Saturday, February 26, 2011
The Plan Of Salvation
This... Is Elder Coles. I was sitting here trying to decide what to blog about and I kept on staring at the title of my last blog and about how true it is. He WILL give you help. That video was great. I think it really captured how Darren was feeling after Bean's death and how he got through that hard time. I testify that knowing the plan of salvation and the atonement, along with praying and asking for the Lord to comfort him through this hard time was the only way that he got through it. I know this to be true, because I was also Bean's best friend and that is the only way I got through it. Beans had a tonne of best friends, who knew about the plan of salvation and thats how they got through it. Death is not an easy thing to deal with. Believe me, even with this knowledge, it still wasn't easy. Its never easy to deal with. But knowing where he was going and that life does not end after we depart from this life and that our spirits live on, that is where the comfort lies. In the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon, it sheds a little more light on what happens to our spirits after we die. I am so greatful for the plan of salvation and how perfect the plan is. I am greatful for our loving Heavenly Father who in his infinate wisdom and mercy reaveals these things to us through his prophets. I can testify of the reality of the power of prayer, and how he is always there to lift me up when I am feeling down. I know that He WILL give you help!
Friday, February 25, 2011
He will give you help
The person who stars in this video is one of my best friends from back home Darren Haslam!! He is a stud! He is serving in the mexico city east mission right now. He has been a great example to me through the death of our best friend beans. Enjoy! (also my voice is in it close to the begining!)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
"Oh You Silly Elder"
This... is Elder Coles. I can be a silly Elder sometimes. And when I say silly I mean stupid. Let me share a story with you all (the names used in this story are not the actual names of the people, except for me and my companions, but are fictional. The story itself is true)
It was February 22 2011. Elder Marsh, Elder Olsen and I had just finished having supper at a members house. It was quite delicious. We were full and satisfied and were ready to go out and preach the gospel. It was 6:04 and we had an appointment with Aladin in a nearby town about 20 minutes away called Portland at 6:30. We had about 84 reasons not to go to this appointment. First off the appointment had been set up about 9 days prior to the actual day and we doubted Aladin even remembered our arranged meeting time. Also when we were talking with him trying to set up a return appointment he told us he had been drinking a little bit too. We didnt want to waste our precious miles to go see someone who probly didnt remember us. That night we also had an awesome referal who we wanted to go see and we thought she would be more solid and would be a good use of our time. She was closer too. Like I said, we had a tonne of reasons not to go to this appointment. But there was something telling me we needed to go. I had no idea why, but I felt like we had to go to Portland that night. When it came down to everything, we decided it was more logical to not waste our miles and go see someone who would be more receptive to our message and we ignored that feeling we had to go to Portland. As soon as we missed the turn off to go to Portland, I knew we had made the wrong decision. We all knew it. Needless to say that was one of the worst 10 minute drives of my life to an investigators house. Nothing was said. We knew we made the wrong choice but we didnt want to acknowledge it. When we got to the persons house, she of course was not there. By this time we were even more dissapointed. When we got back to the car, we all looked in our planners to figure out what we were going to do for the rest of the night, seeing as how two of our people we wanted to see fell through, and there was only one name that stood out to us, Jafar, who just so happened to live in Portland. Now we knew for a fact that we should go to Portland. Something said to me "Oh you silly Elder, why did you not listen the first time? Why did you not trust the spirit to lead you and guide you to go where you needed to go the first time? Aladin was not the person you needed to see tonight, but Jafar was. You should have listened, I should not have to spell things out to you, and you should not question me. Just do it." We went to Aladins house, just to make sure he forgot our appointment, and sure enough he wasn't even home. We then went to Jafars house, and we tought an amazing lesson with him, and commited him to baptism. I testify that the spirit is real. I testify that as missionaries we are entitled to have the spirit with us and to recieve revelation for who we need to visit. And I now have a even stronger testimony that the spirit will never lead anyone astray. If we are obedient, and read and study the scriptures each day, we will have the spirit with us to lead us and guide us, if you are a missionary or not a missionary. I know that this church is true and the Heavenly Father loves everyone of his childeren equally, and will not with hold his gospel from anyone who is looking for it, even though sometimes his servants can be a little silly.
