Together Again

It was a joyful reunion at the St. George Airport, when on Wednesday, April 13, Elder Selwin Lovell was reunited with his identical twin brother Simeon Lovell after their combined 26 months of full-time missionary service (Selwin in Mississippi Jackson and Simeon in Georgia Atlanta). 

Selwin's mission president Bruce L. Olson wrote:  "We are grateful to have had Elder Lovell in the Mississippi Jackson Mission.  He has been an outstanding missionary.

"Sister Olson and I have loved serving with Elder Lovell.  We have watched him grow in his faith and his love for the Savior.  We have seen him strengthen the missionaries and members around him and he will be missed.  We have encouraged him to continue to be faithful and keep his sacred covenants, to serve where he is called and to continue to bless the lives of all those with whom he comes in contact.  We express our gratitude for your support and love for him during his service.  May the Lord continue to bless you and your family."

To Southgate Stake President James Bown, Selwin's mission president wrote:  "Elder Lovell has served faithfully.  He has studied and applied the gospel and has acquired Christ-like attributes which will bless and benefit himself and others throughout his life.  He has been an example to all of the missionaries with whom he has served and has strengthened the faith of members in wards and branches."

Selwin was also welcomed home by Stacy and Rick, Kendi and her friend Taylor, Taisley, Danielle and our Bishop Mike Bair and his family including wife Lori, daughters Brianna, Cara and Aspen.  Following Selwin's meeting and release by St. George Southgate Stake President James Bown, family and friends gathered for a hamburger cookout at home.

Certainly many stories are still to come from this "exceptional missionary and fine young man" who served in the deep South, but the future is bright for the twins, though certain to include hardwork, school and eventually marriage and families.

Selwin's Last Letter from the Mission Field

The Jason and Krista Grover family in Purvis, MS

So the time has been spent, memories made and awesome adventures had and it has been a blast. This week we had the opportunity of visiting with fourteen or more companionships (I lost count). It was just amazing to say the least. The spirit was our biggest teacher this week and it was awesome. Well, the time has finally come and after two years of full time service as a missionary I'm coming home, but the work continues. 

Well, I don't know what else to write but heres a little something for you:

In the garden He bled for me 

On the cross He died for me

Resurrected He set me free,

Yes, Christ certainly paved a way for me.

Selwin's biggest fans: the Ishee family in Petal, MS

I give Him all the thanks. I give Him all the glory.

Just look at the Bible and Book of Mormon and you'll see this isn't a made up story.

His Father's gospel He taught. The straight and narrow path He walked.

Yes, He was definitely without fault, yet they nailed Him to that cross

Perfect in all attributes worthy to fill every shoe and yes He did it all for me and you.

Well that's all that I've got for you so until I see you later.

Selwin is Fired Up by the Words of the Prophet

Top left:  Brookhaven District, Me with Elder Stokes.
Bottom left:  Itinerary for travel to St. George and the Wake Village and Stonewall sisters.

This week we drove for what seemed like forever.  We were also apart of a few meetings and a couple other changes taking place in the mission.  To top it all off General Conference was just awesome!!!

We only met with six (6) companionships this week but it was an awesome experience never the less.  We got to drive home late - yep, no time limit on us though it told on me the next day. General Conference for me was one where chastisement was put on and delivered with love. It was also a call for me at least to keep pressing forward. It was awesome. During the priesthood session, as President Thomas S. Monson spoke, he said something which really hit home.  If it had been the only thing he had said it would have been alright with me.

He said: "You are a child of promise, you are a man of might, you are a son of God."  My soul was engulfed with the spirit and I felt a burning desire to live up to that saying, in fact I'm even more fired up, so look out world! It is another testimony to me of why we need prophets in our day. We are still in need of guidance from God regardless of where we stand in life, because the path needing to be travelled is not an easy one but one that once endured will be well worth it. And the Lord knows it, hence why we have leaders who can tell us of the Lord's will for us as we strive to return to live with Him again and one day we will hear Him say " well done thou good and faithful servant."

We are all in this great work together and the Lord is at the head of it.  This is His church and His gospel and I count it a great honor to be apart of it. The Lord said in Moses 1:39: "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

What a blessing and what a great promise the Lord is bestowing on us becuase of the great love He has for us. I know He lives.

Selwin is Driving, Teaching and Imparting Counsel

Teaching and training in the Jonesboro, Ruston, New Boston and West Monroe Districts

This week was one filled with driving, teaching and imparting advice as we traveled through two zones in the mission.

We visited with seventeen (17) companionships in these two zones as we tried to strengthen, uplift and motivate them and most importantly to help them to build and exercise faith in their Savior Jesus Christ. But the greatest part was watching the Holy Ghost take charge as He helped us discern needs, answer questions and give advice on improving missionary skills. We also talked a lot about member work and of the importance of strengthening those members by teaching with power from the Book of Mormon as well as the missionary discussions. But the thing that stood out the most was our talk on obedience and what really fuels it. Is it fueled by obligation, fear or love.

