"I believe we need to speak of and believe in and bear testimony of the ministry of angels more than we sometimes do."
--- Jeffrey R. Holland (Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
As missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I always felt Heavenly Father's spirit and His angels were never far from us. Not in a "mightier than thou" way, but as guardians and peace bringers --- fellow missionaries, companions, friends unseen to lift us up and lend us much-needed courage and insight. I believe that the same blessing is available for anyone trying to live the gospel. The restored gospel is divinely driven, and without divine assistance, missionary work would not be feasible. Angels are not a past phenomenon. They are as real today as they were in biblical times.
**NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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ESKARAN
It was June 2016 down to my last weeks in Mexico after nearly 2 years of experience behind me ("8th & Final Area: Jardin, Valle Hermoso"). Apart from my companion, Elder Torres, the first of my other four roommates that I really got to spend time with was Elder Eskaran. Without mentioning specifics, Elder Eskaran was dealing with some frustrations common to all missionaries. One particularly rainy day, while Elder Torres and I were out and about, we got a phone call from him and his companion asking us to come home immediately. We weren’t sure why, and it was quite a task considering we were about as far away as possible on foot to the north (in the rain and sopping mud no less) but we were obedient. I was albeit both relieved to have this chance to get out of the rain back into my "safe place" in the apartment, but I was also a little worried as to what mysterious circumstances spurred the request.
When Elder Torres and I got home, we split up which Elder Sandrigo and Elder Eskaran could authorize as our District Leaders ("Intercambios"). Elders Sandrigo and Torres went to catch another appointment but Elder Eskaran stayed home and had a good talk that I feel was beneficial to both of us. It was personal and sincere, and I am truly grateful for it. And although we’d only recently met, I appreciated that Elder Eskaran trusted me enough to talk openly. It was reminiscent of a discussion I previously had in Riveras but now, I was Elder Turner. ("Listen")
Our white front door was left cracked open to let some of the cool fresh air in as the rain started calming down. It's slightly brighter outside and the world has that soft feel to it. Elder Eskaran and I are sitting down talking as I’m facing the cracked door and his back is to it, and I swear I see someone there as if he’s secretly listening in, ear to the door, partially peaking in as if deciding whether to interrupt our conversation or not. The door flutters just enough to feel the weight behind it. I thought maybe the other Elders had come back from the appointment and were patiently waiting for us to finish our private conversation before intruding. The figure behind the door stands there for a while and I judge him to be a tall redhead in missionary attire, white shirt and all. Since none of our roommates fit that description, I then assume it’s another Elder from the other Area. But there were only a few things to debunk that theory. 1) A reason to suddenly show up at our house, far from his own Area amidst mud and rain since we already lived with our leaders so he'd have no reason to travel, and 2) I knew no Elder that fit that description in the city. At first, I thought it was Elder Smith who was one of the only redheads in the mission, and certainly the tallest but I discovered that he was in Reynosa, about forty miles away, at the time. Nobody fits the description! I was the only one who saw or noticed this mystery missionary but after listening for a minute or two, he went away; he might have nudged the door a bit and I thought I heard someone scurry away as if to hide. I don’t know where he went but he was gone. To this day, I don’t know who that was. By all means, no one in Valle Hermoso would even come close to that description; no one was a redhead, no one was tall, and no one dressed like a missionary besides us. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an angel (Moroni 7:25, 29-31). I didn’t tell anybody else. This might be the first time they're hearing about it.
After our heart-to-heart talk, we gained some fresh perspective and Elder Eskaran asked if I would give him a priesthood blessing ("Priesthood" and "Administering to the Sick and Afflicted"). Of course, I accepted. There was just one hurdle. When giving priesthood blessings, you start by saying the person’s full name. Elder Eskaran was from Hawaii. His middle name was Kahakupomaika'ipoina’ole'ia. His full name was a full 44 letters long! And I thought my name was long at 29 letters long! In order for me to give him the blessing, I laid my hands on his head as you do and repeated it syllable for syllable as Elder Eskaran verbally relayed me his name in bite-sized phonetic fragments. It was a wonderful blessing that brought both of us peace. I’m grateful for that. Even though we weren't in Valle Hermoso together for very long, it seeded a friendship that transferred when we saw each other again when we started attending BYU later that fall, and subsequently saw each other on various occasions. After all, I think Elder Eskaran only had between 6 to 12 more weeks more to go after I'd gone home. I’ve had many priesthood blessings and setting aparts in my life ("Setting Apart and Setting Out"), and there was more than one occasion where the person mispronounced my middle name, “Harawira” ('Hah-dah-wee-dah; "Two A-Maori-Cans in Mexico"). The thing though, is that proper pronunciation isn’t all that crucial in the efficacy of a blessing. So long as the person does his best and performs the ordinance properly by the authority of the Melchezidek priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, God will hear it. He knows us by name. We are His children and He knows our needs and thoughts and feelings already. The priesthood holder might serve as the conduit for us to receive certain blessings but Heavenly Father is the source and giver of all good things (Moroni 7:13). At the heart of it, I for one don't believe that God will ever withhold his blessing because of the way someone pronounces a word, any more than a person that speaks with an accent.
