Savior, May I Learn to Love Thee

Savior, May I Learn to Love Thee

This week has been absolutely incredible. The Lord has
really started to take control of His work through the Spirit. Like I
said before, this isn't my mission. He is really telling me what I need
to do and know.

My companion and I were talking about staying awake.
This has been a struggle for me. 16 hour days are a lot longer than you'd
think. I had previously thought of what I call the three S's of energy,
being singing, smiling, and serving. They work well, but I was still
struggling. Elder Welburn said something to me: he said how he only has
three ways to stay awake. Exercizing, being angry, and having the
Spirit. The first is physical, the second is emotional, but the third is
actually the only true way to be awake and aware while serving the Lord.
I love Elder Welburn and will be sad when he leaves Monday. Please pray
for him. He has MRI's today, and finds out Saturday if he enters the field
Monday, or goes home for surgery.

Tuesday's devotional was the most spiritual experience I
have had in the mission so far. Elder Alonso of the 70 spoke, and it was
just awesome. Some points:
This gospel must be taught simply and clearly. Do the
right things at the right times, with out delay. We are not intersted in
numbers. Our interst is to INVITE, and LOVE PEOPLE. This generation
will do more as missionaries than any previous one. This requires more
diligence and obedience. Then at the end he stated saying stuff that just
made me overflow with the Spirit. These weren't all his words.
Mostly my impressions: Start exemplifying Jesus Christ. Start
living like Him BEFORE you start inviting other to follow Him. Strengthen
your personal love and testimony of the Savior. Humility enables
Boldness.

The closing hymn was "Savior, May I Learn to Love
Thee." When we sang the words to that hymn, my heart was overcome by
the truth of the words. Please look them up and read them, as I do not
have time to transcribe them here.

After devotionals, we have district review, where we talk
about our impressions. There were about 5 Elders before me as we bore our
testimonies. I honestly was having a really hard time waiting my
turn. For the first time in my life, I felt somthing a kin to what Nephi
describes when I says that the "Spirit constraineth me to
speak." I got up and immediately started bearing testimony of my
Savior Jesus Christ. I had so many thoughts while waiting my turn, that I
feared that I would just say a bunch of garbage. I said a prayer that the
Spirit would guide as to what to say. I don't remember everything I said,
but the Spirit confirmed to me with great power that the Savior Jesus Christ
died for me and all men. He was foreordained to do so, and everything He
does is for us. Yesterday, today, and forever. Two years is nothing
in comparison to His sacrifice for me. I love Him so much, and know that
He loves each of us beyond our ability to comprehend. I am so grateful that
Heavenly Father blessed me with the oportunity to learn this truth even
greater than ever before.

Yesterday, durring a workshop, we did an inviting
activity. We prepared for 10 min to invite some other missionary to do
something to invite them to Christ. On Sun, Clayton Christensen spoke
(which was SO awesome). He talked about something he did for one of his
friends. He asked him to do seven things to find answers to his
questions. 1.pray on your knees to God 2.read from the Book of Mormon
about that specific question 3. write about two paragraphs to answer the
question. 4. Pray again about what you wrote. 5. Re-read the
chapter. 6. Re draft the answers 7. Then kneel again in prayer to
confirm the redraft. I invited the missionary I did the activity with to
do this thing, specifically to know if Jesus Christ is our Savior. What
he challenged me to do was about trusting the Lord. The Sister in our
group challenged us to strengthen our faith in Christ through our trials.
I wish that I could add more detail, but it sufficeth me to say that the Spirit
was really strong. I challenge everyone to do these seven steps about
this and any question they have about life. I'm doing it too with
personal questions that I have written.

New MTC address

Elder Kent M. Thalman
MTC Mailbox #171
Hon-SPS 3-4
2004 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793

I Cannot Write An Hundreth Part

I want my family to know that I love them so much. They are my greatest support, and I cherish no letters more than there's. I love this mission that the Lord has graciously given me. I love this restored gospel. It is the truth. To my friends who read this who are not of my faith; please read the Book of Mormon. It will bless your life more than you thought possible.Dear Family & Friends,

I want my family to know that I love them so much. They are my greatest support, and I cherish no letters more than theirs. I love this mission that the Lord has graciously given me. I love this restored gospel. It is the truth. To my friends who read this who are not of my faith; please read the Book of Mormon. It will bless your life more than you thought possible.

