Testimony

Hey everyone!!! 

So I will be staying in College Park at least one more transfer!! I feel like I have said that every transfer for the past few months, but I am glad that I am able to stay here. Elder Peterson will be heading out, and I will be helping finish Elder DeLuca's training. 

Temple day with my companions

But I am excited for this next transfer, I feel that we are going to continue to see miracles here in this area! We had another good but busy week this last week! I have a bunch of meeting and things this week, so I was one alot of different exchanges. So we will go ahead and start into the week! 

Monday

We went over to a members home, and was able to teach Chris, a less active member in the ward. The past few times we have met with Chris it has gone pretty well, he would participate in what was being taught. And so we went in and we wanted to teach him the Plan of Salvation, and we were prepared to share that with him. So we started to teach him, and it was going very well, but at the end of it we invited him to pray about the Plan of Salvation and to ask God if it was true! He said he would do it. But he had a question about something and I felt so prompted to share a scripture with him and the spirit was there, and you could tell that he felt it. He was beginning to push back a bit more, and he was trying to take the scripture out of the context it was written in, and he began to start arguing a little bit. We bore out testimonies of what it meant and tried to explain it the best we could, but It just all goes back to what I have been taught and experienced since I have been out. Contention will drive the spirit away in any situation, so sometimes all you can do is bear your testimony and leave it at that! 

I know that testimony is the way the the spirit can work through you to touch the hearts of others. It is the Holy ghost that is able to carry the message into the hearts of Gods Children and it testifies to them and bring those feelings of love and peace. I have seen that so much as I have been out and worked with different people. Testimony is very precious and it  is a powerful tool that we all should seek to strengthen. And the only way we can strengthen our testimony is by living the principles upon which our testimony is set. So if you feel that your testimony is not as strong in a certain principle of the Gospel, I invite you to live the principle and to plead with our Father in Heaven to be strengthened, and I promise that your testimony will grow and you will be blessed for it! 

Tuesday

Tuesday we went out and were just meeting with different members, and then that night we went to mutual to see if our investigator Morgan was with the young men. But he wasn't there. But we were able to see him later in the week which was good. Over all it was a great day.

Wednesday

We went and did our weekly service over at Panther Creek inspirational ranch, and it was good like always! It is such a blessing to be able to work with the kids there and help them out. And then after that we went on a small exchange for the rest of the afternoon. Me and my zone leader companion were preparing reports for Stake Correlation that would take place on Sunday. But then that night we went and walked the water way and tried to talk with the people who were there. 

Sign at Panther Creek

Thursday

We had an early morning with going to the Temple, but it was so worth it! Everytime we go to the temple I just feel so great afterwards! I can't fully explain the way I feel, but I just feel so peaceful and I feel that I am really able to receive answers to my prayers and to questions that I may have. 

Following this we went back to our area and we had  our weekly meeting with Bishop Cheney and then we helped him out with some service things that he needed help with. It is always good to help the bishop out. When we can we do this so we can try and be the missionaries that are helpful to the bishop and the ward! If we are these missionaries then we are able to do more work, and really have the trust of the ward members. After that we did weekly planning and really just trying to include  God in our planning, and see how we can accomplish his work in this area!

Friday

Me and Elder Neville went on exchanges up in the Conroe Wards. The Conroe Elders ended up going to the temple during that day, and so me and Elder Neville were up in there area working. We really wanted to see miracles with finding in these two wards we were working in. So we started working in the Conroe 1st ward and we were just out in different parks and walking around on roads and some busier roads trying to see if we could find people to talk to as we walked. And we truly did see miracles we were able to talk with different people. 

Tracting with Elder Neville

But after doing this for a couple of hours we went back to the Conroe Elders apartment to change into service clothes and we did some service tracting. And we went back to similar areas and knocked on doors and asked if people needed any service done around there home. When we did this people saw that were normal people, and they were more willing to listen to us as we would talk with them. And so because of that we were able to talk with different people and actually by the end o the day we were able to get 3 new referrals for these Elders. So we did experience so many miracles, and they came through faith and diligence. And we showed that by talking with everyone we could. Even just by offering service we were able to help others out. When we do service more people are willing to listen to the message of the Restored Gospel and it can bless so many lives. I know this to be true and we did our best to find those who were prepared for this great message.

Saturday 

We were able to get in with a bunch of different members and see how they were doing and it was a great day. I thought that I was the one who would be leaving this transfer, but I guess I am staying one more! But over all it was a good day! 

Sunday 

I had an earlier meeting for stake correlation and it was really great! I enjoyed it. I love being able to meet with the stake presidency. It is always great and I love the insights that are given. Also that night we had a stake Priesthood meeting. And it was really good! The focus was on strengthening families and the power and authority of the priesthood. 

The stake president likened the priesthood to a hunting bow. And I love the visual, if we are unworthy of being able to  use the priesthood, it is like drawing the bow back with an injury! Many times it can't be done and it is painful. But as we are worthy of the priesthood then we are able to use it. 

The priesthood  is such a great blessing, and I am so grateful for that! It really has blessed my life so much! I am so happy for the blessing of being able to use it, and we actually went and gave a blessing to our investigator yesterday and they are always great experiences and he said after the he felt so much better! The power of the priesthood is real and it is powerful, I know this to be true! 

All the miracles that we experienced this week really helped my testimony grow! And I am so grateful for that and all that it does for me. I know this work is true and that it is God's work. I know he is hastening it and I am so happy to be able to continue to be apart of it! I love my mission and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! 

Sweet Ride

Hope all y'all have a blessed week!

Elder Joshua V. Christensen