Happy New Year!
So on Friday we had a big missionary "party" in which we met with our
zone at a church building. The cool part of that being that the church building
was the same floor plan as the church by grandma Basham's house. I had a lot of
fun looking around the halls and remembering my childhood. The stage that I
used to run up and down, the gym where the 50th anniversary was held and uncle
Joe got married, and the chapel where we had grandpa's funeral. Of course this
was not the same building, it being on the other side of the country and all,
but it looked exactly the same.
After all that fun nostalgia, I realized that it is also the exact same floor plan as the snowflake stake center where I went to the New Years's dance like 3 years ago. So that was a fun flashback. Furthermore, I found out that my zone leader, Elder Nez, is actually from snowflake and was at that same stake party. So technically we were hanging out before the mission. Except I never actually met him. But oh well. Here he is.
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| Elder Basham, Elder Nez from Snowflake Arizona |
Anyway, after all that fun went down, we got to watch the lion king. It is so
weird watching movies on a mission. I'm glad we only do it once a year. But it
was also actually super fun. Elder Nez and I were singing along to all the
songs. It was fantastic.
In other exciting news, I finally got Greek food. A member took us out for some and it was delicious. Elder Tolman had literally never had Greek food before in his life. Not even hummus and peta chips. He didn't even know what peta bread is. So that was a fun experience getting to show him for the first time. He really loved it so we bought all the things we need to make our own this week. I'm looking forward to that for sure.
In this time of setting goals and resolutions, I would love to talk about Jesus Christ. Many times I hear people talk about New Year's as a fresh slate or a new start, a time where we can set make plans to change ourselves. As great as that is, there is something so much better, and that is the enabling power of the atonement.
So many times we think that the atonement is for sinners.
Every day I hear people say "Jesus died for my sins." And that is
true. Yes He did. However, he didn't jus come for that. He gave us his life for
our sins, for our mistakes, for our addictions, our habits, our conversations,
and our thoughts. He didn't come here just so you can be saved in the next
life, but also so you can be changed in this one. For the natural man is an
enemy to God and will be forever and ever unless he yields to the enticings of
the Holy Spirit and becometh a saint through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It
is no man made power or influence that can change us, so there is no man made
date or deadline to change.
Because of Him, every minute is a new slate, a fresh start,
and the time for you to change. I know that Christ has provided the way
for us to become like Him and I know that anyone can do so no matter their
background. I love the primary song I'm
Trying to be Like Jesus because that truly is our goal in this life,
and thanks to Him it is really possible.
One of the greatest times we can decide to change ourselves
and commit to follow Him is as we take the sacrament each week. This sacred
ordnance is truly a blessing from heaven and an amazing opportunity to remember
the Atonement and all it does for us. I know the sacrament has been an amazing
blessing in my life as I strive to worthily partake of it with a remembrance of
Christ and an eye single to His Glory. It has comforted me after many hard
weeks and given me the strength to press forward through many more. I promise
it can do the same for you and I testify in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
Have a great week everyone,
- Elder Basham
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