Devotion and Duty. #80

Hey! How are you?! How is your family? How's the good life!? This week was a great victory for the Lord in Mongolia. One of our investigators passed his baptismal interview, and a family is scheduled to be baptized the following week! This week I went on exchange with Elder Hall in Nalaikh and we got to run a huge sports activity with 30 non-members at the church! We got to do MLC this week which was a blast. Then I got to host Elder Otgonbayar for exchange yesterday. We gave Ganchimeg's family a picture of the SEATTLE temple as they will soon be going to Seattle!! I am beyond greatful to serve here in Mongolia. What a blessing, a privilege, and honor to get to labour on Jesus Christ's team. Spiritual thought - Last summer Elder Esplin of the seventy shared with us a hierarchy of reasons we serve God. He shared the quality of motivation from worst to best as... force, fear, reward, duty, faith, love of God and fellowman. Clearly being motivated by love is the most pure motivator as God acts only out of love for His Children. But... this week one missionary pointed this out. Somtimes that burning love slightly ebs and flows based on our mood. But an abiding commitment to DUTY or fulfilling your obligation means laboring diligently regardless of your mood. Devotion to duty coupled with a burning love for God and His children is a lethel combination. “Men will work hard for money. Men will work harder for other men. But men will work hardest of all when they are dedicated to a cause. Until willingness overflows obligation, men fight as conscripts rather than following the flag as patriots." The Joy of discipleship to Jesus is found when the intense fire of our devotion, motivates us to forgive, to laugh, to love, to smile, and serve. Jesus Christ lives. He is our savior, our redeemer, and friend. Love you all, Elder Bateman