  Here's what's going to happen--other guys in white shirts and worse ties are going to show up at your door and save your soul."  And then that actually happened! I referred her to the Spanish Elders and presto, 7 weeks later she entered into the covenant of baptism by the proper priesthood authority of God.  Moral of the story: you never know who is going to accept the gospel so try to talk to everyone, even when you are linguistically incapable of doing so! 

So that's my fun, exciting, fact/news/thing pre-blurb  Email.  Enjoy.

And then the rest of my letter . . .

First, a gospel insight on divinity, carnality, and mortality as they relate to the fall and the Atonement.  That's right: personal study yesterday was a blast.  Basically, the price of divinity for mortality was the mortality of divinity.  I could go on for days.  It's something worth studying. It's like the coolest thing ever!  Oh my goodness like I can't even explain it to you but for the 5th time on my mission I finally think I understand more about the Atonement.  Which means I really probably don't but I'm getting closer!  And if you really want a deep swim, study "blood" and what its significance is.  Wow.  

Okay so here's what's up.  The end of Joseph Smith history, where Oliver Cowdery has his little blurb is the coolest blurb of scripture ever!  Page 59 in the Book of Mormon. He talks about seeing while others rest upon uncertainty, he speaks of fiction and deception fleeing, of doubt sinking no more to rise.  It's truly inspiring.  And it comes back to a simple and fundamental attribute that too often we dismiss or misunderstand: reverence.  It is easy to get caught up in the mundane things we do as missionaries.  Knocking on empty doors, even teaching lessons.  It's easy to lose the vision of the grandeur and majesty of God.  Because truly, it is so glorious and so important.

We are children of a loving Heavenly Father and heirs of divinity if we will give up carnality by embracing our internal potential for divinity.  And there is so much glory to be had, so much power and miracles to be seen.  They are everywhere.  And they are real.  And when we recognize our smallness and fall to our knees in humility, we come to understand that the work and the glory is worthy of reverence and that everything we do should be done in worthiness and in reverence.  Something to consider.  Think covenants.

The week was one of some real ups and downs.  Tuesday was basically the worst day ever.  Our planning died and our time was ineffective.  And that is the worst feeling in the world: feeling ineffective and like you are wasting time.  And we went contacting on a college campus.  Which let me just say is SUPER WEIRD.  It's like... I don't even know.  They're all your age and it just feels like college and there's no reverence and it's a fascinating experience.  But ya' just have to talk to them.  Ya' just do.  And when you do, it all turns out all right.  Tuesday was bad with all the appointments falling through and stuff.  Then on Wednesday we had a mission tour from Elder Teh of the 70.  What a stud.  That was a spiritual feast. 

And then we met T.  He is amazing.  He was a referral.  And he's a miracle.  We knock on the door and he's like "Yeah, come in" and we go in and he loves hockey and he's turning his life around and we're like "Hey, want to be baptized?" and he says "Yeah, I really do" and we say "Great!  Let's do that!" and he just GETS it.  So he's fantastic.  And loves hockey. 

Our investigators all started progressing this week though so that's awesome.  Not all of them are ready to accept a baptismal date but they are sincerely seeking and it's amazing to watch.  We also had a lesson with a man, C, who has been investigating for a very long time.  And I felt like I needed to promise him an answer THAT NIGHT if he did a few simple steps.  No word yet on if he did them but we are praying for him. 

We've also had lessons this week where people have decided to live the word of wisdom.  Gone with the coffee, gone with the tobacco, gone with it all.  It's truly humbling to see people change their lives pursuant to following Jesus Christ. 

We have met a lot of really prepared people and we are just trying to help them see how prepared they are.  I'm grateful for all of you and I'm grateful to be here.  The church really is true.  There is no way to get around it, whichever way you try.  And if you haven't sincerely checked it out, you're missing the purpose of your life.  So, you know, get on that.  Live the gospel.  Share the gospel.  Be reverent.  And seek to understand.  As Hebrews 11 tells us, through FAITH we understand.  So try to understand, read your scriptures, and recognize that God wants a relationship with you even more than you want a relationship with Him.  Don't deny Him or short him on that.

Every happiness to you all.

