I want to start out my e-mail today with a story about a "TORNADO," because the gospel parallels are incredible. It has been pretty stormy here in Oklahoma the past couple of days. We''ve had a lot of lessons cancel this week because of the storms. I think there have been a total of 7 or 8 tornados, that I know of, that have touched down recently. During these experiences, I have become very aware of the fear that temporal disasters bring. The fear of tornados is very real in these peoples’ lives, and rightly so. However, sometimes I wonder if we, as humans, focus too much on occasional temporal disasters, and not enough on the spiritual disasters that face us everyday. Do we sometimes find ourselves focusing more on what the scriptures call “the flesh” (mortality) rather than the things of God? Without the gospel, our spiritual lives can be tossed about as if we were in the middle of a tornado. While temporal uncertainties and disasters are real and very frightening, even more important than our temporal welfare is our spiritual welfare. I have a testimony that when we focus on building our faith in eternal things first, the Lord will lead and guide us through the temporal challenges of this life. 

As I have been pondering this subject, an experience from this week has brought some more insights. During the past couple of days, we received many different warnings. Here is a quick example of one we received in a text this past Thursday. 

IMMINENT THREAT "Tornado Warning in this area till 4:45 PM CDT. Take Shelter Now!" 

Pretty intense, right?? But, as my companions and I followed these warnings, we were kept safe throughout the week. It is the same in our lives. From the very beginning of time, God has sent us warning voices to keep us safe spiritually. One of the main responsibilities of a Prophet is to raise a voice of warning. That is one of his roles today. As I have pondered this, I have asked myself some questions: Am I heeding the Prophet’s voice of warning with the same intensity as I heed a tornado warning? Do I know what God has said through His Prophets, in ancient times as well as modern, and am I following His instructions? Am I reaching out to those around me and warning them of the spiritual disasters that can come?  

This tornado season has been a great time to reflect on these things, and I would invite each of you to do the same. One thing I love about spiritual warnings is that we can always go to the source and seek our own confirmation of the "imminent threats" in our lives. God does not desire to scare us into believing Him. His only desire is for our spiritual safety, found in His Gospel. There are “imminent disasters” that follow when we do not heed God''s warning voice through His prophets. Peace comes from being in a shelter, not in a storm. It is our responsibility to share these things with those around us, and raise a warning voice to the world. The Lord explains this responsibility in the Doctrine and Covenants: 

“Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81). 

I would like to share a couple experiences from this past week that have really helped me to realize what it means to raise a warning voice: 

Wednesday evening, we were in the outlying town of Mangum. We were trying to see some of the people we had contacted a few weeks ago, and share a message with them about the Savior. At one point, we were walking towards our truck, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man smoking on his porch. While my companion and the member we were with, were getting into the truck, I walked over to the man and shared a pass-along card with him. After a few moments, my companion and the member joined me and we had the sacred opportunity of teaching “J” about the gospel, right then and there. As we introduced ourselves and started talking to him, we shared a scripture from the Book of Mormon - Ether 12:27. This scripture is all about turning our weaknesses into strengths by humbling ourselves before Christ. As it turned out, “J” has some problems in his life and really needed to hear what we had to share. While we were talking, I took the opportunity to bookmark and mark two passages in a Book of Mormon for “J.” As I finished marking the verses, Elder Neil asked for the book so he could share a scripture. When he found the scripture, it was the same one I had just marked, Alma 7: 11-12! We thought that was somewhat of a coincidence and continued on. Then the member with us said, “Let me share one last scripture with you before we end.” He then turned to the scripture he wanted and it was the 2nd scripture I had marked! This was no coincidence! I realized then that God had a very specific message for “J.” The Spirit was teaching him exactly what he needed to hear. Without prior preparation, Elder Neil, the member, and myself were all prompted to share the same scriptures. “Raising the warning voice,” in this situation, was about lifting someone and giving him the confidence to continue on. The word “warning” can sometimes have a negative connotation, but warnings are actually an incredible blessing. 

On Friday, we had a district meeting about simplifying our teaching. We focused on how using the resources that God has given us as missionaries (mainly the pamphlets that correspond with each lesson) help us teach with the Spirit. Elder Davis, one of the elders in the district, gave an incredible training on how to do this. All of us left with a greater desire to raise the warning voice by simplifying our teaching and helping those we teach understand what our message really is.  

In a lesson that evening, we used what we had learned that day in district meeting. We were teaching “A,” who is 17 years old and the sister of a recent convert. We have been trying to help her make and keep commitments, but haven’t had too much success. When we went to see her on Friday, we had the opportunity to teach her about the Restoration again, and we used the pamphlet approach that we had practiced a couple hours earlier. It was incredible to see the difference that it made in our teaching. We were able to teach our message so simply, and by the end of the lesson, “A” understood the importance of the Restoration so much better, and accepted our invitation to be baptized. 

A key aspect of raising the warning voice is helping people understand what the warning is. The tornado warning I shared at the beginning of this e-mail was very short and simple. As we teach in this same way, people will better understand the importance of our message. A line from Preach my Gospel states: 

People are better able to believe the message of the Restoration of the gospel when they understand the message. 

What a powerful and true statement that is. How grateful I am to be here in Oklahoma, teaching people the message of the Restoration. Even though my time as a full-time missionary is drawing to a close, I will always be a missionary. I read a quote from Elder Bednar, recently, that helped put things into perspective. He stated the following, and it is applicable to all of us: 

Preach My Gospel missionaries understand that the responsibility to represent the Savior and to bear testimony of Him never ends. When you are released as a full-time missionary, you are called as a life-time missionary. 

We all have the opportunity, returned missionary or not, to become great missionaries. That is what we must become. Yesterday afternoon, I saw how God helps active members of the Church become life-time missionaries. We were out with one of the ward members who is temporarily stationed at Altus Air Force Base. After deliberating our options for the afternoon, we felt prompted to head out to Mangum. Once we were there, we felt like we should continue on to the small town of Boydsville. As we were driving, I became a little frustrated. I realized that by the time we got to our potential investigator’s home in Boydsville, we would only have about 5 minutes to talk to him before we had to drive back to Altus for our dinner appointment. 

I was talking with the member who was driving us and the topic of member missionary work came up. Then, in a moment of almost perfect clarity, I realized exactly why we were headed to Boydsville. It was to give us time to have a conversation with that member! Not only was I able to answer some of his questions and encourage him to share the gospel with his friends, but questions I myself had about being a member-missionary were answered. This opportunity was not only for the member, but also for me. The Spirit bore witness to my heart, as I bore witness to this member, of the important role members play in hastening the work. As members of Christ’s Church, we all lift each other. I love this gospel and how it unifies us as we follow Christ and serve others. 

I know this work we are involved in is true. I was grateful yesterday for the opportunity to talk with my incredible family on Mother’s Day. I truly felt the love that God has for me as we talked and laughed and shared ideas about missionary work. No wonder the gospel is centered around families. Yesterday, in my apartment in the middle of Altus, Oklahoma, I felt closer to my family than ever before. I truly have a testimony that the gospel blesses families, and as we heed the warning voices of our Prophet and Church leaders, we can feel Heavenly Father’s love protecting us. I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and a Savior who help me everyday. Thank you for your continual prayers and support. I will be meeting my new companion on Wednesday! These next 6 weeks will be awesome!