Hey I hope everyone has had a great week! Things have
been going pretty well this week! Monday was just the same as usual, but we
will just go right into Tuesday!
Tuesday
So on Tuesday me and Elder Neville (my zone leader
companion) went to our mission leadership council meeting. It was really good
as always! I really think that this is one of the best meetings you can attend
as a missionary! I really wish that the whole mission could participate
in this meeting! I know that the training presented in these meetings are
direct revelation from God to President Pingree! It is always to cool to see
that after you receive the training that you are able to go and use it back in
your areas. But that went all morning, and then we went to the mission
presidents house for lunch and then went back to our areas to start planning on
how we wanted to present the training to the rest of the zone and the goals
that we wanted to focus on this month. It took a little while to plan, but we
felt like we could present the training for zone meeting.
As soon as we were
done we got back with our other companions and we had to go straight to a
dinner appointment. Well my companions had some exciting news for me.
They met with Morgan, and he asked if he could be baptized! Background with him
was we found him back in October and have been teaching him on and off, he
believed that the church was true but wanted to be apart of all the churches!
So we have been working with him for several months, but it was exciting to
hear that he wanted to be baptized! But that is about all that happened on
Tuesday
Wednesday
We met with Randy, and introduced the addiction recovery
Program with him on Weds. He is really trying hard to quit smoking. But we sat
down and talked with him about this program that this church has. And he just
kept telling us that he felt like he wouldn't be able to give it his all while
he tried to do this. So we just talked wit him for a while and tried to help
him see how much happier he could be if he were able to quit smoking. He has
smoked for many many years and so it will be hard for him to quit but I know
that with the atonement that he will be able to quit smoking if he really wants
to.
While I was talking with him I had the thought of family history pop into
my head and so we think that we will try to get him more involved with that. I
know that there is real power that comes from doing family history and I know
that his ancestors will be able to help him out so much. And we have even heard
all of the promises from general authorities.
Do you
young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in
your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their
names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go
to the temple and stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism
and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to
participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no
greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.
That
comes from Elder Richard G. Scott, and I know that that promise is for any of
us. There is so much protection that comes from being able to do family
history. I know that is so true! To finish up the night we just went to some
different members houses and we were able to teach them some of the missionary
lessons.
Thursday
We went to the funeral of the member of our ward that I
mentioned in last weeks email. There was such a great spirit that attended the
funeral. During the early hours of the day we went to help clean the church and
prepare for it, and then we did weekly planning and then we went to the
funeral. But over all the day was really good!
Friday
We had zone meeting and I was stressing out about having
everything ready for the meeting. The meeting was scheduled to start at 9:30
am, and we had one final talk before we (me Elder Neville, and the sister
training leader) went into start the meeting.
And it also was my birthday this
day, but I didn't want to make a big deal of it. But I walked into the meeting
and there was a whole bunch of balloons in the front of the relief society, and
I was so dang confused! Well it turns out that the College Park Sisters got
them and put them up there! They found out from other members in the ward that
it was my birthday! So that was kind of fun. But over all the meeting went
super well.
After the meeting I had another meeting with the District leaders,
and it took a little longer than I expected. Then we just went out to the water
way and tried to talk with different people that were there. We ended up being
able to talk with 28 different people and invited them to learn more. We had so
many different kind of replies, but we were able to teach a couple different
lessons, and we have some new potential investigators!
And then to end the
night we went to some members and they ended up surprising me with a cake! So
it was a fun night, and we were able to get a lot done that day!
Saturday
Today we were on our way over to our ward mission leaders
house to talk with him a little bit. And on the way over I had a thought to go
to a less active members house that was near. And just that morning my
companion was telling us about his study about listening to the promptings of the
spirit and acting upon them. And we all wanted to do better about acting upon
promptings.
Well this less active I have been trying to meet for months, and we
pulled up and he was outside in his yard working on his car. So we were able to
talk with him for almost an hour! It was such a blessing and a miracle to be
able to get in with him and see how he was doing! Then the rest of the day we
went to different members and went to the water way again and talked with a
bunch of different people again! The water way has been one of our best street
contacting places by far! So I have really enjoyed it!
Sunday was a great day! We went to church, and Brother
Marshburn was there again! From what it looked like he seemed to have a great
time! It was just such a great day! But that night after we had gotten done
with walking around market street to go home, I looked at the clock and saw
that we would still have about 10 min to do something before going back to the
apartment. So I had the thought to take a different road back to the apartment,
and then while we were on that road we got a message from out ward mission leader
to see if we could give his wife a blessing. And we were literally 30 seconds
away from his house!
So because we took this different road home and we
listened to the spirit we were able to make it to his house and give his wife a
blessing and help them and get back on time! I love seeing tender mercies of
the Lord! I am so grateful for this inspired work I get to be apart of and I
love being here in Texas so much! There is nothing better that I could be doing
at this time than serving the Lord! I Know that is true!
Well I hope all y'all have another great week!
Elder Joshua V. Christensen
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