Go Deep Part - 2
Go Deep – Part 2
President Quinn’s Weekly Message
California Santa Rosa Mission
July 10th, 2023
Hello! I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy. Thank you to those who wrote me last week. I enjoyed hearing from you.
Thank you to Napa District A for the invitation to the barbeque last Monday. What a great district! Sister Quinn and I did not impress with our volleyball or soccer skills – nonetheless we enjoyed the delicious food and fun company.
I would like to continue the theme from last week’s letter titled “Go Deep”. Several years ago, between my junior and senior years in high school, I was hired by a neighbor to dig a three-foot-deep, 70-foot-long ditch for the foundation of a retaining wall in his backyard. The wall required a deep and solid foundation because of the load that would be placed behind it once the landscaping for the yard was completed. I needed the money, so I accepted the job.
From my first shovel of dirt, I realized this was going to be a difficult job. The ground was hard from years of being baked in the hot Utah sun. The ground contained numerous rocks, small and large, hidden just below the surface. A job that I thought would take me a week, ended up taking me several weeks. Slowly, one shovel and pick swing at a time, I dug the long and deep foundation. There were days I saw little progress as I struck rock after rock. It was July in Utah, so I worked under a hot sun. At times I questioned whether I had the strength and the will to complete this enormous task. After several days and much effort, I completed the job. I knew for myself by the blisters on my hands and soreness in my muscles, how much work is required to dig a deep and solid foundation.
I have thought of this experience each time I have read Luke 6: 47-49. The Savior taught the need for each of us to dig a deep spiritual foundation:
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
As I did last week, I invite each of you to “go deep” in building and strengthening your discipleship to Jesus Christ – the rock spoken of in these verses. Building this spiritual foundation will require focused, consistent, and determined effort on your part – just as digging the foundation for my neighbor required of me. In Preach My Gospel we are taught, “Becoming like the Savior is a gradual, lifelong process” (page 124). Discipleship to Jesus Christ takes time and requires our best efforts – all good things in life do. The blessing from your efforts will be countless and eternal. The Spirit will also direct and sustain you in these efforts.
In these verses, the Savior warns us that storms and floods will come into our lives. President Nelson has recently confirmed this warning in our day:
But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
Temptations, challenges, and disappointments are part of our mortal experience. As joy, peace, and success should be. Doing the work now, digging a deep spiritual foundation on Jesus Christ, will allow you to persevere when the inevitable storms of life come. Please spend some time studying Chapter 3: Lesson 4 of Preach My Gospel – Becoming Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ. This lesson contains valuable instruction to help you “go deep” in building a strong foundation that will provide the strength you need to withstand the storms of life that will tempt you and cause you to question your faith. In our upcoming interviews, I would like to discuss what you are doing to “go deep”.
I end my letter to you this week with the powerful invitation Helaman extended to his children – whom it is clear he loved very much. To each of you, my dear and cherished fellow missionaries, I extend the same invitation. And now … remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
I testify that as you build your foundation on the rock of Jesus Christ you will have the spiritual strength to withstand the temptations, doubts, and discouragement that may arise in your life. I bear my personal witness that these storms will be replaced by the light, calm, and peace offered by the Savior. Joy and happiness will be preeminent in your life.
Sister Quinn and I pray the Lord will watch over and bless each of you in His service. We are grateful for the privilege of serving with you. Please let us know if there is anything Sister Quinn and I can do for you.
Love,
President Quinn
(707) 758-6380
