A Parable

A group of people who wished to travel in an unknown land were met by two guides.

The first guide told them, “The path I will take you on leads up a high mountain to a place with views more beautiful than you can imagine. It will be challenging and quite possibly frightening in places. The way is constantly uphill. We will need to cross raging rivers and vast glaciers that are very dangerous to attempt on your own, but I can promise that if you will follow me and do as I say, you will all arrive safely. I can also promise that you will grow stronger with each mile and it will be more than worth the effort required. Finally, I can promise that any injuries suffered along the way will be fully healed by the time we reach the top.

All I ask is that you put on a harness, clip into a rope that I provide, follow in my footsteps, and obey my instructions. Clouds constantly surround the mountain making it impossible to see where we are going or the progress we have made, except for occasional glimpses when the clouds part for a moment.   It is the rope and my daily guidance that will give you the assurance that all is well.

When we arrive at the top of the mountain, above the clouds, you will then be able to enjoy the amazing view and realize how high you have climbed and how strong you have become.

Remember - if you go with me it is strictly voluntary. You may unclip from the rope at any time and go your own way.”

At this the second guide broke in, “Don’t be fools! To go with this man is madness! Why travel up hill on such a dangerous path when the way downhill can be much easier and more enjoyable. With us you will not be bound by harness or rope. You can go where you choose and do whatever you want.

It is true that the constant fog in this land might make you momentarily uncomfortable, but you will get used to it and after a time will hardly notice. My many associates and I will always be around to reassure you. The only goal we have is that you enjoy the moment and travel your own path.

It is also true that there is some danger when wandering through this land. You may encounter wild beasts, endless swamps, hidden pits and occasional storms; but we can provide substances and distractions to help you ignore or forget those dangers.  All we ask for payment is that each time we provide our service, you carry one additional link from this chain. They are not heavy and will hardly be noticed.”

By the end of their journey the travelers found that deciding what to believe was not nearly as important as choosing who to believe.

_________________________________

This weeks mission miracle:

"We've seen many tender mercies this week but I'd like to share one miracle we were blessed to see. During our daily planning session Elder McLaughlin and I both had the impression that we needed to visit a farming town on the outskirts of our area. After a few failed contacts with some people I had taught in the past we decided to go try and find some less actives I had never met before. We pulled up to a less active member's house we both had never heard of. As soon as we got out of the car she came out of her house and yelled," The last missionary that came here told me he would remove my records so y'all would stop bothering me" she explained that she was baptized when she was a young girl and wanted nothing to do with the church. We apologized for bothering her but explained that we were going and helping people with family history and felt impressed to help her. It was then that her whole attitude towards us changed. She told us about all these wonderful family history stories she had found. She told us that her great- great grandpa helped build the first LDS church building in Alabama. We had a great conversation with her and her husband for a couple of hours and she invited us back. It was later in the week that we found out that she was on the do not contact portion of the churches role because of how hostile she had been to past missionaries. I am so grateful I didn't have a copy of that list and for the spirit of Elijah to soften even the hardest hearts towards the gospel."