He Will Place You Upon His Shoulders

Q&A – 09/19/2016

1.) Do you have milk in your fridge? If you received a package in the mail today, you'll better understand the reason I'm asking this question! :)  -- Plenty!  I got the package!  Thanks for sending it mom!  Milk and cookies tonight!

2.) We are anxious to hear about splits this past week and would love an update on all those whom you're teaching. --  Well, things have been pretty crazy this week for a lot of our investigators! We're teaching a couple named M & V Gonzalez. They are going to be baptized this Saturday. They had some pretty major concerns crop up this last week, but they had an amazing spiritual experience that confirmed to them that they need to be baptized!  They've even asked me to baptize them! It will be the first time that I've done that on my mission. I think I've mentioned our investigator named Eva in the past. She's been doing amazing, but has had some really difficult things come up. She has a strong desire to be baptized, despite a ton of things that have happened lately, but she just found out today that she's being kicked out of her house and has no place to live. She doesn't really know what her plan is yet, but we'll be spending a lot of time praying for her. I can't remember if I told you all about Gilbert last week, but he's a really cool ex-gangbanger who's trying to turn his life around. We're teaching so many cool people right now, and I love all of them!

3.) Do you have any questions for us?  -- What's been happening with the Utes?

4.) What was your biggest challenge this week?  -- It's tough to narrow down, haha. This week has been a little rough in general, but I'm doing my best to not let it get me down! I know that everything that happens is for a reason, and it will make me a better person in the long run.

5.) What was the highlight of your week?  -- Probably hearing back from the Gonzalez family about the spiritual experience that they had!

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Hey everybody!

Sorry about the short letter last week! There was nothing too wild that happened, it was just one of those days where everything kind of piled up and that I didn't have time to do anything. Hopefully, this week will be better and I'll have a little more time!

I already talked about a lot of things in the Q&A section, but I'll see if I can remember a few more things to add in. I'll start by giving a little more background on Eva. She's had a really rough past, but she's been turning things around so much lately! Just this last week in church she shared her testimony in gospel principles about how much the gospel has changed her life! But now some of the things about her past are catching up with her again and trying to drag her back down. It's so frustrating to have people who are so willing to be baptized and are doing everything right, but things outside of their control prevent it from happening. I guess all we can do is pray, trust in God, and do our best with the things that are inside of our control.

General conference has snuck up on me again! It's so crazy that after this general conference, I'll only have one more of them left on my mission! I'm so excited for this opportunity we have to be able to hear a prophet of God speak to us! His messages have been really simple lately, but they always help me so much!

I wanted to include a small section of one of my favorite talks from this last general conference that I’ve been studying a lot lately and has helped to give me strength.  It’s from Elder Uchtdorf’s, “He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home.”

During the Savior’s ministry, the religious leaders of His day disapproved of Jesus spending time with people they had labeled “sinners.”

Perhaps to them it looked like He was tolerating or even condoning sinful behavior. Perhaps they believed that the best way to help sinners repent was by condemning, ridiculing, and shaming them.

When the Savior perceived what the Pharisees and scribes were thinking, He told a story:

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

“And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

Over the centuries, this parable has traditionally been interpreted as a call to action for us to bring back the lost sheep and to reach out to those who are lost. While this is certainly appropriate and good, I wonder if there is more to it. 

Is it possible that Jesus’s purpose, first and foremost, was to teach about the work of the Good Shepherd?  Is it possible that He was testifying of God’s love for His wayward children?  Is it possible that the Savior’s message was that God is fully aware of those who are lost--and that He will find them, that He will reach out to them, and that He will rescue them?

If that is so, what must the sheep do to qualify for this divine help?

Does the sheep need to know how to use a complicated sextant to calculate its coordinates? Does it need to be able to use a GPS to define its position? Does it have to have the expertise to create an app that will call for help? Does the sheep need endorsements by a sponsor before the Good Shepherd will come to the rescue?

No. Certainly not! The sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because it is loved by the Good Shepherd.

To me, the parable of the lost sheep is one of the most hopeful passages in all of scripture.

Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you.  He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost--whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control.  What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children.  Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing. And when He brings you home, He will say to one and all, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” 

If that is so, what must the sheep do to qualify for this divine help?

Does the sheep need to know how to use a complicated sextant to calculate its coordinates? Does it need to be able to use a GPS to define its position? Does it have to have the expertise to create an app that will call for help? Does the sheep need endorsements by a sponsor before the Good Shepherd will come to the rescue?

No. Certainly not! The sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because it is loved by the Good Shepherd.

To me, the parable of the lost sheep is one of the most hopeful passages in all of scripture.

Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you.  He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost--whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control.  What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children.  Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing. And when He brings you home, He will say to one and all, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” 

The Saviors atonement is extended to all of us, and I'm so grateful for it! I'm also grateful to modern day prophets who help me to know how I can strengthen my relationship with Him!

I love you all!
Elder Excell

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I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but our area is right next to  Nellis Air Force Base. This means that this regularly happens right in the middle of us speaking with people.

Our Regular Interruption from Traci Excell on Vimeo.