In the church an even like this is called a "fireside". Our objective in this fireside is to strengthen the testimonies, of those who come, in the Savior Jesus Christ. We will do this by asking three main questions:
Why do I believe in Jesus Christ?
What is the purpose of my life?
How can I be a better Christian?
We are not going to answer these questions for you. These are all personal questions that only you can answer. We will give our answer by sharing three stories.
Elder McKay Gregson's Senior Night Basketball Game
Elder McKay Gregson's Mission
What we have learned from our mission
As you come we know you will feel God's love. I feel it every day with my brother. I am not perfect and just like brothers do we have disagreements. However, when I look at him and see how much God loves him, it helps me to want to be better. I know if you come you will start to develop answers to these questions. Those answers will sink deep into your heart. They will be answers that will last and you can always draw back on when times get tough. Bring a pen/pencil and some paper. You'll want to write down the thoughts that come to your mind and heart.
AUGUST 10 6:30 PM 1701 N Hickory Ave, Broken Arrow, OK
Come hear the story of my little brother, Elder McKay Gregson. You won't be disappointed.
We went to the park with this family in our ward tonight
after dinner. Dad was running around with the little one and we sat on the
bench by mom watching them have fun while sitting next to the baby. As we were
talking she brought up Joanne. I told her how our visit went. When she asked it
struck me, especially because she was the third or fourth person at church to come
up to us and specifically ask about Joanne. My response has been the same, not
as excited. We had a good meeting filled with the spirit, but she just pushed
it away. It was sad and disappointing.
I will be honest I was a little down when we left, however I
have a tug on my sleeve that feels like someone is pulling me onward.I can hear the voice, "Don’t give up." I read in
the scriptures this evening Alma 7:17-“And now my beloved brethren, do you
believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them;
and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the spirit
which is in me.” The words of this inspired mother and this verse have stuck
with me and this is what I feel like I need to do.
Dear Joanne,
I am so grateful for the time that you gave us the other
day. It was a very special day for us to be able to teach you. I know that you
were a little nervous, but you gave us a chance and I know it was a good
experience. I’m glad you felt the love we have for you, because we really do.
But I am not settled with our meeting. As soon as we left I
was asking questions in my mind. I was repeating scenes from our meeting trying
to figure out what had just taken place and why things never progressed. I have
taught the gospel as a missionary for over two years now, and I know when the
spirit is present in a room. I know what it feels like. I know when
opportunities for commitment and change arise and when they come and go in
those settings. The spirit came but the window of opportunity never came. Why?
I know it was because you were afraid. Joanne, where does
fear come from? I know that good things come from God. I know that faith
inspires us to come unto Christ. Jesus appeared unto the apostles. He was
walking on the water when he said unto them, “Be not afraid. It is I.”
Joanne, we are literally representatives of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Just as the apostles were called by Christ to go and preach repentance
and baptism so it is with us. We have been sent unto all that they may hear the
restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
In times before Christ, God spoke to prophets. They
prophesied of his coming to save the world from sin. He came. He died. He was
resurrected. Now he lives. God still speaks to prophets. He is preparing us for
the second coming of his Son just like in times before.
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He kneeled to ask God in
prayer which church he was to join. God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I
know that it is true. They told him to establish their church on the earth
again. They later sent angels to help him to establish it in the Lords way. God
has done that before. They restored power. They restored truth. God was the
contractor for this restoration. He made the calls and Joseph did the work he
was told to do.
God restored his power and authority to preach repentance
and to baptize. God made clear his gospel: faith in Christ, repentance,
baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. He restored his plan of
salvation.
We now know that we lived with God before we came to earth
and he has prepared a way to live with him after. Joanne Cox, I know that you
are a wonderful woman. I know that you have a familiarity of these things. I
know you have heard of these things from family and other missionaries. Do you believe these things are true? Yes!
I know you do. How do I know? By the manifestation of the Spirit which is in
me.
Joanne, we really love you and your kind gentle heart.
Remember this story?
We know you believe in Jesus Christ. We know you love him.
Will you exercise the faith not in just the Christ that lived in the
scriptures, but the one who lives today?
Pray that Joanne can receive this in the spirit it is
written, love. Our message is not to put anyone who believes in God down. We
believe that men have the right to worship how or what they may. However, I am
a disciple of Christ and know what I have felt. I know what I have experienced.
I know what I have read. I know what I have seen. I cannot deny the testimony
which is in me. We simply invite those to believe in a living God who speaks
today. We don’t ask to do so blindly but to take the message we share and to
ask God in prayer if it is true. Then watch him speak. I would also ask before one makes a decision
to move on after hearing our message: Has God lead or spoken to you before? What was it like? What helped you to recognize that before? Can you recognize it now? What does the spirit feel like? Are you familiar with how God speaks to you?
Sorry for not having a post last week. We were working on a video with our members that you can watch right here if you'd like before you read this weeks update. I think you will giggle a little bit.
We love going to see our members. They have been such a
blessing to us. They have been giving Elder Mac good opportunities to share the
gospel in an environment where he feels comfortable. It’s been special to watch
the spirit come in and touch the members.
One of the biggest parts of a missionary experience,
however, is watching someone who is seeking truth and being blessed to give
that truth to them. Then watching them grow closer to God because of it. I was
feeling a little down, because we haven’t hit that point yet and we are halfway
done. I really wanted Elder Mac to have one of those experiences. I got on my
knees. I pleaded with the Lord. I asked him for ONE person. That’s it. One
person that Elder Mac could teach and watch come to Christ through baptism. I
prayed that we would have ONE special soul that really needed the gospel.
Fourth of July a little after one o’clock we get a call from
the Assistants. They said Joanne wanted to meet us today. Joanne is a sweet
90-year-old lady that has known missionaries for the past 30 years. She loves
her “boys”. She calls the missionaries in the Tulsa area EVERY morning, minus
Sunday, to give them a weather report.She also gives them anything they need! She has even given them her
garage door code to come in and get snacks out of her freezer in the garage if
they are passing by. For Christmas the mission President gave missionaries
permission to go and visit her whenever. She was SOOOO happy for that gift. Now
missionaries literally come in and out of her home as they please.
We arrived and she lit up when she found out we were “the
brothers”. She has been dying to meet us since we got here. Finally after a
month of being here that day came for her. She fed us some homemade apple pie.
We sat around the table as she joked with the other missionaries and was just
the sweetest.
She wanted to go into the living room. So she got up and
grabbed the leg of her chair to turn her fragile body and waddled over to her
chair in the living room. It really was the cutest thing. We talked a little
bit more then I asked if we could share a message with her. She said, “Well
sure”.I asked her if I could ask her
three question and then share a scripture. She told me I could, but that she
might not answer all the questions.
Me: “How old are you?”
Joanne: “90”
Me: “Why has God kept you alive this long?”
She told me about some of her ailments and the blessing it
has been to recover from those and still have good health.
Me: “Why haven’t you joined the church yet?”
Joanne then told me that I needed to know that she didn’t
talk about religion with her “boys”. She said she was always afraid that there might
be an argument. She respected our religion and asked that we would respect
hers. I was ok with that answer, however I wasn’t done.
I then opened the scriptures and read Jeremiah 1:5-“Before
I formed thee in the belly I knee thee; and before thou camest forth out fo the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained the a prophet unto the nations. ”
Me: “Joanne, before we were all born we lived with God. He
was our Father. He loved us and knew us. We also knew him and loved him. There
my little brother…(chocked up) was told of the challenges he would face and he
gladly accepted. You were also there. You promised God you would do everything
to find his gospel and return back to him.”
I saw tears swell in her eyes and followed up by asking her,
“Will you let us come and teach you the gospel of Jesus Christ?” I have never
looked more directly into someone’s eyes then in that moment. She looked right
back at me and responded.
Joanne: “No.”
I was very surprised at her response. I was disappointed,
but not taken out. I was ready to be a little persistent. As I was finishing up
my remarks I saw in the corner of my eye Elder Holyoak lean forward in his
chair and turn his body toward our conversation. I could tell he had something
to say. He did. So I sat back and listened.
Elder Holyoak: “Joanne, hold on. Don’t you realize that God
is answering their prayers? They asked for someone to teach last night and this
morning you called us and told us to invite them for pie. Joanne they aren’t
even going to be here very long. They will be leaving pretty soon. I think you
should give them a chance. “
There was a little pause then Joanne spoke up.
Joanne: “Alright, I’ll consider. What would I have to do?”
Me: “Will you give us 5 times to come and teach for 20-30
minutes?”
Joanne: “NO! NO! NO! You get 1 chance for 30 minutes. That’s
it.”
That was it, 1 chance to share the everlasting gospel of
Jesus Christ in 30 minutes. Are we up for the challenge? You bet. We know God
has come before our face and will lead us as we sound his trumpet of truth. He
has been preparing and softening this lady’s heart for this special time. There
is something she needs to hear and we will bring the message the Lord would
have her hear.
She needs your fasting and prayers. We will be fasting and
praying that for her as well, but also that we will know what she needs to
hear. We have an appointment set up for Thursday. Please raise your voices with
us to the Almighty God that she will be able to hear with her heart the message
of the restored gospel.
God knows each of us. He listens to our prayers. That I am
sure of.I have been on my knees however
and got up and received no response for months and even years. Does that mean
he didn’t care then? Absolutely not. Did it mean I needed to grow more and learn
to rely on him on a daily basis. Yes. No matter what we pray for He listens and
teaches us through His timing. This time it happened to be quick. There was
more answers to my prayer than just Joanne.
Our members have also been doing some great missionary work.
There are at least 8 members that have someone by name that they have told us
that they have contacted about the gospel. We received our first referral that
we taught on Sunday and we have a dinner with a member and their friend this
week. It’s truly a miracle. This is the work of the salvation. What a beautiful
thing it is to see the art of the Masters hand.
