WOW! that's all I can say! Looking back at this week full of miracles, adventures, spiritual experiences, and straight happiness!😁(hopefully this emoji expresses my happiness)
IM SO GRATEFUL TO BE IN THE LORDS HANDS! it has been truly humbling to see His work unfold and I'm His instrument that gets to see how He sees and Hear as He hears and teach as He taught and ultimately love just as He loved! Going back to my last email! God gives us different gifts and talents that come directly from who our Savior is!! I've listened to a talk called "the character of Christ" about 10 times on my mission. It's an hour long talk that's speaks about Christ's character and nature! I've learned so much and have no words to express it all! His main point is in every aspect of Christ's ministry is He always turned outward. From the Garden of Gethsemane with the guards ear to on the cross caring for His mom and doing missionary work to the theives next to him. He always turned outward. I pose the question to us. Even in the midst of our greatest trails, challenges, and tribulations, Do we turn outward? I would answer this with a solid no. It's hard. Its the natural man in us that makes us worry about oursleves, about me, about how hard it is for me. When we really should be turning outward! I can testify to each of you that we can put off the natural man as we let the Spirit be more abundantly poured upon us. If we let Christ's Atonement be a centerpiece in our life. A source of Light, of Strength, and of joy! As we become meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things! We will be able to recieve this attribute. Even the Character of Christ! I'm working everyday to receive this Gift from our Father!
I love this scripture that can be applied in this context.
" If any of you lack (a gift), let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him. But let him ask in Faith, NOTHING WAVERING."
If we lack a gift, a talent, knowledge, or we have doubts.... whatever it might be Heavenly Father can help us as we ask in Faith, as we act, and as we are grateful for the gifts or the talents or the knowledge or the truths that we already have or know. I know this is a very true principle because of seeing it in my own live and discipleship.
Wow that was a huge tangent but some really great stuff I learned this week. The reason I share this is because how remarkable it is to be perfectly trying everyday to be more and more like Christ! Because when we do that we become like Him so that we can better Love God and Love our neighbors and bring them to the Fold.
This week was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!
I'll share briefly a couple stories:
- We were in the projects (government housing) we had met kids here in the past and felt prompted to go visit this house where we knew some of these kids lived. We went by to teach their dad. He didn't have time but we started talking to the 2 kids outside Alton and Lil Quan. As we spoke and taught them about the Godhead we also taught them to pray. As we all took turns praying Lil Quan looked up after Elder Miranda and I had prayed and started crying and Said "why you gotta make me cry" it was the cutest thing!
His mom Laquitta came home from fhe store with her daughter Frederica! We all sat down and started teaching them the Restoration! It was powerful and they are reading the Book of Mormon together now and will be at church this week! The miracle of this was after the lesson. The kids ran off and the mom went inside but Frederica (who's 20) stayed outside and asked us about our missions and spiritual experiences we've had (foreshadowing). Once we told her and testified about them she opened up about the hardships in her life. We then gave her a specific chapter to read from the Book of Mormon. We tesfited of The Book of Mormon and promised her blessings! She began to weep uncontrollable. She looked at us with tears in her eyes and said I don't know whats going on I just feel so good right now! We then taught her about The Holy Ghost and what His role is and how we feel it! As I testified with all my heart to this beautiful daughter of God! GODS LOVE COMPLETELY ENCOMPASSED ALL OF US LIKE WE WERE IN A BUBBLE OF HEAVEN! we all started to cry and it was the coolest feeling I've ever felt in my life! I know the love God has for each of us! IT was truly remarkable to allow us as 19 year olds to feel His love for His daughter! I'm grateful to be in His Hands!!
Another fanamonal experience was when we taught this family we met in HMONG!! we brought a member from our ward Brother Moua who actually speaks Hmong! He would translate what we said to Shoua and Phua Xiong! It was crazy how deeply the Spirit was felt! I like actually had no idea what Brother Moua was saying but he would say what we said then he would testify in His own words! Testimony is so extraordinary!! As we taught Phua and Shoua kept telling us they have never heard about this before and kept thanking and hugging us for telling them about it! It was so cute and sweet! Not to mention Shua is 4'8 and Phua is like 4'10! :)
We've been teaching this Lady named Peronica! OH PERONICA and I are very very dear and close friends! She calls me her elderly lol! But she gives the sweetest hugs and has always been very religious and church going her whole life! Last week on Wednesday she finally told her pastor that she is going to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! She said that it was her last time going to the other church! She believes and has a strong testimony of Christ Restored Gospel! She came to church last Sunday with her grandson and will be coming next week with the rest of her household haha she said when she goes to church everybody does haha! It was awesome! I said the closing prayer in Sacament meeting and as I was walking back she saluted me and said Elderly that prayer was part of the reason I think I was here today! Thank you for bringing such a strong spirit! It was some of the nicest words but honestly she has the sweetest most angelic spirit ever! She's very loving and accepting to everyone around here.
Again not sure if alot of that even made sense cause I'm for real for real just rambling my thoughts because I don't have time to reread. But I hope that each of you were able to learn something not from me but from The Holy Ghost through experiences He and Christ allowed for me to be apart of!
I wanna end with an interesting quote but one that hit alittle different this week!
" If you have not been rebuked lately by the Holy Ghost as you are praying, then you need to improve your prayers.”
I ask each of you ro reflect and ponder on thus quote! The Holy Ghost teaches us all things and brings all things to our rememberance (even from the before we came here) I know that the Heavenly Fatjer through the Spirit will give us direction and will cut us down. Only to build us up into who HE needs us to become! The Lord chastens those He loves! Let's be Higher and Holier this week for Our Father! Ask Him for loving correction so that we can meet His High Expectations! I promise as you do you'll see ways you can improve or change to take the next step to being more in Him! I'm grateful for Him whom we serve! I know He lives and Loves! In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ! AMEN!
Love yall so much! Sorry this was long and very illiterate! Forgive me haha
Love,
Elder Wold
PICTURES:
1. Elder Blattner'a bday
2. District Lunch at Smokey Gringo
3. Playing with a cute Latino baby! Herminia & Roldofo recently got baptized and it's their granddaughter
4. Peronica, Austin and Hennon
5. Golf on Pday
6. The form? Not the greatest haha
7. Random pic
8. Another one
9. Great picture of Christ
10. Shoua after teaching him the Restoration something He's never heard in his 70 years of life!
