Building the Kingdom

It is very rewarding to be anxiously engaged in the work of the Lord full-time. The benefits to Elder Zabriskie and me far outweigh any sacrifices we have made to be here. My friend told me a couple of times before leaving that all of our weaknesses would become self-evident in the early days of our mission. Oh, how right and wise she was to warn us! But, there are always obstacles to doing good things. Joseph Smith said he was a "rough stone rolling;" these two rough stones are definitely getting a few more rough edges knocked off.

In Sustaining and Defending the Faith, Joseph Fielding Smith and Robert Millett write, "One does not approach God without the adversary's opposition. The opposition of darkness and evil is a sure sign that the path being followed is offensive to the prince of darkness and thus pleasing to the God of heaven." They point out the great lessons learned by the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishments of His purposes."

But, there are legions of heaven's army standing in readiness! We are thrilled to have a spiritual boost from our dear prophet and apostles speaking to us at the semi-annual general conference in Salt Lake City this past weekend. The brethren are all focused on building the kingdom of God on the earth and are providing compelling information about the doctrine of the church. For a real treat, go to www.mormon.org and www.lds.org to see the new information about our basic beliefs, along with real life stories on video from converts to the church. We can't wait to use some of the talks in our work, especially Elder Holland's, Ballard's, and Nelson's talks. All of the conferences talks are already available on www.lds.org. We are also very happy Preach My Gospel is getting more attention. Next to the scriptures, we feel it is the most powerful book to study.

We have some good news about those we are teaching: John Booth wants to be baptized asap. We have a little group that meets each Monday evening here at our villa by the lake to share a meal and discuss the gospel. Last week we had 8 people squeezed in our tiny living room. We have a wonderful time together. Willa May is attending church each week and is bringing her two little girls. We are working with them on improving their living conditions. They are good examples of people who know how to be of good cheer in spite of their poverty. The father and mother both take great pride in being able to provide for their family. We are inching our way forward, building trust and just loving them. We think the family's hope lies in helping these little girls learn a better way to live. We've made a big dent in visiting the long list of less-active members here with some hopeful results.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed an excursion to Colquitt, GA to see Swamp Gravy, a folk-life play about southern culture. Our friends here who manage the marina/campground invited us along with her sister and husband who are members of the church. Colquitt is a tiny, charming town whose claim to fame is this play is now in its fifteenth season. It has been performed at the Kennedy Center and at the Olympics held in Atlanta. We had a delicious buffet dinner at the Tarrer Inn, a beautiful old Victorian hotel built in 1905. Our clothes continue to get tighter with such wonderful food. And yes, they served a dish called swamp gravy! It is made of tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and hot sauce, all cooked in the drippings of fried fish! When done, a little of the cooked fish is added to the mixture and simmered. No kidding. It was good, but I didn't see or taste any fish.

We had another wonderful time a couple of weeks ago at a senior missionary conference at the mission home in Tallahassee. Another spiritual feast. President Summerhays is gifted in bringing out the best in us. The following are some of the scriptures he used to teach us:

1 Nephi 14:14: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

D&C 105 31-32: "But first let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations; That the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and his Christ; therefore let us become subject unto her laws. "

D&C 138:30 "But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men. . .

We are so very blessed to have the gospel and burning testimonies of the goodness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We hope all goes well with you, our dear family and friends. Know always that we miss you and cherish the love we share.

Elder and Sister Zabriskie