The Atonement, BIG or little?

As a missionary, you learn to adapt to what you have been given really quickly. There are always new things that are thrown (or slammed) in front of you. If you can't adapt to what you have been given, it's really hard to be able to perform missionary work to the best of your abilities. This past week, well I guess two weeks, I have been having a lot of self-reflection. I have had to look at where I am standing in my own personal testimony, how my relationship is with my Heavenly Father, and if I have been using the Atonement in my life.

The Atonement is commonly connected with BIG sins, but from what I have learned and from what I have been able to understand is that The Atonement is the greatest tool to our own conversion. A quote that I have always loved from President Gordon B. Hinckley is: "You never truly fail, until you have quit trying.". How many times do we feel like we have failed? How many times do we feel like there isn't any hope... "I've already gone too far, might as well just give up". I have felt all of these multiple times in my life. But, as I have adapted to the mission field, it required me to utilize the Infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.

As I have gone through these last couple of weeks, I have been focusing a lot on my personal commitment to the work. Again, this requires the use of the Atonement. Why? His Infinite Atonement fixes everything that we have ever done wrong in our lives. This includes for me lately not working hard enough, singing non-church songs, etc. All of these things can be given up to serve Him more fully. So that's what I have done!

My favorite part of this week has to be when I used my Priesthood worthily to give 3 people a blessing this week. The coolest experience was when one of those was an investigator named Mike Mack. He told us that he has been feeling sick lately, and both Elder Smith and I felt inspired to ask if he'd like a blessing! After he agreed, we asked if he had the faith to be healed, and he said yes I do! The spirit was so strong! I know that through is faith and through exercising our Priesthood worthily, he can be healed!

Now my question that I pose is this: Have you given up?

Because I can promise, our Lord and Savior hasn't given upon us! I can promise this as a representative of Jesus Christ. Never give up on yourself, because the Savior will NEVER give up on anyone!

- Elder Yates

Below are some pictures of Jacek, just being Jacek!

 1) My impression on Donny Trump

 

2) Me as a semi-normal human being

 

 

 3) Me, Elder Lofgran, The GREATEST Mission President of all time!, Elder Bovee, and Elder Smith (wearing donated t-shirts from a local college, just because)

4) Me as a not-so-normal human being! Haha

Elder Yates, Pres. Barrow (my cousin, and former MP of the Busan, Korea Mission), Elder Smith