Man, this week flew by. Infact this transfer has flown by. This Saturday transfer boards come out. Man. This week we went and did a cool service. We literally go do art and talk to people there. The art helps the foundation make money. It's called. Bloom. It's fun. I made a sweet glass thing though of a sunset over a beach. OH!!! WE HAVE AN APOSTLE COMING TO THE MISSION!!!! It's going to be an all mission conference with an apostle, presidency of the seventy, and area seventy. I'm so excited. If the apostle lets us go shake his hand I'm going to ask him if I can hug him.. haha. That would be cool. We called everyone in our records that we possible could. We found a bit of people to teach by doing so. So I'm excited. We had Zone Training this week and the zone leaders explained that president finally has made a standard of excellence! That is going to help this mission so much. Help the missionaries who need a little more motivation live up to their full potential. So I think one of the reasons I came to Erie is because there are medical schools here. When I heard about Erie I heard that the med students were super negative about becoming a doctor. I have heard nothing but good things about becoming a doctor. I think one of the reasons for me coming here is to have a confirmation that it's for me. I also have thought a lot about how if I serve my mission faithfully and completely, working hard every single day, not slacking, then I will receive help in my life, career, or schooling. I know that when you put in effort to help others that you will receive the same help. So if I am out here doing my absolute best then I will receive the best help in the future. Funny story: today we were in Walmart shopping. I was carrying like 7 Powerades, a gallon of milk, and packs of soup. Elder Walker was going to get the cart and I dropped a Powerade. Elder Walker started to pick up the Powerade with one of the workers and..... because the Powerade was like a block in a Jenga game..... the milk fell out of my hands and exploded when it hit the floor. Milk got all over my pants and the floor and it was so embarrassing. Haha needless to say I did not go back to grab another milk and I exited the store on the other side! Haha. Man, super embarrassing. My district laughs at literally everything I say and do... they have been recording videos of me when I don't know it and when I do know it. They've been taking pictures and then putting little quotes of what I said next to the picture. I told them I'm just not talking anymore so they can't have any of that anymore. Haha gosh. They are like children. I have received a couple packages this week and they have absolutely made my days!!! Thank you guys!
1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. I love that it says a marvelous work. It is so much work. A lot of work. Exhausting. Waking up early and going to bed late. Constantly talking to people. Always being tired. Doing service. Going out of your comfort zone all the time. Walking everywhere. Being stressed. Missing family and friends. Constantly studying for you and your investigator. Helping care for your companion. Leaving an area that you grew to love that became a new family. Trying to get to know a new area and turn the place around. Trying to talk to people all day and getting yelled at all day and not having success. Having every single one of your lessons cancelled. Having people back out of commitments or baptism. Being depressed or crying and all these difficult emotions to deal with. Forgetting yourself. And now other responsibilities as a district leader. It's work. But it is a marvelous work.
It is marvelous. I've had days when I just wanted to give up but then at the end of the day there is a miracle. Seeing people finally gain a testimony. Seeing people finally see the light and the blessings of the gospel. Finding answers to prayers. Seeing those you teach desire for their family to learn too. Getting to love the people we are around. Gaining a strong, unbreakable testimony yourself. Seeing people change. Having amazing spirit filled lessons when we are all crying. Growing closer to Christ. Witnessing miracles happen every month, weekly, even DAILY. Being promted to exactly where you need to be. Saying things in a lesson that you didn't even recognize you said but ended up being something that the Holy Ghost whispered into your ear, and something that helped in the lesson more than you can imagine. It is marvelous. I could go on. But it is a marvelous work. And it is true. This work isn't just a religion. It's the Lords Kingdom. We are the Lords army. We train people how to fight basically. We help them fight Satan. And beat him. It's amazing, the trust the Lord has for us young adults to be representatives of Him and His kingdom. I promise that this truly is a work that Christ the Lord is leading. He is at the head of this church, this gospel, this army, and always will be. This is not a religion. This is a kingdom. I, too, promise we are heirs of royalty. It's true. It's all simply, wonderfully, brilliantly, beautifully, and perfectly true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Things are going good. Had a great week. Our district had 51 lessons this week!!!!! I don't think they've ever had this many before. And our area specifically got 15 lessons. I don't think that has happened either from what I can find in our area books. Have someone with a baptismal date and other great things are picking up and happening here. Love you all!!! Write me!!!:) 1&2&3. Me and my boys watching a video of 2 kittens. Glued to the video. 4. Up by New York. 5. We biked for days. Look at that road. 🚲