It was February 22 2011. Elder Marsh, Elder Olsen and I had just finished having supper at a members house. It was quite delicious. We were full and satisfied and were ready to go out and preach the gospel. It was 6:04 and we had an appointment with Aladin in a nearby town about 20 minutes away called Portland at 6:30. We had about 84 reasons not to go to this appointment. First off the appointment had been set up about 9 days prior to the actual day and we doubted Aladin even remembered our arranged meeting time. Also when we were talking with him trying to set up a return appointment he told us he had been drinking a little bit too. We didnt want to waste our precious miles to go see someone who probly didnt remember us. That night we also had an awesome referal who we wanted to go see and we thought she would be more solid and would be a good use of our time. She was closer too. Like I said, we had a tonne of reasons not to go to this appointment. But there was something telling me we needed to go. I had no idea why, but I felt like we had to go to Portland that night. When it came down to everything, we decided it was more logical to not waste our miles and go see someone who would be more receptive to our message and we ignored that feeling we had to go to Portland. As soon as we missed the turn off to go to Portland, I knew we had made the wrong decision. We all knew it. Needless to say that was one of the worst 10 minute drives of my life to an investigators house. Nothing was said. We knew we made the wrong choice but we didnt want to acknowledge it. When we got to the persons house, she of course was not there. By this time we were even more dissapointed. When we got back to the car, we all looked in our planners to figure out what we were going to do for the rest of the night, seeing as how two of our people we wanted to see fell through, and there was only one name that stood out to us, Jafar, who just so happened to live in Portland. Now we knew for a fact that we should go to Portland. Something said to me "Oh you silly Elder, why did you not listen the first time? Why did you not trust the spirit to lead you and guide you to go where you needed to go the first time? Aladin was not the person you needed to see tonight, but Jafar was. You should have listened, I should not have to spell things out to you, and you should not question me. Just do it." We went to Aladins house, just to make sure he forgot our appointment, and sure enough he wasn't even home. We then went to Jafars house, and we tought an amazing lesson with him, and commited him to baptism. I testify that the spirit is real. I testify that as missionaries we are entitled to have the spirit with us and to recieve revelation for who we need to visit. And I now have a even stronger testimony that the spirit will never lead anyone astray. If we are obedient, and read and study the scriptures each day, we will have the spirit with us to lead us and guide us, if you are a missionary or not a missionary. I know that this church is true and the Heavenly Father loves everyone of his childeren equally, and will not with hold his gospel from anyone who is looking for it, even though sometimes his servants can be a little silly.
Friday, February 18, 2011
My First Blog Ever
This... Is Elder Coles. I want to share my thoughts and feelings as a missionary with everyone! President Hutchings (president of the Tennessee Nashville Mission) wants to experiment with something they call "online prosyliting." I have been chosen to take part in this new form of misisonary work and I am super excited to get started with this blog! This blog is being created for the purpose of... doing missionary work of course! If you are reading this... first off you are reading the coolest blog ever. Second if you have any questions about anything relating to the gospel or this blog feel free to ask me! I am a people pleaser. My only goal in life is to please people. I will do my best to answer any questions that you have... gospel questions of course. And my only goal for this blog... well actually I have two goals... the first being this will be the most read blog in the whole world... second is that this blog will bring people closer to Christ. The way I will start off by attaining this goal is by bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon.
Sigh... The Book of Mormon. I LOVE the book of Mormon. I love everything about it. All the stories... All the great examples the people are in them... All the truths contained in the Book of Mormon... The peace and happiness it brings to me when I read it... I could go on forever. Joseph Smith said "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." That my friends is a true statement. On my mission I have the opportunity to study the Book of Mormon everyday and as I have done so my relationship with God has grown so much, because it "puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." I know that this is exactly what the Book of Mormon does. I want to share that with everyone. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it is the word of God and that it was translated through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that if you are reading this and you havent read the Book of Mormon yet... You should read it. Not for me. But read it for yourself because I know it will make you happy. That is my testimony. Pretty simple but hopefully powerful. Feel free to ask me any questions about the Book of Mormon and how it will be able to bless your life and I will do my best to answer them! Also feel free to comment on any of my posts... actually feel free to do what ever you want. Just know that I know that the Book of Mormon is true!
Sigh... The Book of Mormon. I LOVE the book of Mormon. I love everything about it. All the stories... All the great examples the people are in them... All the truths contained in the Book of Mormon... The peace and happiness it brings to me when I read it... I could go on forever. Joseph Smith said "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." That my friends is a true statement. On my mission I have the opportunity to study the Book of Mormon everyday and as I have done so my relationship with God has grown so much, because it "puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come." I know that this is exactly what the Book of Mormon does. I want to share that with everyone. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it is the word of God and that it was translated through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that if you are reading this and you havent read the Book of Mormon yet... You should read it. Not for me. But read it for yourself because I know it will make you happy. That is my testimony. Pretty simple but hopefully powerful. Feel free to ask me any questions about the Book of Mormon and how it will be able to bless your life and I will do my best to answer them! Also feel free to comment on any of my posts... actually feel free to do what ever you want. Just know that I know that the Book of Mormon is true!
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