Love,
Elder Molinaro

From October 21, 2013: It's Not College, It's Not College, It's Not College

Well, where to begin?  The question troubles me every time I sit to put ink to screen. There's so much that goes on in a week that it's impossible to describe everything.  First, the area.  If my first area is one way, this area is completely the other way.  Gone are the homeless interactions, the barbed wire and creative vocabulary of the streets, and here are the homes and the nicely-quaffed hair. 

The area is large.  Excessively large and spread out.   So I'm in a car.  That means planning and knowing what is going on is even more important... and so much harder.  My days are spent riding and planning and trying to organize and clean and teach occasionally.  All that travel time gives me ample time to work on the Christ-like attribute of patience.  It's still missionary work, it's just much slowed down from the last area.  My new companion is Elder S.  He is a stud.  We work nicely together.

The ward is really on top of it, which is wonderful.  We are focusing a lot on finding but the investigators we have are great. Aaaaaaaaand... I TAUGHT a LESSON IN PORTUGUESE!!!!WHOOOAOAOAOAOAOAAAAAA! Craziness, right?  He's Mr. W. and he was hesitant to speak it at first because he's working on English immersion but we had a really good chat about his concerns and what he needs to do to get baptized and it was terrific.  We may be seeing him again tonight.  He's an all-star.  That was the biggest high ever because I study the language each day but I never get to talk to anyone who speaks it and it turns out that I'm learning a language that actually exists.  Who knew? 

We are also teaching a few people who say they know all of these things are true, but they aren't quite ready to take the leap.  All of them are so special though; we love them.  The obstacles we face in such a large area are foreign to me.  Miles restrictions (missionary's are only allowed to drive a specific number of miles in a given time), planning difficulties because of how spread out everyone is... it is a different type of success than I came to expect, but I guess that is why Chapter 1 (entitled:  "What is my purpose as a missionary?") of our handbook, "Preach My Gospel," exists.  A lot of the people we work with have challenges coming into the church.  They'll live the gospel, but not be baptized.  We are working on pushing them over the edge and into the water and helping them to see the blessings that come from baptism.

Being in a singles ward is something akin to being "in the ward, but not of the ward."  It's so weird sometimes.  The people are awesome, it's just that there's this thing where when we go to someone's house for dinner it feels EXACTLY like I'm back at Justin's apartment at BYU and I have to curl into a ball in my head going "it's not college it's not college it's not college."  Haha  It's fun but you definitely have to be ready for anything.  Teaching people my own age is a strange experience, too.  But I suppose we just have to follow Paul's advice:  "To the Greeks I become as a Greek, to the Romans I become as a Roman..."

We've had some great lessons with great people this week.  I used my little whiteboard to teach the plan of salvation in terms of problems God faced and solutions He used to solve them.  An interesting point is that the Fall (of Adam) is a solution and not a problem in that presentation.  It was the first time I had ever tried teaching it that way but it makes so much sense in my mind.  God's plan really was a set of solutions to achieve His purpose of enabling His children to have all the blessings He himself enjoys.
There's something else I'm learning.  Think in terms of solutions, not in terms of problems.  Identifying a problem is not a solution.  We need to solve the problems, not wallow in them.  Languishing is no fun.  Progress instead! 

Prayer.  Major cool thing about prayer.  When we pray we are to represent the mind of Christ.  What does that mean?  It means that we are to pray to the Father in His name as if it were Him praying for us.  What He WOULD ask for us is what we SHOULD BE asking for for ourselves.  Cool, right?!  For some reason I think that's so amazing!  So try that out!  Pray as if you were someone who loved you praying for you.  What would they ask for or about?  What do they think you need? It's a great exercise to try and makes prayer more effective.

God works in small ways and by small means.  And the cool part is that we get to be those small means sometimes.  We texted Sis. L. to make sure she was coming to church and it turns out she had just had a really hard time and was wondering if the gospel was still true.  And getting our message cheered her up and got her back to her set position of being so extremely prepared.  Three investigators came to church this week.  It's an area with so much potential and so much to be done.  It's exciting and exhausting, which is how it should be. 

Some recent highlights:

* We went from 2 investigators to 22 in 3 weeks (yea for organization)!

* The Word of Wisdom (doctrine regarding the latter-day saint health code) really makes a difference.  Alcohol ruins so many lives.

* Told a guy at a bus stop this was the most important moment of his life because our gospel message is true and asked if he was going to let God into his heart or blow us off.  He blew us off.