ANGELIC VISITATIONS
A prominent belief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that the heavens are open and God continues to speak to us ("Prophets and Callings" and "Apostasy and Restoration"). He is active in our lives and works to bring to pass our eternal life (Moses 1:39); this is the central purpose of Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness and our purpose in mortality. As I’ve already discussed, we can be angels -- so-to-speak-- who minister to others by one definition of the word ("Tongue of Angels"). But I reaffirm my belief that heavenly messengers commonly referred to as "angels" also minister to us. In this sense, I mean to say beings beyond mortality's sphere of limitations.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an Apostle of the Church, in 1996 reminded us that it is appropriate to speak about angels. He wrote, “I believe we need to speak of and believe in and bear testimony of the ministry of angels more than we sometimes do.” Some experiences are personal and sacred to an individual and are appropriately kept to themselves, but that does not mean that it is taboo to talk about all spiritual experiences. If that were the case, what a loss it would be if the scriptures were void of angelic visitation and other miraculous occurrences! The scriptures are rich evidence that angels and miracles are real and testify of God's love and presence.
Angels have always existed and appeared to many since the early days of Adam (Moses 5:6-8), to Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38), to Peter (Acts 12:7-10) and Paul (Acts 27:23) and John the Revelator (Rev. 1:1). Angels were used to warn Joseph to flee to Egypt (Matt. 2:13); to bring food to Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-8); to protect Daniel from the lions (Dan. 6:22). And to those of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ such as Nephi (1 Nephi 11:14), Alma the Younger (Mos. 27:10-11; Alma 8:14), Amulek (Alma 10:7), and others. Angels often ministered to Jesus Christ including in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43) and were present at His resurrection (Matt. 28:2,5-6). There are hundreds of scriptures I could quote referencing angels. Even in these the latter-days, angels have visited the Earth to herald in the last dispensation and to restore priesthood keys ("Return of the King -- Part 2" and "Return of the King -- Part 4.2"). And these are known accounts as many others are not shared publicly; I don't know if I did see an angel or not in Valle Hermoso but I know that others have, including a few people close to me, and that angels are around us.
There are numberless hosts of angels—all of whom are in the service of our Lord and God. Not only are angels agents of power, but they also serve as protective and reassuring forces for the righteous. We recall from the Old Testament the attempt of Syria’s king to capture Elisha. During the night the king surrounded Dothan with soldiers, horses, and chariots. When Elisha’s assistant awakened early in the morning, he saw the armies that surrounded the city and cried out to Elisha, “Alas, my master! how shall we do?” Elisha replied by saying:
"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. [After this reply,] Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (2 Kings 6:15–17)
This account signifies a demonstration of great power and supremacy—a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire providing courage and protection to Elisha and his servant. President Henry B. Eyring provided us with the following encouragement:
"I know that the promise of angels to bear us up is real. You might want to bring to memory the assurance of Elisha to his frightened servant. That assurance is ours when we feel close to being overwhelmed in our service. Elisha faced real and terrible opposition... Like that servant of Elisha, there are more with you than those you can see opposed to you. Some who are with you will be invisible to your mortal eyes."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland related the account of Elisha and then applied this important story to each of us:
"In the gospel of Jesus Christ we have help from both sides of the veil. When disappointment and discouragement strike—and they will—we need to remember that if our eyes could be opened, we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see, riding at great speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham’s seed."
Most angels minister to us unseen and most of us will never the angels around us. Even so, seeing angels is not always sufficient for the faithless to suddenly believe, as was the case with Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 3:29-31). It is for this reason that many sacred experiences are encouraged to be kept personal. They're not things to be boasted of for attention. We do not seek signs or require proof of the divine in order to believe ("Falsehoods and Sign-Seeking"). The fact of the matter is that most of us will never see an angel, but that doesn't mean we're faithless. Faith is not seeing yet trusting still.
Modern revelation as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants teaches that the Aaronic Priesthood holds "the keys to the ministering of angels" (D&C 13:1; 107:20). What does this mean? Elder Oaks explained this:
“The meaning is found in the ordinance of baptism and in the sacrament. Baptism is for the remission of sins, and the sacrament is a renewal of the covenants and blessings of baptism. Both should be preceded by repentance. When we keep the covenants made in these ordinances, we are promised that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. The ministering of angels is one of the manifestations of that Spirit.” The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament
If you want to learn a little more on the subject of angels, I recommend this talk given at BYU in 2012 entitled, "Angels, Chariots, and the Lord of Hosts". Nevertheless, I think it's appropriate to say that there is much we do not yet know about angels, but what we can be sure about and all we need to know about them is that we are never alone and that the Lord's angels are around us to lift us up and help us do what's right. The veil between us and the Spirit World is thinner than we sometimes realize. When you understand what it means that we will "inherit" the Earth, you can start to see why it makes sense that angels are among us (See "Return of the King -- The Final Part"). You can look forward to learning more about the Spirit World in an upcoming post answering the question, "What happens after death?" called "Redeeming the Dead".
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