On the 14th, Elder Dever was doing a mock investigator
thing. Two of our teachers taught him in front of all of us, and it was
all in Espanol. Honesly, Elder Dever stuggles more than most in our class
with the language. He seemed to understand almost everything, and was
responding fluidly. It was awesome. It was a great testimony to me
of the gift of tongues. I've said it before, but I can't get over how
much I just love this District.

At the end of class we watch Holland's Mormon Message,
"Hope in Good Things to Come." So good. We all felt the
Spirit, and it was wonderful. Our Maestra, Hermana Alanis, apparently
hadn't eaten all day. Elder Christensen gave her an orange he had.
I don't know why, but that scene just imprinted itself on my mind. He
really looks out for people. I really love Elder Christensen, and he
really lives up to the first syllable of his last name. He's one of the most
selfless missionaries I know, and He will be a great missionary in Chile,
Rangaua.

MTC fireside was by Stephen B Allen on Sunday. That
was so cool. He served his mission in Guatemala and produced tons of
short films for the church. Basically, he is everything that I want to be
when I grow up. Haha. His wife spoke before he did, and she gave an
awesome quote by Mack Whalberg. "Harmony requires
Submission." I have been putting a ton of thought into the
submission required to be truly meek. I love the idea of this isn't my
mission. I don't ever want to say "my mission" ever
again. This is the Lord's mission. This is HIS time. Not
mine. My will is nothing right now. I really hope that after all of
my preparation I can simply tell the Lord, "alright. I've done all I
can do. Now please use me to say what you want to say." The
Spirit is such a powerful influence. I love the Spirit here at the
MTC. I love learning Spanish even thought it's really the hardest thing
I've ever done.

On Tues, Kevin R Duncan of the 70 spoke. He was also
amazing. Here are my highlights:

I am only the messenger, but those who accept the message I
bear shall love me; I will love them. I will be with them forever.
I need to savor this oportunity to be the Lord's messenger.
Live in the frontiers of faith. This is where and
attitude of faith meets great effort.
Our best is required all of the time. Not just when
the sun shines.
True disciples will suffer pain and sorrow. But DO NOT
confuse sorrow with discouragement. Even the Savior wept, but
discouragement is of the Devil.
Pray for Charity.
Build and edify your companion. Always pray for him.
You will find a direct relationship between joy and the pure
love of Chirst-like love you feel for the Lord and His people. If you
always love them, you can alway have joy and peace, dispite circumstance.

Most of those notes were more of my personal impressions as
opossed to what was said exactly, but it was a mix. The Spirit told me a
lot of things I needed to hear.

Yesterday and today I have run into a lot of new
missionaries who I love. Elders Nathan James, Julian Froude, Eugene
Welker. They're going to be amazing. I appreciate those who have
written. You all don't understand how much those letters mean to every
missionary who receives them. Write a missionary today! Haha.

Les amo mucho!

Elder Kent Thalman

Adios: Until We Meet Again

This will be my last words until I enter the MTC on Wednesday, January 4th. To write, please send me mail to the top address until about the 27th of January. Then send it to the Honduras Mission address. I'll be in the Guatemala MTC from then on for six weeks. You can also dearelder me for the whole mission I believe. I will confirm that when I know more, but I'm pretty sure that works for my mission.

I was set apart as full time missionary this evening at 8 at President Bradley's home. My great friend Matt was there to witness, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. The blessings he gave to me were ones that I know were inspired. The Spirit was strong and I'm so grateful for the organized Gospel on the earth today. After being set apart, it finally started to feel real to me. Okay! I'm actually a missionary now. It's for real. Let's do this.

It's not really possible to put into words how I feel right now. I noticed immediately that I suddenly just really wanted to read my scriptures. Specific things became important in my mind, like Alma 13. Sitting down and reading that is on my to do list before I go to sleep tonight. Being a missionary is already pretty cool. I can't even wait to live these next two years.

A word to my parents:

I can't tell you how much of a product I am of you. Did that sentence make sense? That fact is probably why I'm so good at making you mad, and it's also something that I hope will make you proud. I love you both so much, and I wouldn't be anything without you.

To my Sisters:

Pam; you're really my bud. I always felt like if I wanted to just hang out with someone, it was you. You always seemed interested in me, and that always made you more interesting. I love you and your beautiful family.

