Esperanza

Before I get down to business, I thought I'd throw in some fun little updates.  First of all, Wednesday will mark my one transfer away from going into the Missionary Training Center, so we're getting there :T  Yesterday I went shopping for missionary stuff with my mom at the Tanger Outlet shopping center up in Commerce and then at the mall of Georgia.  I got some socks, some shoes, a watch (I'm bummed I haven't been a watch wearer before now- they're pretty classy.  Especially since it seems like they're losing out to cell phones for time keeping nowadays.) and a couple of baseball caps (I've been wanting a good Braves hat for a few years now so I finally got one that I'm fairly well satisfied with.  And I got a Yankees hat- I guess this is my official announcement that I'm going to be a Yankees fan (post mission of course :I).  Yankee stadium is in my mission, the Met's stadium isn't, plus, being in the same league and even division as the Braves, I just don't think I could bring myself to liking the Mets.  So I'm sorry for all you haters out there, but Yankees all the way :D).  Woowee.  Job is still going well- it's looking like I'll have just enough to pay for as much as I set a goal to pay for my mission and to pay for at least a good part of clothes and all that.  I could go on and on about how much of a blessing it's been to be able to get that job...  But I guess I'll spare us both the time because I think I've talked about it before :I  I got a letter from my Mission President the other day, so that contained all sorts of goodies, stuff like the history of the mission, a general letter to all the incoming missionaries, requests for driving record information and so on.  And Spanish branch- that's going well.  I feel like I'm picking up more and more every week.  I've started studying Predicad Mi Evangelio and I'm continuing to read El Libro de Mormon, and that really helps, at the very least it seems to help bring the Spirit and help out with the gift of tongues.  So there you go, I think that's about all the news I have.  I'm just a-chugging along.

Now.  For the message, what I've been thinking about and stuff.  I'll try to be a little bit more concise- I feel like in my past posts I've been sort of all over the place.  But other than having my former roommates already know about the whole testimony in Spanish Branch thing, I haven't heard a single other person acknowledge this blog, so I have no idea how people are taking it.  Haha but I guess that's fine, I'm not trying to write to an audience.  I'm just trying to help others learn and grow through the means that Heavenly Father has lead me to learn and grow as I've gone along my life, particularly in the direction of serving a mission.  But yeah, thank you for reading and putting up with me when I'm ridiculous- I certainly hope I've been of some sort of help to you!  Anywhoo...

This week I went and saw the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, and then last night I went back and watched The Dark Knight just to remind myself of the details and be able to piece things together a bit better.  I like the series in the sense that it gets me thinking and that it's a little deeper than just having the bad guy want power and money and just being outwitted or overpowered by the good guy.  There are a lot of moral and emotional struggles and it's all done in a fairly well put together package.  There are things that don't always add up (like the idea of completely filling to big boats with tons of tanks of gasoline without anyone noticing -___- I guess stuff like that just adds to the scary factor of the villain), but the movies still draws me in and affect me in a way that most other movies don't.

In particular the underlying motives and actions of the Joker got me thinking last night.  He's a twisting monster, not set on money, but on "sending a message" as he so declares.  *Spoiler Alert*  He sets up scenarios that mess with people and break them down to their core values.  He does it all for the purpose of showing how the society "norm" for living life and going about things as individuals and a whole is to a degree meaningless in it's routine.  I'm sure it cuts a lot deeper than that, but the Joker's greatest success is when he corrupts the city hero, Harvey Dent, to go into a rage of fury, seeking revenge for the injustice brought upon him.  In this, the Joker believes that he's shown that even the best can be corrupted, and had this great hero been shown to the people of Gothem in that light, it would have been a crippling blow.  Hope for the forthcoming better tomorrow would have been lost.

So in a world that does seem to be facing an increasing amount of corruption and loss of moral conviction, is there any sort of hope?  Absolutely.

