Letter to my Home Ward

This is a letter Elder Vogt wrote at the request of his Bishop back in Montana. This will be read over the pulpit on April 8th.

So this will be something different for me. Giving a message in Engish instead of spanish. But I shall try my best.

So well I guess I should start off with Hello Everyone. This is Elder Vogt. Some of you might remember me from the few months I had there before heading out here to Nicaragua. I remember quite a few of you. 

So to start off I'd like to share some words from Thomas S Monson. “Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.” So that brings in the theme. Missionary work. I really like this quote because if we stop to think there are so many other people in this world. I know that sometimes from our day to day task everything seems normal and alright. But everyone has their own problems, their own personal struggles. Inside and outside the church. Take a look at each of your own lives. We all have things that go wrong, we have problems, whether they are caused by our own actions or the actions of others, there are things that everyone of us have to face. 

The problem is that sometimes we have the instinctual desire to turn inward and try to solve everything with our own lives first. You know like get your own kitchen in order before helping others. But I'm here to say that your figurative kitchen can be helped by helping out other people as well. I've seen many changes in the people here during my mission. Many changes have been small, but a few have been big. I think the biggest changes come when we forget ourselves and become more like Christ and reach out to the needy. Help others. I'm not saying that you should neglect your own needs or that of your family to help complete strangers, but there are small ways we can serve each and every day to help out. Just think of something that you would like done unto you, and try finding someone who would like the same and try to help them out. 

I know that as we do these small Christ like services we will be more in tuned with the spirit and more open to receiving the promptings to help. I find with the promptings they come in the same way a parent would give chores to their children. Imagine that you have 2 kids.  1 Obedient, and 1 disobedient. You ask the obedient to wash the dishes and he does it on the first time you ask. You feel good so you keep asking him more and more, and giving him more responsibility. Since you know he will be accountable. And with that you'll also be more willing to help him out. Maybe an allowance, or if he wants to do something you'd give him permission more easily. Now with the disobedient child. If you ask him to vacuum and he complains and you have to ask him 3 or 4 times before he does a half hearted job, the next time you might be reluctant to ask him to do things since he probably won't. So you ask less and less, but at the same time he looses the blessings that you would have given him if he did act. Well the same thing is with us and the Lord. The more we follow spiritual promptings the more we will get them, and the more we get them and act on them, the more we get blessed, not just us but those we help as well.

Something else. So recently Elder cook of the 12 apostles came to our Mission and gave a nice talk. He said that the people here in Nicaragua are ready and willing to listen to the gospel, and that they believe in the Lord and how this message can help them out a whole lot if they can just gain a testimony. I can testify that those words weren't just specific to this mission over here, but it's also true for where all of you are at as well. I know that all of you have friends, family, neighbors, many people who are ready to listen to the gospel. Many times they just need an invitation. I realize that it might seem scary to invite someone to come to church with you. I've been there with you, I've had friends and it was always something of me thinking, "I don't know what he'll say, he probably won't want to do things with me anymore if I talk about that kind of stuff."  But if you push aside the fear, the Lord will help direct you all. In the scriptures it says Doubt not fear not. 

A challenge I have for all of you is to make a list of possible people who might be able to listen to the missionaries or be invited to church, and have a special prayer to see which of those names stick out. And follow the Counsel to doubt not, fear not.  The lord will tell you who is ready and willing, and he can help build the courage in each and every one of you to talk with them. It can be something simple, invite them to an activity, or just the meeting. You never know how much of an impact just a simple invitation can really make. And above all if we follow these instructions by president Gordon B Hinkely when he said “Never assume that you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord. Never hesitate to get on your knees in some private place and speak with Him.” It can be an added strength to give us the inspiration and courage to help out those we love.

So yeah I guess that's some of the words I would like to share with you. I just want to close with my testimony that I know that this is the true church. It's because I've prayed and received my answer from the Lord that this is where He wants me, and this is where we all can reach our full potential, to one day reach the goal that we all have to live with our Heavenly Father and our families forever. I know that the Book of Mormon can help all of us gain a stronger  testimony, and that once we have this, it will be easier to keep strong in the faith. I know that we have a prophet now who is the head of the church and he receives revelation for each and every one of us, and if we follow his counsel, we will be able to prepare ourselves for the challenges of today. I want to leave these things with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.