Challis; I've learned more from you than I'm probably willing to admit. Honestly, you're better than any living human being at making me go crazy, but I really do love you. Your mission was a blessing to me because writing you was a great preparation for me. (sorry for not writing you more Scotty) I will miss you. Love.

Raeanne; Do me a favor and don't marry some dweeb whom I would beat up if not otherwise occupied. :) I know I pick on you a lot, but you're easily one of my best friends. I may not have made it through my last few weeks in the winter my first semester had it not been for you. Thanks for visiting when you could. They were real blessings for me. I love you.

To my Brother:

Scotty; I think we really bonded right before you left for your mission. At that point, I felt like I truly had a relationship with you that was just mine. No one else's. Being so close to you has really helped me mature a ton. Your mission changed my life more than you could even know. I can't even explain it. Watching you marry and start a family has caused me to think about things I would have otherwise never considered. My future wife has you to thank for a lot of things I'm sure. Haha. I love you Scotty.

To my Friends:

You know who you are. If you read this far, then you must really be my friend! :) I've been blessed with more friends than I can even try to list. I love you all so much, and I mean that personally. Many of you have been my role models in so many ways. I love you all more than I have capacity to express.

To my FHE sisters:

This one is special. I don't know what it is about FHE sisters, but they are the best people in the world. I have seldom grown to love anyone so much, so fast. Of all that is angelic, Christ-like, and God-like, you are the epitome thereof. I love you all so much. And since I'm sure you will all be married before I get home, be sure to keep me posted on the world's luckiest gentlemen. ;)

To the world:

The Book of Mormon is true. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He died for my sins, and He died for yours. I love Him.

Farewell: Influence of the Holy Ghost

Influence of the Spirit Every Day

Kent Thalman

December 17, 2011

Goodmorning brothers and sisters. My name is Kent Thalman, and I am excited to address you all today. I currently attend BYU, and just finished a semester there Friday. In August, I received my mission call, but first let me explain how it happened. When I came to school, my dear friend Paul Skousen asked if he could stay with me for a couple days before he entered the MTC. He was preparing to leave on his mission to the Honuras, San Pedro Sula mission. Of course, I gave him a place to stay, and he came of Monday and left on Wednesday for the MTC in the afternoon. A few hours after he left, my room mate came upstairs, holding in his hands my mission call. After some time jumping around the apartment and shouting, we decided on a time to open it. That night I received my call to serve in the Honduras, San Pedro Sula mission; the exact same as Paul. I leave on January fourth for two years in the service of my God.

I was asked to address a very sacred topic today, and I pray for the companionship of the Holy Ghost as I speak on him and his role in our personal lives.

1. The spirit of God [or Holy Ghost]… will reveal to [people], even in the simplest of matters, what they shall do, by making suggestions to them. We should try to learn the nature of this spirit, that we may understand its suggestions, and then we will always be able to do right. This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint. We know that it is our right to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives.

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the God-head, and he is a spirit, having yet to take upon himself a body as we have. His first purpose is to bear witness unto us of truth, mainly those truths surrounding our loving Heavenly Father, and His Son, our elder Brother and Savior Jesus Christ.

Holy Ghost. The third member of the Godhead and, as the name implies, a personage of Spirit, not possessing a body of flesh and bones. The Holy Ghost has been manifest in every dispensation of the gospel since the beginning, being first made known to Adam. The Holy Ghost is manifested to men on the earth both as the power of the Holy Ghost and as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power can come upon one before baptism, and is the convincing witness that the gospel is true. It gives one a testimony of Jesus Christ and of his work and the work of his servants upon the earth. The gift can come only after proper and authorized baptism, and is conferred by the laying on of hands, as in Acts 8:12–25 and Moroni 2:1–3. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. More powerful than that which is available before baptism, it acts as a cleansing agent to purify a person and sanctify him from all sin. Thus it is often spoken of as “fire”

Other names that sometimes refer to the Holy Ghost are Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, Comforter, and Spirit.

1. When we first receive the Holy Ghost, it cleanses us:

“Nephi explains clearly what happens after baptism and confirmation and the reception of the Holy Ghost: “Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water [which is a symbolic witness of repentance]; and then cometh [the promise of cleansing for] a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost” ( 2 Nephi 31:17 ).