This is something that really drives me, the idea that there is hope for better in all aspects of living.  And I mention the Batman movie to turn that message from the Joker on its head.  There is indeed the possibility of people who seem as solid as it gets to crumble away to show a reality of a lack of support.  I've seen that happen twice this summer- people who I really looked up to and for whom I had a great deal of respect have in some way or another gone against the exact thing for I which I had respect.  I won't go into details, but it's been a hard blow watching that happen.  But as I study and pray, I know that just as much as the best of people have the possibility of losing all that makes them respectable, any ordinary person has the potential to becoming an inspiring and incredible person.

Where does this hope come from?  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His willingness to give up His life in living and in death.  Because of His devotion to doing the will of the Father and His love for us, He succeeded in living the perfect life and was able to take on the burden of our sins, infirmities and so forth.  His sacrifice allows us to progress, rid ourselves of the mark of sin, and in some shape or form, become perfect in the life to come.  Knowing that all the suffering we face in this life will end if we make good choices through it all is a driving force to help a person endure to the end.  That's one aspect of hope that I think of when the topic is brought up.

Another more immediate aspect of hope that I think of comes into play in a less eternal perspective, the hope of change.  I believe this is a big stumbling block, people develop in certain ways and think they're stuck like that forever, or other people convince them that such is true.  Some issues take more effort to resolve than others, but if handled in a proper manner, I believe that all problems can be resolved or at the very least controlled.  Once again, this changing power comes from the Atonement of Christ.  He suffered all things to be able to understand us and to be able to counsel with us and help us get through literally anything and everything (Alma 7:11-12).  Of course it takes faith on our part, and faith requires action, but if we desire to change, it's certainly possible.

So what qualifies a person to this wonderful gift, the ability to be succored by Christ and His experience?  Just existing, that's about all there is to it.  Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of everyone.  Not a single person is excluded from the great sacrifice.  Knowing this, that Christ suffered all that all mankind has suffered, not only potentially deepens ones appreciate for such an incomprehensible act, but it also leads to the point that every one has hope.  Hope for change, hope for eventual perfection and hope for eternal life.  From the lowly drunkard to the pompous billionaire, all are covered.

There's a line from "The One," a song on the 2011 EFY CD, that goes a little something like this...
"He sees me for what I can become"
When I hear that in the right mindset, the Spirit runs through every fiber of my being testifying the truthfulness of that line.  Thinking about the manner in which our Father in Heaven sees us really is incredible.  He doesn't look at us and see us in our faults, in all of the negatives that we just naturally have.  He looks inside and sees our potential and is willing to help us unlock that potential and become who He, who truly wants the best for us, wants us to become.  Can you imagine how different the world would be if we could see like this?  I believe that if we were to take a person that we perceive as being the lowest of the low and look at them under this light, we would be so struck with awe and regret for casting our judgments on them that we would want to forever hide ourselves from the face of the Lord.  And yet we all cast judgments and compare others, fellow sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven to standards of which we often fall short ourselves.  It's quite the predicament, but having a taste of the hope that everyone has can help us to build each other up rather than tear each other down.  As a missionary, I hope to share the message of the Restored Gospel, this message of hope with all, doubting not the transforming power of the Atonement.  I'm grateful that I've had this taste of hope for myself and hope for others, and I hope to bring this message to the people of New York.

Another line that really gets me going is from the song "We Believe" on the same CD:
"See there's hope for a bright tomorrow/Knowing we are the ones today."
Hope.  Even in a world that seems to be getting more dark and dreary, the light of truth keeps growing brighter and brighter.  This, however, isn't a passive thing- it takes action as a part of having faith in all of God's promises.  So to anyone that's made it this far, always seek to try harder and to be a better person.  Seek to inspire those around you by example and by sharing the truths you know when the opportunities come.  Share you're hope with the world, don't keep it to yourself.  The only way to run out is to not act or share.  I'm definitely not perfect in this, but I'm trying and I've seen the blessings of my efforts.  This world is so full of hope, but nobody seems to know it, so let's get the message out!

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" -Ether 12:4