* Cried saying "bye" to Brother W., the most awesome and prepared Pentecostal ever to walk the face of the world.

* Said a tearful goodbye to a family who was too drunk to say "bye" or to understand I was leaving.  I love them very much and miss them.  They're gonna be so great one day.

Love to all!  Pray in the mind of Christ!  See the Bible dictionary's definition of prayer.  Don't be Laman and Lemuel and be past feeling.  Return, repent, and do it all over again.  CTR ("Choose The Right" - a latter-day saint acronym) backwards is "Return To Christ."  Something we all need to do.  

Love,
Elder Molinaro

From October 16, 2013: It wasn't so much that I ran into a cactus as that the cactus ran into me.

Well, my fellow children of God, what a week.  There really just aren't words.  I have been transferred to the young single adult ward, which means I cover 3 zones and am in a car.  My companion is Elder S. and he is truly awesome.  He's a track star and is really humble and just a great guy.  It was hard to say goodbye to Elder B. but he'll take really good care of the area and he's training now and I still see him pretty regularly at zone events because I've been inter-zoned.  I felt good about leaving the area because I feel like I did what I could with my limited experience and all for the ward and got pretty close with members and investigators. It was sad to go and I'll miss them.

So I'll give you highlights of this week/things I've learned.  Sound good?  Well you're reading it so yes, it does.

Found a new investigator, met with him twice, thought he was really cool, didn't show at church, went to check up on him, he'd been taken away by the cops after having a mental breakdown.  He'll probably be back though.  Great guy.

Hearing the stories of homeless people is amazing.  And I ran into the first homeless man I ever truly talked to IN THE HOUSE OF THAT INVESTIGATOR!  I'd say "what are the odds of that?" but there ARE NO ODDS of that happening.  I said I had to find him again before I left and then I found him and then the next day they told me I would be transferred.  Coincidence?  No such thing.

Went on exchanges with Elder Q., who is a sign language missionary.  He's awesome and sign language truly is special.  It is so cool as a way of communication and the gift of tongues extends there as well.  It was humbling and such a privilege.

We weren't getting through to one of our investigators and she told us she was into music so I converted the plan of salvation to a rap and rapped it for her.  She liked it and it was so much fun.  Haha!  Who ever said poetry would never come in handy?

Met an awesome lady cutting my hair who was like "Yeah, the Book of Mormon is true.  I received that witness and then never did much with it."  Talk to everyone.

You don't realize how much you love everyone you've come to know and teach or even the ground underneath your feet until you have to leave it.

So, it wasn't so much that I ran into a cactus as that the cactus ran into me.  I'm flying back home because we had like 6 minutes to go 15 blocks (we totally made it) and this lady is on the sidewalk.  There is a cactus on the other side of the sidewalk.  I yell "I'm on the left!  I'm on the left!"  So, naturally, she looks back and jumps to the left, where I am.  Swerve.  Cactus.  The tire took the most punishment.   I actually didn't even get spiked.  The tire looked like a pushpin though and popped real good.  Real good.  

Pretty sure there's a Brazilian investigator in the singles ward.  Yesssssssssssss Portuguese. 

I could go on and on.  There's just no such thing as a normal day, especially on a bike in Phoenix.  It's tears and then joy, wallowing in misery with a man consumed in darkness and drunkenness, knowing you can do no more for him because you've been called to serve elsewhere, and then joy and light with a boy who doesn't believe in God then begins to pray in earnest.  It's hopping on a bike and sweating, drowning out cuss words with scriptures, nodding in agreement and it's the change you hear in your voice when the Spirit takes over.  It's the sweat and the tiredness and the excitement for tomorrow and the overriding calm that tells you there IS nothing else, that all work is the work of salvation.  It's the shaking dirty hands and lightening heavy hearts.  It's pain and sorrow and work and change and growth.  It's fast it's slow, it's new, it's eternal.  And it's for all of us.  "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord's vineyard to bring souls unto Him."

This is it.  It's getting it and realizing you still don't REALLY get it but it's trying to get it and it's understanding and knowledge and purpose and light and courage and for once participating in the other side of the atonement, seeing people from Christ's view, lifting where you can and bringing those who will come to a knowledge of their Savior.  

I saw miracles this week.  I'm sure you all did too.  God is real.  The Book of Mormon is true. Everyone is worth saving.

Love,

Elder Molinaro