True Joy

Man this week has felt like the longest and and the shortest week ever. I don't quite know how to explain it but that is just what it feels like. Elder Damon and I have been busy. We were able to teach many lessons this week. I keep thinking about how when I was being trained Elder Toki was new to this area so he didn't know anyone either,  so we literally had no one to teach, we spent the whole time rebuilding the area. Now I get train here and the area is seeing success.  It is very excited to see the change.
 
Elder Damon is a great missionary, he is so excited to get out and work. I have seen so much growth in him just in this past week. I am excited to see where he will be at when he gets done with training. This week he has already been able to take lead on a few lessons, and he has done an amazing job. I look forward to the next 11 weeks with him.

So yesterday was another exciting Sunday for us. Florence show up to church again, as well as Deborah Davis, Evelyn Longmire, and Deborah Renfrew came with her husband! We have never taught Deborah's husband and so we are going to start working with him. The Lord is blessing this area with miracles. The best part is that we have been able to meet with all of these people multiple times last week. They are all anxiously engaged!

Deborah Davis has been doing especially well! She is just waiting to quit her smoking before she gets baptized. She has already been able to cut it in half the past week. We are so excited for her. She has such a strong desire to be baptized and will do anything she can.  She truly is following Jesus Christ as it talks about in 2 Nephi 31:10-11 

"10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son."

It is pretty simple.  Literally the only way we can follow Jesus Christ is to repent and be baptized. If we are not doing that, we are not following Jesus Christ. She has made that commitment to follow him and his example and she is doing all she can to make it to her baptism. Right now she is preparing to be baptized on September 10th. 

There are so many promised blessings of baptism but I think my favorite is in Mosiah 4:12

"12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."

After reading this it is almost a no-brainer. Why would anyone not want to rejoice and be filled with the love of God, or retain a remission of our sins? We have the wonderful privilege of spreading that joy with others. I am so grateful for it. The gospel is fun. There is nothing that brings more joy in this world than the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is so fun to talk about it all day. This gospel is true. It was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. This is Christ's church,  He is at the head and He speaks through a prophet on the earth Thomas S. Monson. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, just like the bible. I know these things are true because I have prayed and asked God. No one has brainwashed me or convinced me. I have received an answer as I have prayed. 

Elder Hallmark