Chapter 95: Pray Always

"For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

An incredible first week of Area Conferences both in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. It was a great privilege to conduct exchanges with some teams in Dundee and Edinburgh Zones around the conference times. We headed up to Dundee shortly after MLC last week and spent Sunday and Monday there, after which we went up north to Aberdeen for the Conference. That night we returned to Edinburgh and held exchanges with the Galashiels elders on Wednesday. Thursday was Conference in Edinburgh followed by a weekend in Glasgow. We were able to go to Airdrie for Sacrament and reconnect with friends there for the last time in my mission. Needless to say, this week held many memories and miracles.

In the Conferences, Elder Draney and I were assigned by President to instruct on establishing a culture of prayer into the mission as a whole, and this week we were finally able to address missionaries at large about such principles. On exchanges, we have been working with the Elders to help them pray more to consecrate our efforts to the Lord and rely on his power and direction rather than our own. It has been marvelous; the result was no different at conference. The missionaries were engaged as we bore powerful testimony of the eager desires of Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ in guiding us in our labor as we turn to them in humble, sincere prayer.

After our instructions in both of the meetings, the Zone Leaders from Dundee in the North Conference and the Sister Training Leaders from Edinburgh in the South Conference led role-plays in which all of the missionaries went out to the neighborhoods around the church and put into action what we had been discussing: the power of prayer. I would love to share the miracles I experienced and an additional witness I have received of the reality, divinity, and glory of this work.

In the North, I had the privilege to go out and work with Elder Bangeter, a brand new missionary serving in Dundee 2. He has a great heart and a willing mind for the work and we set out to go harvest for the short time we had. As we prayed, we felt directed to a couple different places. In the first building be made it to, we had some good conversations and were actually able to pray with a couple people at their door. As we left the building and prayed for the people we had met, we asked the Lord to guide us to someone who was ready to hear the message of the Restored Gospel, and we came to this building that looked totally worn down.

I felt the Spirit prompt me to go into the building, where we found three entire families who gave us their contact details and who wanted us to come back. The last man we spoke to said something that really touched me. He said, "I just feel like the world is so lost; it is so hard to find any peace." Well, right there we prayed with him and invited the Spirit into his home. In only 30 minutes or so, we had been directed by the hand of the Lord to some prepared people.

In the South, the story was a bit different but also similar. We were in Edinburgh and I had the opportunity to go out with Elder Marx, one of our great district leaders serving in Galashiels. As we prayed, we took off and spoke to a lot of different people at the door and also on the street. After every interaction and frequently in between, we prayed to be guided by the Spirit and also for the people we had met. After a little while, none of the people we had spoken to were really interested in learning more, but as we prayed I felt incredible peace and joy in knowing I was exactly where I was needed.

Close to the time we needed to head back to the conference, as we opened our eyes after one prayer in particular, I noticed a man down the street a ways. I felt the Spirit again prompt me to go and speak with him. As we approached him and introduced ourselves and our message, he told us he was French and was actually just visiting for a short time. He was religious but over time his belief in God had diminished. As he busily tried to walk away, I was impressed by the Spirit to bear testimony to him of his divine nature as a son of God. I did so, a told him that he was loved by a Heavenly Father who had a plan for him in this life, regardless of the circumstances or challenges he was facing. The man stopped, and with tears in his eyes said that he needed to hear exactly that. He left, smiling, and we knew that we had accomplished the will of the Lord.

I have received witness after witness of this work. I have prayed for the spirit and I have received such. I have been led in miraculous ways to individuals who needed to feel God's love. I know it is true and I simply cannot deny it.

Life is good.

God is wise.

Don't give up.

Elder Childers

Dundee

Me, Elder Tolman and Elder Draney with the McKay Stone

Me and Elder Marx

Airdrie Chapels spire

Airdrie

In Glasgow for Pday, Elder Hendersen and Elder Bigger giving us a good time