Yellow Shirts and Lamb's Blood

Well, I've neglected this blog for a little while now, haven't I? For those who don't know, I'm Elder Hatch. And I'm a missionary. And I'm in Fairfield, serving with Elder Eaton, the best greenie in the world.

When I was transferred to Fairfield, I was told that I would be white-washing in (a white-wash is when both missionaries in the companionship come into an area at the same time, with no previous knowledge of the area). When I found out that I would be white-washing into Fairfield, I was really excited. It was my third time to do so, and each time has been miraculous, because I have been forced to humble myself and rely on the Lord. And the results are always positive.

But as excited as I was to white-wash, I was even more excited to train my new missionary. It takes a lot of work to train a missionary, but I absolutely love it. Because, once again, tons of work and lots of faith leads to very positive results.
But man, it has been HOT here in Fairfield. Very rarely has it been less than 90 degrees on any given day. I haven't sweat this much since the very first transfer of my mission. My shirts are....well....I'll make it to the end of my mission. But that's about it. It's pretty funny because Elder Eaton bought the exact same shirts as me, the very same ones. The Mr. Mac special. But it is very easy to tell whose are whose when we pull them out of the wash. But I guess that's the way that its supposed to be right? I've worn nothing but the same seven shirts every day for the last 22 months, they are bound to get a little yellow and thin.

I was thinking a lot about that this morning, actually, as we were washing our clothes. I thought of my yellow-ish shirts and how they have become tattered and worn, just by virtue of having been around so long. And then I thought of the soul of a man, and how it can become worn, yellowed, tattered, and torn, far-gone from its original luster and beauty, just by virtue of having been in an imperfect world. We all get worn out. We all get some stains. We all make mistakes and "come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). But unlike the shirts, which will probably just get thrown away in a few weeks, we know that "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). He will never throw us away. He will never send us to the recycle bin, nor give us away to the nearest thrift store. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16). Even though we come up short, even though we keep getting all messy and worn, our Father loves us. He will never throw us away.

But, like any loving parent would, he has provided us with the means to be clean. When a baby celebrates its first birthday, and gets the cake all over his face and clothes and table and chair and floor, does the father get angry? No. He smiles, cleans up the mess, washes his face, gives him new clothes, and then rocks him to sleep, all the while singing a lullaby full of love and kissing his son's forehead. He continues the pattern until his son can take care of himself. I imagine that our Heavenly Parent is the same. He is patient, He helps us, He encourages us, and tells us that He loves us. But even still, He wants us and expects us to be clean. So He teaches us how.

I was reading this morning while the laundry was going in the book of Revelation, when I read this:

 "13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelation 7:13-17)

I know that we can be clean. I know with certainty that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18). As I come to the end of my mission, I hope and pray that I have been a faithful servant, so that my garments may shine with a perfect whiteness, that I will be able to help my friends and future family maintain their own whiteness. I will do so by teaching them to come unto Christ, for "no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:19).

And so, I would like to lovingly invite all who read this to repent. Come to the Lamb of God and offer to Him your penitence. "Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." (2 Nephi 9:50). It may seem hard, but it is always worth it. If you don't know how to repent, start with these simple steps:

1. Have faith in Jesus Christ. Believe that He can clean you of your transgressions.

2. Feel sorrow for the sin, but avoid excessive depression. Let faith replace fear, let hope replace despair.

3. Confess the sin to Heavenly Father through prayer. Lay everything on the table and counsel with Him as to how to go about fixing the mistake.

4. Abandon the sin. Leave it behind.

5. Make amends. Do what is necessary to enact restitution.

6. Continue on with a firm faith in Christ, living righteously and delighting in the opportunity to live God's commandments.

Repentance is real, and it is beautiful. I am so grateful for the Atonement, for the blood of Christ, the ultimate detergent. I know with a surety that we can all be brand new....white....clean....and fresh. Not like my poor shirts. I love this Gospel. It is true. I know it. The Holy Ghost has told me so. Make it a great week! And check out this talk from Elder Christofferson. He says it so much better than I can:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng#