2 weeks ago I had bronchitis and then last week I had some kind of Stomach flu. It was a rough 2 weeks but suprirsing there were many chances I had to work and turn outward to those around me. We taught so many people!! We had our friend Nathan Bloomfield get baptized 2 Sundays ago! He's an unbaptized 9 year old. It was so fun having their family there and having him baptized. These past 2 weeks we've been working very very hard with 2 families.
- Antwan and Marcie (plus their family)
- Peronica and her Family.
Both of these families are very dear to my heart. We have seem tremodous growth.
☆ Antwan and Marcie have been to church non stop. Their kids love nursery and it allows for them to come to Sunday school and Elders Quorum/Relief Society. Our members are so amazing totally taking them in and loving them. Antwan and Marcie absolutely love learning. We have really explained covenants with them. They are working on a date to be married so they can be baptized. SO EXCITING!!
☆Peronica:
- Peronica has many health problems but she Is a straight saint. She couldn't sleep the other night and read the Book of Mormon and had such a great experience with it. She said she knew it was true. She wants the Holy Ghost and is praying right now about being baptized now. She is incredible and is so close. Please keep praying for her that as we teach her she will know know.
- We have our friend Rhonda and Linda who we found last week along with 4 others! Super great week. Please pray for these new friends!
☆ We had 4 exchanges 2 weeks ago and 3 exchanges last week. AHHH I LOVE EXCHANGES! ITS SO GREAT TO LEARN AND GROW TOGETHER WITH MISSIONARIES!! HONESTLY JUST TO GRIND AS WELL. SUPER SUPER FUN. Even though 2 weeks ago 2 of those exchanges were because I was dying it was still really good.
Miracles!!
- We taught Heather again and really explained the Godhead and how she can experience each individual member
□ God, Our Father -> through prayer
□ The Son, Jesus Christ -> Scriptures
□ The Holy Ghost -> Church, other experiences
This has been such a cool way to teach and help all our friends understand the true nature of each memebr of the Godhead and come have a relationship with each.
Thus week has been a great week of study. I've studied alot from both the Book of Mormon and Bible. The way they compliment each other is remarkable. I focused on the Book of Acts this week! It was super fun to learn more about Paul and about who wrote what and why it's important and how it all applies so well to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I read a lot this past week in Mosiah about Abinadi and His ministry and his dedication and the strength he received from the Lord!! I connected that a lot to this talk called "Becoming a consecrated Missioanry" by Tad R. Callister! As well as Jesus,: The Perfect Leader.
THEYRE SOOO GOOD!! please read both. They have helped me grow so much to be exaclty who God wants me to be. To ask and receive the gifts and talents I need to be higher and Holier in His service. There's so many things we can also put on the altar of sacrifice. A consecrated missionary taught what we can put on the altar of sacrifce and how. Jesus the perfect leader are ways to receive attributes and gifts from Our Father. Similar to receiving the gift of the Character of Christ! AHHH OKAY FRIENDS/FAMILY HERES THEY ARE
1. "Becoming a consecrated missionary"- Tad R. Callister
2. "Jesus: The Perfect Leader"
- President Spencer W. Kimball
3. Character of Christ
- Elder Bednar
I also want to invite you to do something super simple but oh so impactful. In the Intro to the Book of Mormon I love to give this promise and i want to give this invite and promise to y'all.
As you Read the Book of Mormon, Ponder the message it contains, and ask God in Prayer that you can know that Christ lives, Jospeh Smith is his prophet, and His Christ’s church is on the earth again preparatory to his second coming.
Just in this promise I know that the questions we have, the gifts were seeking, or whatever we would want to know or do can be fulfilled if it is a part of God's will through:
- Reading and Studying
- Ponder and understanding in your mind and heart
- Then Asking God
I promise you as a servant of the Lord that you've embraced God's plan for you!! He will bless you with those righteous questions, desires, or intents if that's what He needs for you now! I know that as we embrace God's plan it will change everything in our path to be aligned with our Father's! I read this talk. Talks about Having Expedient Faith in Christ! I love that! Our Faith always needs to be in Christ.
He uses the analogy of the paralytic who was brought by people in New Testament times to Christ to be healed and Christ forgave him of his sins. The man giving the talk explains how those people could've been thinking that's not what we can here for... haha we came here for him to walk. He uses the same with his dad who although had blessings of healing and fasting and prayers, passed away. He didn't understand. But he came to know that even though it seemed like Christ's Atonement of help wasn't there. It was. In strenghting his mom to live a long and great life. For comfort in his family. He explains that the Balm of Gilead was truly there for his family just in a different way according to God's plan.
Friends, Family-
☆☆EMBRACE THE PLAN☆☆
I know that our Heavenly Father loves us, His precious and beautiful children. I know that He loves us so much to send our brother, His only begotten son to die and sacrifice all for us. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer!! I know He can give us mercy and strength whenever we make the effort to turn to him and change! I'm grateful for these experiences I'm having. For the people I've met. For the growth and change in those around me.
I'm grateful from my family and for all my friends. I'm most importantly grateful for my Father and for my Mother in Heaven who love and care about me more than I can express or share over this email. I know my earthly parents feel that very love for me too. I'm grateful for them and love them so much.
Please please please know these things are true. Please do the Small and Simple things this week. Talk to your Heavenly Father get things worked out and be 1 percent better everyday this week. It's time we become who God needs us to become! Let's improve and change and commit oursleves to his army in bringing the gospel to every living soul. But it starts with you. Be personally converted unto the Lord. Turn outward and I promise as it says In the Book of Mormon
Alma 23:6
" And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away"
We all have the knowledge or a testimony in this sense. But we need to be converted. I promise that if you turn outward in all things you'll be converted! And if you're converted you WILL NEVER FALL AWAY!!
LOVE YOU,
ELDER WOLD
Pictures:
#1, 2: Playing basketball last week on preparation day
#3,4,5,6: Preparation day today in Helen, Georgia which is a Bavarian town in the Blue Ridge mountains which is 2 hours northeast of Atlanta. We played Mini golf, ate lunch and fudge, and walked around haha
