This has been and amazingly interesting week. It started off amazing
with a lesson with Emily and Charles on Monday night. We finished
going over the plan of salvation and afterwards we invited them both
to be baptized. Emily was all for it, she has a testimony of this
gospel already, but Charles was a little hesitant. He said he had
already been baptized before and felt it was right. We went over again
how the priesthood authority is what makes the difference, and invited
him to pray about it and ask God if he should be baptized. He said he
would because he wanted to do what God wanted him to do. We invited
them to get on their knees right then and pray about it. As we got on
our knees and Charles began to pray I heard the most sincere prayer I
have ever heard in my life, as he pleaded with God to put him on the
right path and let him know if this is right. It brought tears to my
eyes as I listened to this child of God pray to his father in heaven
with a humble desire to follow him. I know he heard his prayer and I
know he loves us. Heavenly Father is desirous for all of his children
to return to live with him again. One of my favorite quotes by Jeffrey
R. Holland says "whenever we reach out for him, no matter how feebly,
we discover he has been anxiously trying to reach us." Our next lesson
with them is Thursday and I am so excited.
So this week some other elders in our district have been living with
us in our 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. It has been a little crammed
to say the least. One of the pipes in their apartment busted and it
won't be fixed until Wednesday. Fortunately these Elders are
awesome and so it hasn't been too bad here. It has been pretty fun.
But I will definitely be ready to go back to only sharing a bathroom
with 1 other elder instead of 3. Lol
A fun experience we were able to have this week was some service we
were able to do for one of our members sister brown. She had someone
recently cut down a tree in her back yard and she needed that wood
split for firewood. Elder Toki and I were excited to help her not just
because we love helping her but because it was also the first time we
have ever chopped wood. When we got there we were in for a rude
awakening because it was the thickest oak tree I have ever seen and
little did I know that oak was one of the hardest woods there is. We
soon found out after our axes bounced off the top of the wood the
first couple of swings. We finally had to use a wedge and a
sledgehammer to split the logs. It was definitely a long day of work
but we enjoyed it a lot.
On Wednesday we had dinner with a family in our ward, the Bradshaw's.
They are so awesome. After wards Brother Bradshaw showed us his
library where he had whole bookshelves of books from the late 1700's
and early 1800's. I was so amazed! The coolest thing he had though was
a football in a glass case with a bunch of signatures. When I asked
him who it was signed by he said it was signed by the 1987 super bowl
champion, the San Francisco 49er's. With signatures from Joe Montana
and Jerry Rice. I was very impressed.
Well that has pretty much been my week. We have been visiting a lot of
less actives recently because we are trying to strengthen the ward. So
we haven't been able to find as many investigators this week. We have
been meeting a lot with the bishopric and ward council to see how we
can better serve them and strengthen their classes and quorums. I have
felt the trust grow tremendously with them this past week as we have
been doing those things. I love our ward and the people in it. Elder
Toki and I's only goal is to leave this ward stronger than when we
first came here. That includes bringing in new members and
strengthening the ones that are already here. As Jesus's councils us
in the book of Luke 22:32 "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith
fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." It is
far more sad to see someone who had the truth and deny it than to see
someone who hasn't heard the truth and deny it." Those people know the
pure joy that comes from the gospel. I don't know why anyone would
want to leave that. This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. Jesus Christ is at the head. This is His church. He leads it
and guides through a living prophet we have on the earth, Thomas S.
Monson. How blessed we are. To be able to hear a prophet of the Lord
speak in these tumultuous times. When the world seems to be so
confused. I love you all.
Elder Hallmark
Elder Toki and I after Service.
Here is the books from 1700's and 1800's
Here is the football signed by the 1987 San Francisco 49er superbowl team
Going Paul Bunyan with these sledge hammers
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