I'm glad to
hear that girls camp went really well and you had a good time there.
Sounds like you had a really good time with
Grandpa. I miss them. I got a letter from Grandma about the card I sent her. She
is so loving, I miss her so much!
You will need to send me pics of the pics
Uncle Paul and Aunt Janice took while on their trip to Italy. I would love to see them.
Yeah, it is so cool about Alma and
Milena getting baptised. Plus, Milena's family is warming up to us which is good and will help
open the door to getting their whole family into the church. Hopefully.
So, for as this last week......we were very busy! A lot of
things fell through, but there is always something to do.
We started teaching
a 9 year old boy who wants to be baptized (we got permission from his mom). His name is Bebo. His grandparents are
members so he comes to church with them sometimes.
We still have a lot of people we need to visit with from the lists we
got from the branch, so we went ahead and started contacting them (or trying).
There was an inactive lady who lives right around the corner from us. There was about 10 people out in front of her house hanging out on the
stairs. They said she lived there and that we had to yell to her to get a hold
of her. So we did, she replied, but didn't come down. While we were there we
started talking to the people outside her house and they were curious about who we
were, so we told them. I started talking to an old man
who was in the Vietnam war and who believed in Jesus Christ, but man was his
heart hardened, lol. I thanked him for his service to our country and he started
to give me the story of his family. After talking to him we talked to a single
mom with 2 kids and ended up giving her a pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation.
It was a good little discussion we had.
On the walk home we ran into two
other people. One guy drove by and pulled over asking us for the cards of Jesus
and told us why he stopped us. He was invited awhile ago to our church, but
lost the address and so we gave it to him; got his number and will follow up
with him. It was pretty cool, and it just goes to show you that as long as you
are doing your best and planning your days the best you can the Lord will put
people in your path because he knows where you are going to be and when you
will be there.
We then ended up talking to a homeless person who came up to us and started talking about things I wasn't even sure he
knew he was talking about. He didn't like the people who lived in
Bridgeport, he made that very clear.
After this we ran into a bunch of people
drinking and a lady called us over and wanted to get our number, a Book of
Mormon and a card because she was curious about our church. She also loved my
name for some reason and the fact that she guessed it was Italian....
So,
there have been a lot of pretty fun and awesome street contacting moments and
even more yesterday of which I wish I had time to write about. I love the
people here so much and they all love us, they call us, "The Jesus
People" lol.
On Sat. we had language training by Pres. Packard's cousin
who serves as mission Pres. in Chile and it was mostly about how we can work
with the culture. We also learned a lot of really cool things that I am excited
to apply when we meet with people.
Yesterday the Melendez family came to
church and when I saw them there my heart filled with joy! I love them and was so
grateful to finally see them there. After church there was a broadcast from the
Marriot Center in Provo, UT about missionary work and it was awesome! Oh, also on Sunday
Elder Jones and I got to teach primary about baptism and repentance. Oh how
much I love those little kids. They are so awesome! There is truly nothing
greater than to hear them answer, when asked why they want to be baptized, and
hear them say, "because I want to follow Jesus..." oh what precious
words.
My heart is filled with such gratitude at this time for all
that the Lord has done for me and is doing for me. I can feel my heart
expanding more and more each day and hopefully one day like Enoch, my heart
will have expanded as wide as eternity!
To all of you reading this I would like
to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our
Redeemer and that he loves us and has a plan for each and everyone of us and that
He lives. We can come to see a glimpse of that plan and of our true potential
if we but turn to him and do as he would have us do. I know that as we read the
Book of Mormon and ponder the teachings in it and pray and ask God with all
sincerity of heart if it is true, we will receive an answer that it is true.
I
ask, can you receive any greater witness than from God? When you
come to know of the truthfulness of it would you then decide to follow God who
is your Father in Heaven who created you and who is perfect, who knows all
things, who has all power in both heaven and in earth and who loves us beyond
our ability to fully comprehend, or would you decide to turn your back on him?
I
testify and bare record that there is nothing else in the world or in this life
that can even come close to knowing of the love that our Father in Heaven has
for each of us. By deciding to choose him and follow him we
can receive everlasting life and spend time and all eternity with our families
and those whom we love. I testify that if we follow him by repenting of our sins,
being baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood and has the Authority from
God, by receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to then end,
we will continually progress and become more and more like him.
I plead to all that are not members of the church to put these words
to the test. Come and partake of the joy, happiness, love and knowledge which I
have come to know and cherish in my heart and soul.
For those of you who are
members of the church I encourage you to do all you can to remember the
covenants you made when you were baptized to show God you would follow him by
joining his church; taking the name of Jesus Christ upon you; to... "bear
one another's burdens, that they may be light, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort
those in need of comfort," to "Stand as a witness of God at all times
and in all things and in all places," and to serve God and to keep his
commandments.
Live worthily to have the Holy Ghost with you at all times
and in all places for that is such a great blessing in our lives, for it is
through the Holy Ghost we can come to know the things of God, those things he
wants us to know, have the ability to help others and truly endure to the end. Look for ways to have it more abundantly and I promise you by the Holy
Melchizedek Priesthood which I hold and as a representative of Jesus Christ
that this will be one of the greatest blessings in your life for you will come
to know true peace, and joy.
"O that thou had'st hearkened to my
commandments-then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the
waves of the sea."
I leave these things with you in the sacred name, of Jesus
Christ, amen.
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