Elder Chandler Miner: 15 Months???

This week has been good! We have been seeing a lot of less-actives coming back and willing to meet with us! We had more than 3 less actives at church this week! But we really have been seeing miracles as we have gone to the low hanging fruit! I love working out here in Fallon Nevada!

This Wednesday and Tuesday we are going out on splits with members to go and visit people whom they want to see! They have appointments set up and we are going to go along to meet this people and hopefully begin teaching them! This is the way it should be, Members setting up appointments and bringing us along. We have some with less-actives, and some with non-members.

So Elder Jackman gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon that is the original style. It is the way that Joseph Smith printed it back in 1830. So I started to read it through. It is really neat because it reads more like a novel vs scripture. So as I have been reading it, my understanding of the events in the Book of Mormon has increased. I now see much of it as complete stories, rather than separate events. For example, In this edition, the first chapter of the first book of Nephi covers all the chapters in the standard edition from one through 6. So it is all one story of everything dealing with getting the plates. And that is how much of the Book is. It is a story. Which I love. I love love love books. So this works with my brain just so much better. I have been marking this copy as well I have been underlining all the references to the Savior! It was so eye-opening to be able to see when the Savior was talked about the most. It was usually in the times of repentance. When they were disobedient, then he wasn't mentioned a lot. So just as righteousness went up in down in a cycle, so did the mention of the savior. From that pattern, I learned this week how important it is to "keep an eye single to the glory of God". If our focus is on the Savior, we won't fall down. Just like Peter on the water, when the Savior beckons him out. So long as he kept his eyes on the Master, he was fine. But once he looked around at all the waves and the storm around him, he started to sink.

Every time I finish the Book of Mormon, I feel really sad. I love the book, but I really don't like seeing how much they all suffered and fell. They had such height. They had such progress. In all aspects of society. They had masterful sermons on virtually all topics in the gospel. From Benjamin's tower, to the ministry of the Savior himself. From Nephi and Jacob, to Alma and Amulek. And yet, a people with so much, fell so hard. It just makes me really sad. It just means we must learn from their mistakes. To keep the Savior as the center of our lives! And I will strive for the rest of my life to make sure I do that.

I love all y'all and each y'all

Elder Miner