New Companion - 11-19-12

Bonjour!

My training is over. I now have another companion. His name is Elder Mark R. Peterson. He is from North Las Vegas, Nevada and he is now the Kirksville District Leader. He is 6'5" and 280lbs. I honestly expected to get a smaller companion. But he is just as big, if not a little bigger, than Elder Flint. He played volleyball in high school and he has been out for 17 months. He is pretty easy-going and we have a lot more in common than Elder Flint and I did. We have already talked Music and Pokemon. :) Elder Graham, the other new missionary to the district is from Springville, Utah and knows all of my friends I can remember from when I was 4-7 years old.

We have pretty much a blank slate to work off of here in Kirksville. One of our investigators moved to Texas and so we are pretty much fresh out of investigators that are progressing in the Gospel. It is at times frustrating, but we are just going to have to do a lot of finding in the next few weeks.

I have recently been reading in the Book of Mormon in the war chapters of Alma (chapters 45-62). The scriptures are very funny at times. Here is an example from Alma Chapter 49:

verses 1-2: the Nephites (righteous people - good guys) rebuilt the city of Ammonihah and built fortifications. 
verses 3-5: the Lamanites (wicked people - bad guys) come up to the city thinking it would be easy prey and they could take it over easily, but "great was their disappointment" and they "were astonished exceedingly" when they saw the new fortifications of the Nephites
verses 6-9: The Lamanites were confounded and weren't sure of what to do, because they were now using armor (idea taken from the Nephites) to battle, but it wouldn't help them in this situation.

verse 8: The Nephites "were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi."

In other places in the scriptures, namely Nephi (see 1 Nephi 17) and the Brother of Jared (see Ether chapters 2-3), we learn the ways of the Lord are not always the ways of man.

verse 10: Amalickiah, the Lamanite king, would throw his people at the new fortifications because "he did care not for the blood of his people."

We learn that the wicked follow Satan and "that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell" (Alma 30:60).

Now here is the funny part
verses 11-12: The Nephites new fortifications were so cool that the Lamanites were so ashamed of their cities, that instead of going back to their cities, they went out and stayed into the wilderness.

People are funny and the Lord has made the Book of Mormon not only the most true book on the earth, but also an enjoyable read. :)

I hope you are able to read the Book of Mormon and are able to find either a funny story like this one I shared, or something insightful or something that brings the Book of Mormon closer to you in your life.

There are many great reasons to read the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith tells us in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon "that the Book of Mormon [is] 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.” President Boyd K. Packer, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, also stated that "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior" (Preach My Gospel, p.19). What better place to study the doctrines of the Gospel than in the Keystone of our Religion?

That is my two cents for the week. You can get four if you write me ;)

Love, 

Elder Zachary R McKenzie

Iowa Des Moines Mission

    D&C 6:34, 36

Doubt Not, Fear Not.
Faith in 400 for Christ in 2012