Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Greatest Story

Elder Anderson shared the most amazing thing in one of his latest e-mails from Longview -
"Elder Russel M. Nelson of the Quorom of the Twelve came to Longview, Washington.  Can you believe that?   He came to just Longview,  nowhere else, just for a stake conference.  HAHA it made the missionaries laugh because there is really not much in Longview!  But I guess the saints are here and that is better than anything else.

Well he sat down with just us missionaries from the west side of the mission, 80 of us, and talked to us for an hour and 15 minutes.  He had some good things to say.   I would like to share with you one of those things. 

As missionaries we are overwhelmed at times and he asked us how we felt.  We told him some of our frustrations.  He then told us that this is how life is sometimes.  It is hard and sometimes feels like there is no hope.  He then told us a story about Gideon. 

Gideon was a man back in the Old Testament who was told to go and defeat an army of nearly 150,000.  That is a lot of people.  He didn't have that many soldiers but he knew he had the Lord on his side.  Well, the Lord said, "I want you to have less men."  He told him this many times until Gideon only had around 300 men left.  300 men left to destroy 150,000 people!  Sounds like impossible.  But guess what?  They win and none of them even get killed.  The odds were 500:1.  It was crazy.  Then Elder Nelson told us something else. 

There are 14 million Latter- day Saints right now and 7 billion people.  If  you do the math it ends up being 500:1.  Even though we are terribly out-numbered we are going to win because we have the Lord on our side.  Just always realize that He is with us.  And even if the odds are 500:1 with the Lord's help they are possible.  And think of it.  The Lord doesn't always work in plain and simple things.  He chose a 90 year old lady to bear  a son named Issac.  He called a virgin to bear us the Son of God.  He lead the Jews out of Egypt on dry ground.  He called a 14 year old boy as a prophet who couldn't even write a letter.  He works in miracles.  He is a God of miracles.  Always remember that.

When times are hard and odds are bad remember your are a child of God and he is a God of miracles.  I know that to be true and that he will answer your prayers.

With love and care to all,

Sincerely,

Elder Ben Anderson"

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