First and probably only thing I want to talk about is General Conference. Wow. This year conference was just so brilliant. Every single talk was amazing. I received so much revelation. The answers I got to my questions, that I took into conference with, were so clear. General Conference is a huge opportunity to have a revelatory experience. Elder MUERS spoke at conference. If you don't remember, about a month and a half ago he came to our mission. I got to talk to him personally a little bit and get a picture with him, elder Perkins and elder Montgomery. (I will share the picture again). During the conference I had the question "how can I find new people to teach?" The answer was so clear. It seemed like every single talks spoke about the plan of salvation, or how they mentioned it more often as the plan of happiness. I know the answer to my question was to introduce the plan of happiness to people on the streets that I pass. Usually when we approach people we often speak about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But as the speakers all mentioned, almost everyone wonders where we came from, why we are here, and where we go after we die. The plan of salvation can bring so much peace into many people's lives. It can bring comfort to those who have lost a loved one. It can bring comfort to those who feel they have no purpose in life or wonder what their purpose is. It can bring joy, happiness, and peace to ones soul who wonders these questions or, in reality, any question. The plan of salvation has the answer! During conference they also talked a lot about missionary work, joy, the Book of Mormon, repentance, attitude and gratitude or being Christ like, growing closer to Christ, and the plan of salvation. Multiple talks were about repentance. Multiple talks were about attitude or becoming a more charitable person. Multiple talks were about the Book of Mormon. It seemed with each talk I thought to myself, "oh this is my favorite talk." Each one was so amazing. As time kept going the talks got better and better it seemed or rather the spirit grew stronger and stronger as we became more spiritually inline with a knowledge of Gods will for us. My two favorite talks however were the talks given by Elder Rasband and Elder Nattress. They were beautiful talks, and I could feel the power of sincerity from it. And I could apply them so well to mine. Elder Rasband talked about how Satan tries to make you forget spiritual confirmations or wonder if it truly is a spiritual confirmation. When Elder Muers spoke to our mission about us feeling inadequate to be representatives of Jesus Christ, he mentioned that even he, elder muers struggles himself, and even apostles, elder Rasband recently has been feeling inadequate to represent the Lord. I feel like a lot of Elder Rasbands talk was linked to this trial of his. With this knowledge relisten to his talk. It is powerful. Elder Nattress spoke of when he was young and was being rebellious to his mother. That itself applies to me so much. Boy did I rebel in my teenager years (I can now say that now that I am no longer a teenager). When he spoke about when he told his mother that he wasn't going to listen to her, I had a flood of so many, too many, memories come into my mind of when I rebelled knowing what was right. I thought of how I had treated my parents in the past and how worried they must have been, how sleepless, and stressed they must have been over me. I got a little emotional. He then spoke about how there is no rebellion that cannot be forgiven. When he said this light filled my soul. That is comforting. Repentance is such a blessing. It isn't something you should shy away from because it is only going to make you more Christ like and free you from iniquity. The atonement is amazing and it is infinite and limitless.
Oh, how grateful I am for my savior Jesus Christ. Oh, how grateful I am for a mother and father who have taught me, were diligent, and patient with me. I am so grateful that I can change the wrongs in my life and receive joy, love, and happiness that I truly don't deserve. Even though we truly don't deserve it, we don't, we still are loved, are giving the opportunity to be made free from sin, and return to our loving Heavenly Father. I testify that I am a witness that Jesus Christ truly did come down to earth to take away the sins of the world. Not to just help us be forgiven but to take the sins from us, so that we have the ability to change ourselves and make ourselves better. I promise that I would not be the person I am today without the atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ made. I would still be in my sinful ways. I would not have been caught by the grace of the atonement. I am so grateful. No matter what we do we can still change. No age, no sin, and no rebellion can hold you back from the grace and mercy, the atonement, of Christ. Only your own desire can hold you back. I am so grateful for friends that were examples who reached out to me, just as Christ would- no- did. I know that my dear friends were a great help for Christ and my parents in helping me turn around. I know that if I had not had the parents I had, who were patient, diligent, and loving, I would not be who I am. Without Christ and his atonement I COULD NOT CHANGE. I know you can, too. I am a witness, and I testify YOU these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
