Hey Family,
It was great to hear from you yesterday! I hope everything is still going well, I guess not much can change in 24 hours, hopefully. I was happy to hear that everyone is doing ok. Since I already told you about what has been going on here in Hartsville I will share with you a little bit of what I read this morning in my study. Today I finished the Book of Mormon in the Book of Mormon. Here are a few verses I thought were interesting in the Book of Mormon. Lately I have been thinking about what exactly salvation and damnation is, who is going to experience what, and how all that is going to work out. This all started when I heard Elder Anderson say that we need to be just hard enough on our selves to keep us pointed towards Christ, in the right direction. Then I read Helaman Chapter 12 verse 25 which says "And I would that all men might be saved. But we read that in the great and last day there are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord." I like how it says that "SOME" will be cast out. After talking to a few people I now feel that the Celestial kingdom will not be a lonely place. :-) As I continued reading today, I read in Mormon chapter 2 about the damned. Verse 2-3 "But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin. And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives." Now, I know this is talking about people about 300 years after Christ, but I like Mormon's insight into the sorrowing of the damned. God isn't going to punish us with fire and brimstone, he loves us. It is going to be "hell" because the Lord will not allow the wicked to "take happiness in sin". So those things that gave us temporary pleasure in this life will not make us happy in the eternities. That is why the Word of Wisdom is so important, along with all the other commandments. The damned will not be happy because they are literally damned in their spiritual progression and they will want to do things with their bodies (satisfy addictions) that are no longer possible. Another Insight on this same line of thought that I found is in Mormon chapter 9:4-5 which says "Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you." From that I gather that, again, God is a loving God, he doesn't want to and won't put us in a place of fire and brimstone to suffer for all eternity (see D&C 19:3-12) but he wants us to be happy. The only way for the wicked to be happy, is to be in a place where they will be comfortable, in a lesser degree of glory.
Different line of thought: I also read in Mormon 8:39 something that I have been thinking about a lot of my mission now. I know that I am serving in a relatively "wealthy" country as people say, but I have seen a lot of people in pretty humble circumstances, and a lot of wealthy people, on the opposite end of the spectrum. Mormon 8:39 says "Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?" One of my greatest lessons I have learned and am still learning on my mission, is the worth of money- its absolutely fascinating. Its amazing how different people view money and what people do with it. I have walked in to beat up Mobile homes, roof leaking, floor rotting, shingles missing, windows broken, mold growing up the walls, roaches sitting on the couch will you, and that same house hold has the latest 52" LCD tv hooked up to satellite with probably more channels that I can count. It just blows my mind. I have been through walmart, I have seen the prices people are paying. It just boggles my mind that these people would rather buy a $4,000 tv than put that towards a new home. (not a house, but a home ok...) My view of money has changed drastically. After seeing what the inability to pay a $200 fine did to an recent convert (eviction and relocation to Florida) money means so much more than a number. Its a tool, its a degree of security, it is a dictator of opportunities and lifestyle. I am excited to learn more about money majoring in Accounting at BYU.
Well, I think thats enough for today.
Love,
Elder Calvin Smith
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