Conference, September 20, 2021

Hello everyone! Hope all is well!

This week was great. Went by really fast again! We were pretty busy doing service and teaching some lessons. We didn't have a ton of lessons this week due to our friends being busy with various things so those weeks are always a bit of a let down. However since we were so busy it didn't really matter a whole lot! We had a really awesome Zone Conference this week all about the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. It was really good, I learned about how enduring to the end is more than just holding on and trying to finish strong. We also talked about having short powerful lessons (SPF's). The idea of those is to share a short lesson with members. Maybe only 15mins and then schedule another one in a couple weeks. We had two of those this week and at the end of each one, both of the families reached out to us to reschedule! It was awesome! 

We had cemetery service again this week, it was awesome! 

A short spiritual thought for the week: 

"The good news is, there is hope. There is a solution to the emptiness, vanity, and Weltschmerz of life. There is a solution to even the deepest hopelessness and discouragement you might feel. This hope is found in the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the Savior’s redemptive power to heal us of our soul-sickness."

This comes from a talk titled "Believe, Love, Do" by Elder Uchtdorf in the October 2018 General Conference. 

I love how powerful the power of Jesus Christ is! If you want to find out how you can have that power in your life, study about it! 

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

Hit the Ground Biking, September 13, 2021

Hello everyone!! Hope you all had a wonderful week! This week was super busy, and really fun! 

Elder Storment left on Wednesday morning. I'll miss serving with that Elder. Him and I got really united over the time we served together and we became great friends! I am excited to keep in touch with him. 

So I got my trainee on Wednesday! We had our trainers meeting and then all 34 of the new missionaries walked in and lined up at the front. I feel like I was in their shoes yesterday! Time flies. They then proceeded to read off where they were going and their new companions! 

My trainee's name is Elder Johnson, he is from Perry, Utah. Right by Brigham City. He is half-Koeran which is super cool! He loves mountain biking and tennis so being in a biking area is so sweat for him!! He has already introduced me to some SPICY food. Really good but cleared my nostrils right out! I love him lots, he has an awesome desire to be out here and I'm really looking forward to our time together! 

Our first day together we had two lessons. Elder Johnson is a natural in teaching and we are slowly getting adjusted to our various teaching styles but we've already developed a sense of unity, so things are looking bright for the future! 

We taught lots of lessons this week. Something that Elder Johnson and I decided to work on this week was having more specific invitations at the end of our lessons and then following up with people when we meet with them again. It has been cool to see that making a goal and then focusing on it really works. Our invitations have not only been more specific since we've started to focus on it, they have become more meaningful!  So cool to see!! 

I am really excited to work with the missionaries in our zone, we've got a bunch of awesome Elders and Sisters and I can't wait to get to know them better and unify as a zone.

We had a giant service project on 9/11. We went to the Greenwood Cemetery and another Zone, the St.Louis Zone was there. That was the zone I served in before the South St.Louis zone so it was super fun to see missionaries that I'd served around. I got to meet the new Elders serving in Parkway 2, my last area. That was really fun, getting to catch up with them. I also got to see Craig. A man I taught in my last area. He remembered me and we chatted for a bit. He is still meeting with the missionaries so that is pretty great!! It was a fun time!! A mini reunion! 

A spiritual thought to end the email! :) 

Elder Johnson and I were talking about the reasons we decided to serve missions. The experiences we were hoping to have on our missions and such. We had a really powerful discussion and ultimately we both came to the conclusion that the reason we are both out serving others is out of love. Love for Christ, Love for Heavenly Father, Love for those we serve. We aren't as concerned about getting baptisms as we are helping people feel loved and wanted. Elder Johnson has caught that early on, whereas it took me a longer time to figure out! God is good, love is the answer to all problems!! 

Love you all!!!  Elder Spencer! 

Busy, Busy, Busy! Sept 7, 2021

Hello everyone!! What a week it was! It flew by, we did a lot. 

We had lots of awesome lessons with members in our ward, I love this ward. The members are awesome! 

We had exchanges this week with the Zone Leaders, they went well. I went with a great Elder, Elder Ross. It was one of his last exchanges as he went home yesterday. We were able to do quite a bit and he was a good example of being a great missionary and finishing strong. 

We had 3 other missionaries in our zone go home yesterday, two from my district. I am going to miss all 4 of those missionaries so much, they have helped change me for the better! I am so grateful that God knows who we need to have in our life, His plan is perfect! Trust Him!! 

We had a Zone Council this week as well. I was asked to give a training I gave in district council last week. The just of my training is that we need to teach simply. So, being the only Canadian in my zone and probably my mission I came up with a bunch of words that we say in Canada that they don't use down here. Words like: Garborator, Toque, Pylon, Soother and others. I wrote them on a whiteboard and had people guess what they meant. That was kinda funny having them try to guess. After I told them what they all meant I related it to sharing the gospel. As missionaries and members we use words that we are familiar with but most people around us are not, so we need to adjust our teaching and the words we use to help them understand, when we do that the Spirit can help us even better to carry the words into the hearts of those we teach. It is so important to teach simply!! 

