13 of 13

So today I officially started my 13th transfer. The final one. It's too weird. I say it every single week but it remains true...time goes by so fast! Anyway this week has been a pretty good one.
We had a really good lesson with our investigator about the gift of the Holy Ghost and
why he would want that and such. He is so funny. He still thinks he was baptized by the proper authority, but he recognizes that he never received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Silly guy. So we talked about that and tried to help him see that he needs that gift and all the blessings that come from
having that gift. So it went really well. We got the calendar down and had him write down some days that stood out to him so that he can pray about them to see if there is a day earlier than November 1st that he would be baptized. However, he did make one commitment at least. He said that he
would get baptized no later than November 1st, but that it could be earlier. So that is good :) He has been coming to church and staying for all three hours so that is great also. He also fed us dinner this week. It was the cutest thing. He stared at the signup sheet in church for like 20 minutes and then wanted to take us to Denny's. Cutest thing ever. 

This week we have continued to knock on many doors. We are trying to clean out the area book and also help the ward by cleaning up the records. We have 1200 people in the ward and not even 200 come. Soooo we are trying to find out if people still live there and if not, send their records off. So
that keeps us busy as well. We have found a few less active people that are willing to have us come
back and would like to come to church...however, they don't have a vehicle.Story of this area. Everyone needs a ride. Anyway so we are trying to help them the best we can. 

We also were able to teach a lesson yesterday to a guy we helped move at the beginning of this last transfer. We were finally able to have a good lesson with him. It went really well! He texted us earlier this week about Joseph Smith because he had been researching him on the internet...so that made us really nervous, but when we taught the Restoration, it went really well and he accepted things rather well! He truly wants to find answers. He is a little older and has a hard time accepting a modern day
prophet, but he has a desire to find out. So that is what matters! He is super nice and can relate to Joseph Smith a lot about trying to find truth and answers. It went really well :) 

On Sunday I did an impromptu musical number. Well, I accompanied someone. A girl had a talk and her fiance came and they both sang a song as part of her talk. So she asked me right before sacrament if I could play....good thing it was just "As I Have Loved You". They switched few things up a little bit so I just had to make a copy of the song so I could write on it and not forget the things they were switching up! But it went well :) 

Lastly, we had a huge meeting this week with Brother Randall (from the missionary department) and Elder Malm (from the Second Quorum of the Seventy). It was about how we are restarting the online proselyting and finding better ways to use our "devices" (ipads). So the trial missions are over and they are producing books and rules for how to use these things efficiently. It was a really good meeting. In case you didn't notice, I won't use Facebook on my mission ever again because from now one, when missionaries come in they will be doing a 12 week preparation/training before they use facebook and such. So because of that, we all have to receive that training and "restart". So I will be home before that training is finished. So that was a bummer because I was learning how to use it so
effectively and was always busy! haha. Oh well. It was a great meeting and they honestly didn't talk much about how we can better use facebook or our ipads. It was mostly on the Plan of Salvation and also about how this is going to prepare this generation and teach them how to be "sin-resistant" and know how to use technology effectively and so that the plague of pornography can be ended. It was all about preparing to have transparency and honesty in your marriage and such. It was really good. 

So my two spiritual thoughts come from the last two paragraphs above this. First...cultivate your "talents" or things you have learned. Man, I wish I was better at the piano because I seem to always have to stretch myself and it freaks me out every time because I don't feel prepared. Second, YOU were sent here at this time because God can trust you. He knew that his work would be hastening and he put us on the team and chose us to come at this time so that we could be a part of that. He trusts us to help build up his kingdom and to use the tools he has given us in the right way. Elder Malm
talked about how we don't need devices to hasten the work. The work would hasten without it, but we are able to use this to better help ourselves as well. You are sent to the mission you are sent to, in order to become the men and women of integrity that God wants you to be. You could apply that
to anything really. You are sent to this earth, or this family, or this town, or this job..etc...to become the person that God wants you to be. This life is short and the decisions we make now will affect our
eternities. So be wise! Work hard to do what God wants you to do and to help others. It will all be worth it in the end. 

Today I was reading in Ether about the Jaredites and when they crossed the ocean. They were in barges for nearly a YEAR! A YEAR!!! Can you imagine being in an enclosed barge with food, animals, and people for nearly a year...being tossed back and forth, not having fresh air all the time, and not being able to cook food? Ya that would be a huge TRIAL. So many trials probably came just from the one initial trial of traveling across the ocean for that long. Yet, they praised God day and night the whole time. And when they reached the promised land, they fell to their knees in humility and poured out their hearts to God in GRATITUDE for the many TENDER MERCIES he had bestowed upon then. Are you kidding me!? Tender mercies! If it was me I would probably say, "man! Thank you so much! It's about time I get to this land!" I mean, I would hope that I could respond as they did, but that really just impressed me at how much faith they had. They found the positives always and were grateful for the little blessings and tender mercies that God gave them each day. So when you are stuck in a trial for what seems like FOREVER, just remember Jaredites and follow their example. I mean hey, it could be worse. You could be stuck in a smelly barge with limited food for a year with sicknesses, diseases, and such. You can make it through anything with God's help. And what impressed me the most was the verse that talks about how God made the winds blow furiously toward the promised land continuously. So no matter what you encounter or go through,
though it may be stormy and windy, you can trust that God is continually "blowing you toward the promised land" and leading you. No matter what happens, everything will work together for your good. I loved that. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week! :)