Hey all,
We've had a really good week with lots of miracles to share! So, I
hope as I share these you can catch the vision of how the Lord is
preparing people to come unto Him :) We've definitely seen it this
week...
BILLY:
The first miracle I want to share is about a guy called Billy from
Texas. Billy's a younger guy who had some seizures and ended up in the
hospital in Richmond. Well, someone (we still don't know who) called us
and asked if we could visit with him on Sunday night and give him a copy
of the Book of Mormon... not a hard thing for three Elders to do! When
we visited, he was heavily sedated and said 'what are you doing here?
I'm Muslim and don't know Mormons' ha! A little confused, we asked if we
could do anything for him; his only request was to have some Bojangles
(a southern fried chicken chain here in the States).
So, the next day, we come with our Bojangles in hand and try to
cheer him up! He was a lot more awake this time and told us that he'd
met with missionaries at home and would love to 'discuss the truth' with
us until he was discharged in a few days! And discuss we did - we felt
prompted to share the Restoration and talk about baptism and he shared
that, weeks before the seizures, he had been investigating the church
and had prayed to know if he should be baptized... he'd got an
affirmative answer but REALLY didn't want to follow through with it. He
shared that having so much time to reflect upon things had helped him
realize that God was in the 'coincidences' of life, including our
visits. There was such a sweet spirit as we bore testimony that 'whom
the Lord calls, He qualifies' and share the blessings that had come into
our lives as a result of that covenant!
Billy returned home on Saturday and, even though we'll probably
never meet again, I'm grateful for his example of doing what is right
even if it's hard to do!
JACOB:
Jacob is THE MAN - we've been teaching him since my first day in
Chippenham and we just love him to pieces! He's a very smart guy and has
a strong desire to follow God! However, he's been struggling to
understand priesthood authority and this has held him back with baptism!
Well, yesterday, we had a SWEET lesson with him and he's going to
be baptized on May 12th! We taught him how we came to know that the
priesthood has been restored and it was powerful, especially when we
drew out the line of authority the Catholics and the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints both claim! I have definitely had my
testimony strengthened of the Apostasy whilst serving as a missionary -
and I love the message of hope we share: that God has not forgotten us,
His children! Watch this space... Jacob's a great guy! :)
STAKE CONFERENCE:
We had the Midlothian Stake Conference this weekend and it was
awesome... we had Elder Jack Gerard of the Seventy visit with us. The
adult session was really cool (it focused on family) and then, before
the other session on Sunday morning, Elder Gerard requested that we
organize a 'recent convert' meeting with those that had recently joined
the church in the stake! We were lucky enough to go and it was such a
great experience! There are so many wonderful people in this area and it
was amazing to hear their individual stories - to hear how God had
directed the to the truth! I loved it! It was definitely one of the
highlights of my mission and I hope to have other opportunities to meet
such amazing and inspiring people :)
Anyway, that is me! It's been a good week - we're seeing success
and I love it! For a while, things got pretty tough for me but I really
immersed myself in the Book of Mormon and found this gem! It's in 1
Nephi 20:10...
'For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the
furnace of affliction' <3 This scripture has given me perspective and
hope in those lonely or discouraging or challenging times... I know it
can do the same for you if you really ponder the teachings contained
within :)
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