This week was really good! We had a few great lessons with those we are teaching, I'll save you from telling about them. They went well and people are surely but slowly coming closer to Christ which is the goal!! 

I've been studying about hope recently. I've always thought hope was kinda a less important attribuite to develop but boy oh boy it is super important. A quote from Elder Holland's talk in April 2020 titled "A Perfect Brightness of Hope" reads this:  

"As disciples of Christ, we can in our day rise above those ancient Israelites who moaned, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost.” Indeed, if we finally lose hope, we lose our last sustaining possession. It was over the very gate of hell that Dante wrote a warning to all those traveling through his Divina Commedia: “Abandon all hope,” he said, “ye who enter here.” Truly when hope is gone, what we have left is the flame of the inferno raging on every side. So, when our backs are to the wall and, as the hymn says, “other helpers fail and comforts flee,” among our most indispensable virtues will be this precious gift of hope linked inextricably to our faith in God and our charity to others."

I really liked this bit, honestly the whole talk was awesome, you all should read it!! But this quote shows me that without hope, true hope in eternal blessings, things would be sad and not looking very promising! Hope in Jesus Christ is what will help us through life!! 

Well sorry this email has been ultra long, it's almost over I promise. :) 

We got transfer news yesterday. Elder Storment is getting transferred. He is excited and ready for a change. I'm excited for him. I just wanted to write that he has been exactly who I have needed to serve around these last 2 months or so. He has helped shape me into who I am now. We have really become super united in the work as well which has been awesome! I have loved serving with him and I will miss him for sure! 

I found out that I will be training another missionary. I am super pumped to be staying here and having another opportunity to train a new missionary! I don't know who he is yet, I find out tomorrow so stay tuned! I love you all, trust in God's plan for you!! 

Love, Elder Spencer 

Conference and Piano, August 30th, 2021

Hi everyone! 

This week went by super fast, and it was a great week!! So much happened! We had lots of lessons with members and friends this week. Some of my favourite moments were these: 

We have "Come Follow Me" lessons with a few people in our ward 3 times a week, I love having these discussions, and this week was particularly good! We talked alot about light, truth and glory. A set of verses that I really liked from this week's section were D and C 93:12-14 which talk about how Jesus Christ learned bit by bit. That is the best way and really only way to learn! 

Another highlight was going to a family in our wards home last night for dinner. We got there a little early and they have a piano. No one in their family played. We asked if they had a hymnbook and they did. Elder Storment and I took turns playing some hymns on the piano, it felt so great to play a piano in a home again! Reminds me of playing at home! They really liked it and we were able to share a powerful message with them as well after an awesome meal! 

Some other awesome things that happened this last week: 

We had a district council and I got to see Elder Kimball, one of my past companions. That was awesome, I have a ton of respect for him! 

We also had a super awesome Zone Conference over Zoom this week as well. It was all about obedience and the Safeguards for using Technology. Two Elders gave a training on obedience and it really struck me. They talked about the difference between justification and meekness. How we almost instinctively justify our actions. Sometimes we do so out of fear, or not wanting to go out of our comfort zone. It really opened my eyes to the things I could work on to be a bit more obedient and meek. Just to be more humble and to let God prevail more in my life. 

I really enjoyed my personal studies this week. Elder Storment and I both spoke in our church yesterday on the Plan of Salvation, I really learned a lot while writing the talk, I'll include it in this email for my spiritual thoughts for the week.

Love you all! Write to me if you can! Love, Elder Spencer 

Agency + Love in the Plan of Salvation (2nd Half) 

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters! I am so grateful for the opportunity to be speaking to you today. 

For those of you who may not know me, my name is Elder Spencer and I’d like to introduce myself super quick. I am from Edmonton, Alberta, I have 4 brothers including a twin, and I love to play sports and board games with them. I also love to be outdoors with my family. Doing things like hiking and camping. I love the fresh air! I’ve been serving my mission for 10 months now, and 2 or so of those months have been spent here in this awesome ward! I have absolutely loved my time here so far, although it is a lot hotter than I’m used to! :)  I have loved getting to know each of you through messages and meals and I hope to continue to get to know you all! 

I hope that the Spirit will carry my words into your hearts today. As Elder Storment explained we were asked to talk about the Plan of Salvation. Elder Storment did a wonderful job explaining the first half, I will now do my best to talk about the second half.

I want to focus my remarks around two key principles that I think are very crucial in the Plan of Salvation. Our agency, or the power for us to make choices, and the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for each and every single one of us. 

First of all, the choices we make on this earth are very, very important. Our agency is one of the most important gifts we have been given! Alma 34:34 in the Book of Mormon explains it well: “34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.” 

What we choose to do, who we choose to follow, how we act in this life not only affects us in this life but it affects us in the life to come! Our choices have a huge impact! President Monson once said that “decisions determine destiny”. Our choices play a major role in the life to come. This motivates me to always strive to choose the right even when it is hard because there is a lot more at stake than just our time on earth. I hope you can all strive to remember that your actions not only affect you now but they will affect your eternal future as well! 