Doctrine and Covenants 130: 20-21 reads:

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

And so we see blessings come as we are obedient to the Lord and that it was even before the foundation of the world. So are we obedient out of obligation because we know blessings will come or are we obedient because of the love we have for our Heavenly Father? I asked myself that question and realized I didn't even know why I do what I do. So I turned to the Savior and looked as the way He lived His life and I realized every commandment He received from His Father He followed out of love even down to His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane to His Resurrection from the grave, everything was done out of love. So it should be with us. The Savior taught after having been asked the question "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" to which the Savior responded, "Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind". Yes everything not just something,but everything we do should be out of love and the Savior said and taught it best by the way He lived His life. Know it!

#The Gospel Is True.

Selwin is a SAP

Shreveport Zone with President and Sister Olson

So there was a lot that took place this last week and, yes, the rains came again. This time the rain drops were triple the size of a normal rain drop. I've always said when the rain falls it's because heaven is weeping because of the sins of the world which means we have got a lot more work to do because there has been a lot of rain here.

I was re-assigned this week, so I'm no longer in Shreveport, Louisiana. Instead I'll now be based out of Jackson Mississippi. My mission president, President Olson has asked me to do something which has never been done before in this mission. Now instead of teaching individuals more about the gospel of Jesus Christ we will be teaching and helping missionaries in the mission and basically strengthening them and helping them to build their faith in the Savior and in His gospel. So for the last weeks of my mission I'll be a Special Assistant to the President, aka SAP or as they would say back in the good old days a Travelling Assistant. But so far it's been a blast and we do a lot of driving but it's all worth it and I count it a privilege to be of service to my fellow man. 

My companion Elder Hansen who was my MTC companion, too.

King Benjamin taught his people:

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?
 19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!"

Jesus Christ was the perfect example of one who gave service without being asked and He encouraged His disciples to do the same.  As disciples of the Savior His mantle is passed on to us. So just look for those little ways in which you can serve and I know the Savior will be smiling because you went out of your way to make another's day. #Hallelujah.

Selwin is Singing in the Rain

Filling sandbags with help from the guys in stripes!

This week we were hit with a lot of rain. It was so cool and reminded me a lot of home during the rainy season but as cool as it was for me it was devastating for others as it caused severe flooding in some areas.

We spent 2 1/2 days doing nothing in our trailer (which reminds me, we live in a trailer but, don't worry, it's a nice one). We finally got out on Friday afternoon to help fill sand bags so we got some service done. On Saturday we helped out a member take out his old garden so he could have room for his new stuff. We got the opportunity to meet with our Jamaican friends and one of them reminded me of my Uncle Sherlock back home which was weird.  We had a good conversation and they agreed to read from the Book of Mormon. We then went to the Spanish elders’ baptism and got to see two young children begin their journey following the Savior so that was awesome. Yesterday, we visited a few investigators who we hadn't been able to contact in a while.  One of them said, "man, I thought y'all had given up on me.”  That was a reminder people are always looking for us.

During studies this week I was really struck by a quote from Elder Robert D. Hales as he talked about the persecutions of the Lord's servants.

He said: "There is meaning and purpose in our earthly challenges. Consider the Prophet Joseph Smith: throughout his life he faced daunting opposition—illness, accident, poverty, misunderstanding, false accusation, and even persecution. One might be tempted to ask, ‘Why didn’t the Lord protect His prophet from such obstacles, provide him with unlimited resources, and stop up the mouths of his accusers?’ The answer is, each of us must go through certain experiences to become more like our Savior. In the school of mortality, the tutor is often pain and tribulation, but the lessons are meant to refine and bless us and strengthen us, not to destroy us."  

Just a clear reminder everything we are faced with in life is to build us and to move us even closer to our Savior, which means we turn to him in everything we do and not just some things.

Simeon's Final Thoughts as a Full-time Missionary

All of us going home, LaPaz' baptism and six missionaries in the cop's lights.

Well, it has been an amazing two years as a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ and for his true church, but does it stop there? No, it does not!  It continues onward for we are always missionaries and we wear that precious name tag on our hearts always! 

The last week of my mission was probably the most interesting because on Monday we went out to dinner and the rain was pouring down. As we were driving home, the other elders' car broke down (we were not in it) so we stopped to help them and ended up staying with them for over an hour. A police officer pulled up to the scene with lights flashing and all, so there we were: six missionaries with cop lights blaring around them.  Then we all got in our one car with the cop watching us and drove back to our apartment where we all slept for the night and almost passed out due to way too much heat on our small apartment.  Luckily I turned on the air condition unit which saved us. The next few days were super cold. We also found out someone we were teaching got mugged and was not in good condition. We could do nothing to help in that situation, then to top it off, I did not even get my picture with the Sullivan's the family from the movie "Meet the Mormons" but alas it was all still wonderful!

I know my life mission has only and truly just begun and it has begun for all missionaries and returned missionaries for as Elder Holland said so plainly and boldly, "RM does not mean retired Mormon, it means 'Returned Missionary'."  I am one who carries on his Heavenly Father's and Savior's work and will continue to do so for there is truly no better duty than that. I know the Book of Mormon is true and the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I know families can be together forever and as we endure and "endure with joy" we will see the Lord's blessings in our lives always. I wish to thank the wonderful members of the Bloomington7th ward for supporting me and my brother and for the Sappingtons who truly are miracles to us and God has truly guided us here for a purpose.  With His help and our Savior's help we will do just that! Georgia Atlanta Mission, yeah!