Where two or three are gathered in my name...

January 8, 2017

Hey everyone! How was everyone's first week of 2017! Mine was pretty exciting with great weather out here in Korea. We had some great experiences from playing basketball with a lot of old people (and some young people) hitch hiking, eating some steak, and going all across our mission trying to figure out how to update our Visas haha. But we all made it through alright and we are doing well. 

This week one of my favorite experiences was in our church meeting. Down here in the place where I am serving, we don't have a lot of members (about 10 people come to church including us 4 missionaries) so sometimes the Sunday meetings are a little... small. Honestly in the meeting, at first I was like, wow this is super small how can I feel the spirit in this small of a group? I also had some pretty discouraging thoughts about trying to rebuild the church down here. But as I was sitting in the meeting, the feeling that I felt is regardless of how few people come to church or how few people are doing the right thing, the best thing to do is always to follow God. I remember this scripture in the book of Matthew:

 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

When there are problems around us, in school, in work or in our hearts, if we gather with those we love in our families, friend groups and churches, Jesus Christ can be there. He can be there to strengthen us in times of trials if we invite him to do so. I hope that as you all continue in the new year with all of your goals, I hope that you invite the Savior to guide you how to make your goals and to do the right thing, by gathering together with good people. I know that by doing so we will be guided in the direction that we need to go and Christ and his spirit will truly be in the midst of us. 

Elder Coleman

New Year

January 1, 2017

Happy new year everyone! It was a pretty funny one here in Korea! A lot of Koreans do something for New Year’s but nothing that we could really participate in. So instead we went back to my old area in Seoul and had a pretty large party with a lot of the recent converts and members there. When we went there, we did a pretty funny skit about what bad missionaries do in the morning and at nights (our mission president showed up to the party and I’m not sure if he thought our portrayal of the "sacred hours" was very funny. Haha, sorry president :)

Anyway, so this week is a week of new goals and new hopes. It is pretty much the same here in the countryside but we are still having fun. It is a little cold and all of that, but we are seeing a lot of great miracles and meeting with a lot of good people. One thing that has been on my mind a lot this week is the idea of a new life. I think most people set goals at the start of a new year, usually that are kept until about the middle of February and then we either forget about them or think that they are impossible to achieve. Some of us set goals for physical change like going to a gym, emotional change like laughing more, spiritual change like maybe going to church more, and some social change like making new friends. Whatever our goals are, I know that we can achieve them even when we are tired. Recently because it is cold outside and we are pretty busy all day, it has been hard to wake up for all of us in the house. This morning as I was studying I remembered how much patience the Savior had for the Apostles when they were physically weak.

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest:”

I think this scripture has many lessons for us to learn. First of all, the Savior is patient with us in our physical weaknesses. He knows that we get tired and hungry. Second, we should be patient with ourselves in our physical weaknesses. We should not say to ourselves, "Wow, Peter stayed awake for 20 minutes and I only stayed up for 7. I’m such a bad person." We shouldn't compare our weaknesses to others’, because we are all different and we have different weaknesses. Finally, we should be patient with others as they try to reach their goals and the things that they are trying to do. Let’s all be a little bit more helpful and kind to each other as we are all on the same path to be better.

I love you all,

Elder Coleman

Christmas

December 25, 2016

Hey everyone!

So I spent some time on Christmas thinking about what I could write today. As all of you could probably guess that my words today will be focused on the Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the center of Christmas.

Since the beginning, God has always brought light and life into the world. In the beginning, He said "Let there be light" (Gen 1:3) and "He breathed the breath of life" (Gen 2:7) into man. He has also said in other scripture that his whole purpose and glory is to bring to his children immortality and eternal life (Moses 1:39). Anything that is good, happy, bright, and holy is from God. All that he has ever wanted to do is to help us be better and help us be eternally happy.

With that backdrop, Christmas is truly a time of light and life, from the lights that hang on our trees to the fullness of life and pure joy that come when we share gifts and time with the ones that we love. These traditions are wonderful and the times that we share with our families and in our church buildings are delightful. It is my hope, this Christmas season, that you have not forgotten the person who is the essence of “Christmas.” In the Book of John, Christ is described as "the light and life of men" and the light that shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." (john 1:4-5) I hope that as you read this message, you will be drawn toward the Light. It is my hope that you can find life in Him.

To begin, Jesus is the light of the world and if we follow Him we will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12). He promises us a path that we can follow in a world and time full of darkness. That light is His example and His commandments. He has promised that all of those who abide in Him will not abide in the darkness (John 12:46). I think that this is an important idea. Many people that I talk with everyday say that, because of all the bad things in the world, a God cannot possibly exist. I hope that at times when we feel this way, for there are times when all of us feel that the darkness is overwhelming, we remember what the Savior has promised us. He has not said that there would be no darkness, but that we do not need to abide in darkness. And I hope that as we are all looking for that light, we will be a light to the people around us just as Jesus was a light to all of us (Matt 5: 14-16).

Second, Jesus is the life of the world. He is the living bread that we can eat so that we will never die (John 6:51). Through Him we can all be resurrected and be fully healed of all of our infirmities. These blessings are not reserved only for those who have strong faith in the master, but are given freely to anyone who will reach out and take them. Again, these promises of healing and eternal life do not mean that there will not be times when we are afflicted physically, for we are all mortal and we will be afflicted just as he has been afflicted. But we can all gain hope in a day that will come in which all of that suffering will have an end (Rev 21:4). All that He has asked us to do is to ease the burdens, in a small way, that others must hold (Matt 25:35-26).

Having a knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ changes everything about our lives. It changes the way we feel towards other people (Matt 22:39) and ourselves (Romans 8:16). It changes our actions and gives us a desire to follow Jesus Christ (John 13:15). And it changes our perspective towards the world and the trials of our lives (John 16:33). If we want peace and this change of attitude, the formula is simple. It is not easy, but it is simple. Every person who followed Jesus when He was alive, from the most educated Jew to the most simple fisherman, first listened to His words. They then acted on his message. In modern revelation, the Savior says this, "Learn of me, listen to my words, walk in the meekness of my spirit, and you shall have peace in me"(D&C 19:23).

In my opinion, Christ doesn't care very much were we stand currently, but He cares very much about where we are going. For, we have all sinned (1 John 1:8) and we are all imperfect. We have all done good in our lives and we have all made mistakes. So, there are some of us who need to stop being complacent regarding the things that we have done, but on the other hand there are those of us who need to forget the past and to quit dwelling on our mistakes. Even the great apostle Peter was hesitant to accept the Savior’s call to come to him and said "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8).

Each person's path to follow the Savior will be different, but each will always start with humility and a desire to change. For those of you who know little to nothing about the Savior, a good place to start would be to read his words. You may not understand now, but I know that whatever your challenges are, something that the Savior said will help you. I know the words are old and that they are from a past day, but the principles and the counsel that He gives will guide you to a higher plane of living and will bring you true peace and stability. There are those of you who may know a little about Him or who have even followed him diligently in the past, but who have strayed from His path. His counsel for you is simple "Repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20). There are also those who are on the path and working hard to follow Him. I hope that you follow his counsel and pray for the ability to stay on the path and help the people around you (Luke 22:32).

I know that the Savior, His teachings, gospel, and example, can be the sure rock that we can build on that never will fail. I know that because of His sacrifice we will all live again and we will all have a chance to be eternally happy. I know that through His power and grace, there is no permanent failure, and that our failures will be turned to success. And most of all I know that the Savior loves us regardless of where we are today. I bear witness that He is the light and life of the world, a light that is endless that can never be darkened and a life that is endless that there can be no more death.