Alma 34:34 also explains that we can’t procrastinate our repentance, we cannot sit idly and wait until the last moment to repent. Elder Neal A. Maxwell in a talk given in the October 1974 General Conference titled “Why Not Now?” said: 

 “When Jesus called his first disciples, the scriptures record that they left their ships and nets “straightway.” They didn’t ask to join Jesus after the fishing season; they didn’t even delay their response in order to make just one more catch. They left “straightway”! (See Matt. 4:20.) Act, my brothers and sisters, for once the soul is tilted toward belief, and once there is even a desire to believe, then marvelous things begin to happen! Once one leaves the porch and comes inside the Church, then one not only hears the music more clearly—he becomes a part of it. Act now, so that a thousand years from now, when you look back at this moment, you can say this was a moment that mattered—this was a day of determination.” 

I love that last part about our future selves a thousand years from now looking back on our lives and seeing the moments when we chose to follow or not to follow Christ. This is sometimes called the eternal perspective, looking at life as a whole, not just our time on this earth. When we look at the Plan in this way it becomes quite clear that the choices we make today matter! Every day is a “day of determination”. One thing I’ve been taught as well is that every day is a clean slate, a fresh start. I sometimes get down on myself for past mistakes I’ve made, but having the attitude of a clean slate everyday has really helped me. It has also shown me the immense love our Saviour Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us! Because of Christ’s Atonement we can repent and make each new day a clean slate!  

While on Earth Jesus Christ taught us His Gospel, and although there are many people who have the chance to hear and accept the gospel in this life there are many who choose not to hear or who were never given the chance in this life to accept Christ. Part of our job as members of Christ’s restored church is to help others learn of Him and help them receive the full amount of blessings available to them in this life. Sadly there are many people who reject us, even though we know it can bring them lots of joy! So what happens to those who don’t listen or who never got the chance to accept Christ’s gospel? Are they just told “too bad, you never got the chance” or “well you already rejected the gospel before” No! Our loving Heavenly Father would never deny His children a chance to follow Him and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. 

After we pass on from this life, our Spirits and bodies separate and our bodies stay on earth while our Spirits enter a place called the Spirit World. The Spirit World is described in Alma 40:21 as “...a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time appointed of God that the dead shall come forth…”  Here those who were not given the chance to accept the Gospel while they were on earth are given the chance, those who rejected the Gospel are given another opportunity to choose Christ. 

1 Peter 3:18-19 explains this well: 

“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”

Jesus Christ suffered for us all! All those who have lived, who are currently living and for those who will yet live! Everyone will have as many chances as they need to accept Him and His Atoning Sacrifice! That to me shows me of His great and infinite love for each one of us! It gives me comfort and peace, and I hope it gives you those feelings as well.  

We will stay in the Spirit world until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. While there we will either be in a state of happiness or misery like Alma 40:21 explained. Peter terms the miserable side of the Spirit world as “spirits in prison”. Now I don’t think they are going to be sad there, I think it is termed a prison because they can’t get out on their own, they need help getting out! That is a huge reason why Family History work is super important! Those in the state of happiness also aren’t just sitting around doing nothing, I believe that they are super busy teaching the spirits in prison about Jesus Christ and His Gospel! 

Alma 40:21 tells us what happens next: “...until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged for their works.”   

We will all be resurrected. Alma 40:23 explains what resurrection is really well: “23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.” I love this promise! It is so full of love and care! Everything that has caused us physical pain in this life will be removed. We won't have to worry! God cares so much that not even a hair of our head will be lost! (I’m sure that’ll mean a lot more to me if I ever go bald!) :) But seriously, what an amazing blessing from our loving Heavenly Father that is made possible through Jesus Christ the Master Healer.   

My time is running short so I’ll just quickly explain the rest! After we are resurrected we will be “brought to stand before God, and be judged for [our] works.” Usually the term “judgement” throws a negative light on the scene. I think that the Judgement will be one of love and mercy. Christ will do everything in His power to give us as many blessings as He can. However He can only give us the full amount of blessings possible if we have accepted Him and His teachings! Based on our commitment and conversion to Christ we will be placed in one of three Kingdoms of Glory or levels of Heaven if you will. The first is the Celestial kingdom where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. This is where They want you and They will do all that is in Their power to help you get there because They love you! The second level is the terrestrial kingdom. Here go those who lived good lives, they were honorable people. Unfortunately, they chose not to accept Christ and His Gospel so they can’t receive the highest degree. The third and final level is the telestial kingdom. This is where those who commited sin and didn’t repent go. They chose to disobey God and didn’t want to change, they are the “unrighteous”. Regardless of where we end up we will be comfortable there, we will not be sad with where we end up because it is where we will want to be. God’s love is so evident here, even if we didn’t accomplish what God wanted for us we won’t be punished, we will be comfortable and happy! 

I just wanted to end by bearing testimony of God’s love for each and every single one of His children. Without Jesus Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice the Plan of Salvation would be useless. Heavenly Father loves you and hears your prayers. Jesus Christ lives, this is His church led on earth by our beloved Prophet President Russell M. Nelson. The Book of Mormon is true, I feel its power each day as I read. I love serving my Savior and I say these things in His name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.