Good morning! We've had yet another great week!
Big news: Reatha is for sure getting baptized on the 14th! We scheduled the building and everything! This is my first experience doing all of the teaching of someone and seeing them baptized! It's super awesome.
Our investigator Jeremy also agreed to be baptized on May 28th, and we're pumped about that too.
About two weeks ago we had a really poorly delivered lesson with him. Multiple factors played into the bad lesson, but needless to say it was rough. The Spirit was not present, we were teaching something that had nothing to do with his needs... It was a wreck.
That being said, after A LOT of repenting and preparation we returned again and taught him and ever since then the lessons we've had have been incredible! The spirit has guided us to speak what was necessary and the change in his life has been huge! That's a common factor with him and Reatha/Dan. All 3 keep talking about how happy they've been and what a difference they've seen in their life.
Other than that however, we didn't get to do a ton of real missionary work. We did SOOOO much service. So many weeds, and we had to clean out this mother in law house for a member of the ward who is letting other people move into it. It was filthy. No one has been in it for like 10 years. But we got it looking pretty good.
We're in the war chapters as a mission in the Book of Mormon, so that's been fun. Something that has stood out to me in this reading is how the help of the Lord came. Rarely did the Lord just out of nowhere turn the tides of losing battles (Although he has). He doesn't destroy the Lamanites with pillars of fire. Rather, he gives revelation of preparation to Moroni. Whether it's preparation with armor, or building forts, Moroni remains faithful. At times he seeks guidance from leaders (such as Alma), but however he receives it, he puts preparation into play to protect from the ever attack Lamanites.
Think about the implications for today! The Lord knew when the economic crisis was coming. Rather than sending manna from heaven during the crisis to keep the saints alive, the Prophets/Apostles commanded us to get Food Storage. The Lord know's that there will be times of crisis in our Testimony. When these times happen, it may be easy for us to look for a miracle, some grand sign to reaffirm our doubts. There are times when the Lord will answer these prayers, but I have found (at least in my experience) that ESPECIALLY in Testimony, he is a God of preparation, rather than a God of 'Parting the Red Sea when we feel we need it'. He asks us to read, pray, pay attention to small miracles and go to Church. Our testimony turns into conversion, and we find ourselves firmly planted on the Rock of Christ.
So when people around us take the attitude of Zerahemnah: "Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you."
We can take the attitude of Moroni: "But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us... And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.
"Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."
Well, I apologize that this was so long, but I love you all!
Church is true!
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