Elder Jackson Beach: TNT (Temple, 'Naders, & Tuscaloosa)

Hey everyone, I hope y'all have had a great week. We went to the temple this morning and so our pday is a little shorter than normal. So I'm just going to write and write fast. Hopefully I get in all of the details that I intended to.

This week we had an exchange with the Northport Elders, and I was able to work with Elder Rumel for a day. Northport is right next to Tuscaloosa, and Elder Corbett served there a while back when there were still Elders assigned to that city. So on our way to pick up Northport for the exchange we drove through Tuscaloosa and saw a few things. We didn't have time to get out and look at anything, but we did get to drive by Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama's home field) and it is HUGE. The only stadium I've been in that even comes close is the Rose Bowl, home of UCLA. Everywhere else I've been doesn't even come close.

Anyway, I picked up Elder Rumel, dropped off Elder Corbett, and drove back to Birmingham for the exchange. We had a couple of good lessons, met a few cool people, and overall just had a good. time. Elder Rumel is one of the best missionaries I know. He also knows "The Office" (almost) as well as I do, and so we had a good time throwing in quotes from that at just about every situation we found ourselves in.

We had a lesson with a guy named Cosby. We have been trying to make a time to meet with Cosby for a long time. He met the missionaries while on a research trip in the Czech Republic a while back, and then met them again here at UAB a few months ago. He's really smart, and really likes to learn, and it was fun talking to him. He has done a lot of research about the Church, some from dependable sources, some from not-so-dependable sources, and there are a few things that he has some issues with (mostly just stuff from Church history, or stuff that has no eternal significance that I don't even have answers to). He does pretty much recognize though, that receiving a spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is kind of his biggest hurdle right now. He knows that what we share with him has the potential to be true, and he treats is as such. Yes, he wants some answers to things, but he recognizes that having a testimony of the Book of Mormon trumps a few historical quandaries he might have, so that's what we focused on. It was a successful visit.

I told y'all last week about Greg and our potential bash. Well, he did try to make it a bash, but it was pretty pathetic. Greg really pretended to know his stuff, and he doesn't. I won't get into too many details, because most of the points he tried to argue were just the basics (the Trinity, grace vs. works). I didn't say a whole lot while we were there, mostly because I was too focused on trying not to just blast him with the truth which he so obviously didn't understand. Greg mostly just tried to tell us what we believe, and how what he believes and what the scriptures say goes against that. Whether he was talking about what we believe, or what the Bible teaches, most of what he said was false haha. Elder Rumel said something really interesting to him that I wish I would have heard before to tell bashers in the past. He said, "Anything that we believe and teach, which you think is contrary to the scriptures, comes from your imperfect understanding of one, the other, or both. You either don't understand what we believe, or you don't understand the scriptures. Because if you did, you would know that they are in harmony." Anyway, Greg was quite the dude. He basically told us that he was disappointed that we were out there teaching "false doctrine" to "his city" and that if we didn't stop then we would "die in our sins." It was neat. He didn't have a whole lot of time to talk that day, but he wanted to meet again and talk some more. I'm not sure if we will go back (Elder Corbett doesn't want to), but if we do I am basically going to sit him down, set things straight, (meaning drop a few truth bombs on him), and probably never see him again. We'll see. In all honesty, experiences like that really strengthen my testimony of the truthfulness of the teachings of the Church. We really are the true Church. I'm not going to say I'm a professional scriptorian, but I definitely know them well enough to know that we are the only Church that teaches what the scriptures teach. For that I am grateful

While on the exchange, we met a few cool people on campus that we were able to teach a little bit. However, we haven't really been able to get in contact with them since. We have called and texted each several times with no success. Same thing with Bo. He has basically been ignoring us. We stopped by the other night and watched him through the window turn off his lights, ignore us knocking the door, and pretend he wasn't home. Last year, Elder Andersen asked us to work with the youth, ages 16-25. It seems the only problem with that is those people are quite the flakes haha. Sure makes things tough, but we're sticking to it.

It was great to be able to go to the temple this morning. It was the first time in a long time because our last temple trip got postponed almost 2 months. It's great to be able to notice some changes that have been made, and note it as evidence of continuing revelation. I know that whatever changes come or have come are for the benefit of God's children and that they are divinely inspired. How cool it is to live in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.

To conclude, I want to call your attention to the title of my email in which I included the word "'naders." Here's the explanation: 'Nader (n.) "A big twisty thing that wrecks stuff." Used in a sentence: *redneck voice* I ain't scurred of no 'nader!

Yep, there was a nasty tornado that ripped through Wetumpka (just north of Montgomery) this week. There were several areas that received tornado warnings (including, so I hear, a really loud alert that sounded right in the middle of a baptismal service in Tuscaloosa on Saturday). 'Naders are no fun. Good thing there weren't any near Birmingham.

Alrighty, well I just want y'all to know (again) that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the "only true church upon the face of the whole earth." I know that. I know that found within this Church is all of the knowledge and all of the ordinances necessary for our salvation and exaltation. I pray to be able to find someone here in Alabama that I can help discover those truths for themselves. I know that they are out there.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Have a great week! Love y'all

Elder Beach

#RollTide