Elder Thomas R. Ollis Jr. - Canada Calgary Mission: 9/26/2017

Well hello everyone,

Well this week was crazy quick. We had interviews, which are always super good because President Miles is honestly the coolest and most uplifting mission president. We were so stacked all week it was nice, moving from lesson to lesson, and I only hope to keep it up this week. This next week is going to be honestly the best. We have Zone Conference on Friday, so we get to hear from our mission president, then general conference for the next two days. It is the best line up since college football weekends back home, but even better because general conference has eternal importance. Unfortunately college football does not (though I personally believe it will be in the Celestial kingdom, because it wouldn't be celestial without the playoffs haha). Big news is we found a NEW INVESTIGATOR! Such a miracle. We were going back to teach a less active guy in our ward. And the dude is the man, he just brings his interested non-member friend and we pick him up as a new investigator. It was super cool. I was looking in our area book and this area hasn't found anyone new since about may or june, so a LONG drought. But the bad news, and this is just my luck. The new guy doesn't live in our ward. He lives oddly enough right next door to some sisters in our zone. So we will have to pass him off. That is just the story of my life this week. We got about 3 referrals, all YSA. So that is cool.

But I did want to share a spiritual thought, because even when things are tough (and they are tough here) we can always be uplifted by our savior. So this week in my personal study I finished the Articles of Faith. So I had to find something new. Well, I was pondering about nephi, and how he said he loves the plainness of Isaiah. And it confused me. I also remembered our savior said to study the words of Isaiah. So I bet you can guess. I have begun an in depth study of the words of Isaiah. I printed off a bunch of study helps, read through the ensign, which offers help, opened 2nd nephi and of course d&c which offers explanations. I have come to love the words of Isaiah! And here is why. They aren't scary. Nephi tells us he loves the words of Isaiah because it talks of Christ. That is why he put it in the BOM and it is absolutely a testimony to our savior Jesus Christ. Another thing nephi says is he delights in the plainness of the gospel. Let me highlight the plainness of the words of Isaiah. Because yes, they are plain. I found out what nephi was meaning. So here it is. In Isaiah chapter 9 it’s very easy to see what nephi meant. So first lets go to chapter 8. I am not going to make it easy. Isaiah 8: 14 says " and he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Now in Isaiah a helpful hint, if you don't understand something think of the savior, its probably who he is talking about. Same here. He gave us a parable, or visual. We are in a river, the water, flowing down in one path. Our savior is a rock. No matter who we are, we cannot move on without changing our course. No one can. Regardless of what people say, they cannot avoid our savior. Everyone has to change course and everyone will acknowledge him. Which is so beautiful. Our savior is for everyone.

But now lets remember that as we move to chapter 9. There is a common theme in the scriptures, if it repeats 3 times it probably is worth giving it a little thought. Such as when our Savior tells Peter to "feed my sheep" on the banks of the sea of Galilee, or the fact that the savior himself visited 3 distinct groups of people. The People in israel, the nephites and the lost tribes. But I feel as important as those are, Isaiah goes through chapter 9 to describe the horrible sins Israel committed against Him. But read verse 12, " for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." He goes on in verse 17: " his arm is stretched out still" and verse 21:" His hand is stretched out still." Brothers and sisters that is the plainness of the gospel as nephi said. Our savior has paid the price, and his hand is always outstretched. Regardless of all the other doctrine we members like to ponder and talk about, regardless of all the people in the world that try to deny our savior, this one simple doctrine can never be revoked. That our savior loves us, enough to lay down his life for us, so that all of us can reach for his hand. No matter what we or anyone else has done, we can always have our savior on our side. And I love him for that. Brothers and sisters I love this gospel. I love my savior. I know that regardless of our mistakes, nothing is short of his mercy. Love you all and don't forget the “plainness” of this gospel.

Elder Ollis