“We sometimes speak of baptism for the remission of sins. The remission, if you will read the scriptures carefully, comes through the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.” (Boyd K. Packer, "The Gift of the Holy Ghost: What Every Member Should Know", Liahona, Aug. 2006, 18–24)

When I take the sacrament every single week, I am renewing the covenants I made at baptism. The cleansing that occurred because of the Holy Ghost is re-experienced whenever I take the bread and water (as we just did). This is an incredible blessing, and I can bear witness of the cleansing power of the Atonement, as it is recognizable when I feel the Spirit enter my soul.

3. After we are baptized, we are admonished via a priesthood injunction to “receive the Holy Ghost.” How do we do this?

   I testify that the only sure way to receive the Holy Ghost is to obey the commandments of the Lord. Elder David A. Bednar:

“Faithfully obeying God’s commandments is essential to receiving the Holy Ghost. We are reminded of this truth each week as we listen to the sacrament prayers and worthily partake of the bread and water. As we pledge our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments, we are promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us (see D&C 20:77 ). Thus, everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

“Consider the reasons we pray and study the scriptures. Yes, we yearn to communicate in prayer with Heavenly Father in the name of His Son. And yes, we desire to obtain the light and knowledge available in the standard works. But please remember that these holy habits primarily are ways whereby we always remember Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and are prerequisites to the ongoing companionship of the Holy Ghost.” (Receive the Holy Ghost

David A. Bednar, October 2010 General Conference)

God wants us to obey His commandments, not because He wishes us to be subservient or unable to make our own decisions. Conversly, by allowing us to choose to obey His commandments, He is showing us the way to happiness. We would all jump at the offer, "eat this cake, and it will make you happy." This is a physical appetite. However, often our spiritual apetites are more difficult to satisfy. We all want to be happy, but it can be hard to go to church every Sunday. It may also be challenging for each of us to read our scriptures and pray, as Elder Bednar just explained. Doing what is necessesary for everlasting joy is hard, but I testify that it is worth it. As I have lived according to God's commandments in my life, as well as living by the promptings of the Holy Ghost, I have experienced great joy every single time.

4. The Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, gives further light and knowledge.

The Holy Ghost can guide us in every decision, can confirm in our minds sacred truths, and can witness to our hearts the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ.

First, Guidance: When going though life, the Spirit often acts like bumpers used in bowling. I find that as I try to go day-to-day, doing my very best, I still make plenty of mistakes. When I am approaching false paths, I often receive red-flags, or bumps from the bumpers. My life could well be illustrated by Kip's attempt to bowl in the film Napoleon Dynamite. Bump, bump, bump. I am very grateful for the Spirit's voice, which keeps me in line, and guides me on the correct path.

Often we wish the Spirit would be so vocal when we wish for confirmation. In making difficult decisions, sometimes the Holy Ghost can clearly guide us. Often times however, God allows us to exercise our own agency. What should we do when we aren't getting any answers? Brigham Young explains:

“If I ask Him to give me wisdom concerning any requirement in life, or in regard to my own course, or that of my friends, my family, my children, or those that I preside over, and get no answer from Him, and then do the very best that my judgment will teach me, He is bound to own and honor that transaction, and He will do so to all intents and purposes.”

In other words, if I don't feel a bump, bump, bump, then I am okay. God honors our best efforts.

4. Why it is so important to follow the promptings of the Spirit:

This semester, a sister named Amanda made a comment in Sunday school that got me thinking. The result of all of my thinking is what I like to call the Bridle Principle. She explained how when she would walk horses, she would use a bridle to direct the horse. These horses are much bigger than any of us, but these bridles can help us to control something otherwise beyond our control. In her humble words, she expressed great wisdom; “the horse is much bigger than me, but with little motion I can control it.”

We are bigger than ourselves. Let me explain. I am what I think, say, do, intend, etc. We all struggle to think, say, and do all of the right things everyday, but it is hard. It is hard because, like the horse, these things are very hard to control; they are bigger than me.

We know nothing but by symbols. What I say is just a symbol of how I really feel. When I say the words, “I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” my words represent truth. When our words are truth then they invite the Spirit to bear witness of it. “And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1). Just because I say that Jesus is the Son of God doesn't mean you agree or feel that it is true. It is the Spirit that tells you so. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know this is true and so can you by praying to know for yourself. [pause] How did you feel when I said that?

My actions are symbolic expressions of my conscious decisions. When I act in a manner of service, for example cleaning the apartment for my room mates or giving a friend a needed embrace, then my actions represent more than what they are. These examples represent my feelings of love for my fellow men. Many of our actions are symbolic. The sacrament is symbol laden, as are all ordinances (baptism, temple endowments, etc.).

