Wed 11/20/2013 10:25 AM

Well, Elder Pope is leaving me after only a transfer.  He is going to Franklin, MA and I am getting Elder Meservy as my new companion.  He was from my district in the MTC, so this will be pretty interesting!

 

This last week we have been saying good byes to people for Elder Pope and have had some great visits.  We have been working a lot with the members in our branch and helping them get more excited about missionary work; letting them self-discover how wonderful it truly is for themselves with our help =D.  If only we as members of the church could realize the direct correlation between our own personal righteous desires and goals for ourselves or our families and missionary work.  It's so amazing.  Truly as we seek first and foremost to build up the Kingdom of God everything else in our lives will be blessed and the windows of heaven will be opened and we will receive blessings so abundant that there wont be room enough to receive them!  It is amazing to see those things first hand in the lived of others and my own as well.

 

We have a family starting to see this in their lives.  They started by inviting a non member friend/family to activities, to church and we have been working with them to help this family come to know the truth of it for themselves.  Now they are inviting another non member family to a talent show we have this Sat. and to church on Sunday!  Can you imagine if all we did was invite those in our lives, who we already know, to come to such activities or church?

 

It is amazing to see the reaction on peoples faces when we talk  about missionary work, our baptismal covenant and then show them that we start doing it by simply inviting and introducing them to us at church or the event and other members.  Then if the person is interested, the member asks them if they want to meet with us!  It makes for a less awkward experience and better flow of things. 

 

We have been working with a less-active family who lives 30-45 minutes away from where we meet for church. The father is a recent convert and they have 3 kids.  A wonderful family, and it is amazing to see how faithful they are.  They cannot come, simply because they don't have a way to get there.  Their car is having issues and won't get that far.  Yet, they still read in the Book of Mormon as a family, have Family Home Evening and are doing everything they need to.  We have been looking for ways to get them to church, but so far haven't found one that can get them there every week since they live so far away.

 

This last week we had Zone Conference and Gifford Nielson, one of the Seventies, came to speak to us.  Yes, it was the EXCLAMATION POINT guy from General Conference, and yes, it was amazing!  He also went in depth a lot more about what prompted him referring to exclamation points in conference.  I would pose the question, how often do we pay attention to the way the Book of Mormon is written, and the "why" it is written the way it is?  He showed us some examples of where the exclamation points are and how it changes the way we read and understand the meaning. 

 

We also had a great lesson on what the word Repent means from it's definition in Greek, Hebrew and Latin and how it has changed so much to where people think of it as a scary thing because of how it comes across in Latin.  But, it really is just a beautiful thing that brings about a complete change in us to where we become new creatures, more beautiful and extraordinary beings like a caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, and it means that we turn back to God.  There is nothing scary about that!  I wish I had time and the ability to explain everything so much more because really repentance is a beautiful concept when we get what it truly means and how it was used back when all the Apostles and Christ use to go around telling people to Repent.  Hopefully I haven't lost any of you in all of the information I am trying to throw out in such little time.  In short, the work is going great!

I love seeing people's lives change for the better coming to know our Savior more as they come to know the truthfulness of the gospel.  I have seen how it has changed my life and still is and how wonderful it is!

 

I know that this church is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World and invites all of us to turn back unto him and repent - to become a new, more beautiful creature through His Atoning sacrifice and grace, that allows us to do so.  I know that as we become this new person, the person He would have us be, a desire in us will grow to bring others unto Him through the knowledge we have come to know.

 

I know that as we strive to invite others to taste and experience this change within themselves, the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings in our lives that there won't be room enough to receive them.  I leave these things with you all, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.