These actions are also significant because of what we represent. When I speak ill toward my brother, then it more than just words from a person; it is offense from a friend and a brother. When a missionary gives a Book of Mormon to a complete stranger, it is a man giving another person paper bound with words on it. But it is so much more. It is the Savior Jesus Christ pleading to His brother, “Come follow me.” Not because He want dominion or glory over you, but because He so desperately loves you and wants you to have peace and happiness. Some of us still reject Him because we are not as interested in happiness as we are in pleasure. WHAT THEN DO WE REPRESENT?

Going back to the horse and his bridle, we can often be bigger than we think we are. We think that we are only men and women, but our emotions and actions can be horses that are capable of great damage or incredible accomplishments. When we act according to the Holy Ghost, we are yeilding to the Spirit, and putting off the natural man.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3)

Letting the Spirit into our lives and obeying his promptings is leaning sensitivities to the bridle. Through this, we can overcome challenges that may seem too great to overcome. Also, we will be able to learn to control ourselves.

6. Conclusion:

I want you all to know that every true missionary leaves everything for two years because the Spirit has witnessed to him/her that God loves them and Jesus Christ really is there Savior, and they want to share those truths because of love.

Some examples. Listen for the Holy Ghost as I read these things My friend Paul Skousen said in a recent letter, "I have never before in my life wanted to be so close to God. I want every single one of my actions to be a reflection of what he would want me to do. I absolutely adore the scriptures and never want to stop reading them. I wish I had a better memory so I could remember and quote them better, but I guess everything comes with time. Never have I wanted more than for God to be proud of me. I am trying to allow myself to be sculpted into one of his instruments in this work. I love Him and everything he does for us."

Spencer Vance: “Yesterday I had an experience that changed my mission. There was a group of teenagers sitting on a bench talking loud and being obnoxious. We walked up to them and started talking. I was kind of shocked because they didn't make fun of us or cuss at us. They asked questions about why we became missionaries and asked about some of the rules we live by as missionaries. We actually knew one of them. Her name is Josefina(16) and her older brother Danny, who is 18 years old, was there as well. Danny instantly became intrigued and started talking to us. He told us his beliefs and asked us many questions. We talked about numerous topics, but the one thing that stuck out to me the most was, "Is there forgiveness?" I was able to bear my testimony of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how that ONLY through HIM we can be completely forgiven, and that our purpose was to help people come closer to Him. It was an amazing experience and we ended up talking to them outside in the cold for almost two hours. They all had questions and concerns about why they were here and where they were going. They were LOST and some thought they could never be found, and that there was no hope for them. They told us some of the bad things they did and how they felt terrible about those things; and about how hard it was to change. We told them that through this gospel they all can change and can all be saved; that through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end they can ALL be FOUND.”

There are many other dear friends of mine serving including Gil Marchant, David Bryant, Robert Prince, Adam Schneider, and more, who have similar experiences that I don't have time to share. But I do love them very much, and want them to know that they have beaten my path for me. I also want my friends that I am greatly a product of my association with them, and that they will be held accountable for that.

Let me share a personal story. (T.C. Story of Thanksgiving night about religion. I had the impression to bear simple, pure testimony of Jesus Christ. “That's the best reason I've ever heard for church and religion.”) He didn't convert then and there, but it was a powerful experience. It taught me that the Spirit can guide us day by day, moment by moment, word by word.

I am so excited to represent my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for two years in Honduras. I hope that I may always be able to look to Christ and say, “here is my bridle, take the reins.” I hope that I can, like the horse, become sensitive to the subtle movements of the bridle by the Holy Ghost.

I would like to ask a question to all of my friends. I submit this question to anyone who is not a member or not yet converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Have you felt it?” In this meeting, have you felt the truth of the words spoken? Do you want to feel what I have been describing for the last several minutes? Read the Book of Mormon. Pray with all of your heart to know if it is true. I promise you that if you do, you will feel that Spirit bear witness to you that it is the word of God. It is true, and I know because I have read it. I have prayed to know, and I have felt it. When they Holy Ghost will tell you this thing, then there will no longer be any symbols. He doesn't speak through words, but through feeling, spirit to spirit. Because of this, it is hard to describe with words, but you will know that it is the truth.

Of these things I testify in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ, amen.