Hello Friends and Family,
I have learned so much from this week,
Personal study has become one of my favorite hours of the day. I'm starting to understand what Nephi meant when he said his soul delighted in the scriptures. I became engulfed in the scriptures this morning. I was reading it as if I was reading my favorite book during the climax of the plot. I can honestly say that that has never happened before. The more I study, the more I love to study. I could honestly spend the entire day studying the scriptures and feel like I had a successful day. I especially love my deep read of the Book of Mormon. I am learning so much about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I'm on 1 Nephi 15 and every chapter has taught me so much.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to any question. We all have stresses in life, and we all need to find a place where we can find rest and peace. I know that whatever toils with your mind before you go to sleep can be fixed with Jesus Christ's Atonement. You just have to read your scriptures and pray earnestly to come closer to Christ and the rest fits into place. I invite you all to experiment with the Gospel! Jump in with both feet! Be 100% Mormon for a month and watch your life change.
Heather passed her baptismal interview!! She is going to be joining Christ church on the 13th! I am so excited for her as she begins her journey to follow Christ.
Our other investigators seem to be doing pretty well. They are slowly growing in the gospel. Random things, usually the death of a loved one, keep happening that prevents them from being able to come to church, which is frustrating. There is protection at church. It is a place of rejuvenation. We had an investigator, who we had not seen in a couple weeks, decide to read the Book of Mormon. When we finally got back in contact with him he had read all the way to Alma. My companions and I were blown away!
This testimony meeting was one of the best testimony meetings I have participated in. Almost every person bore a quick 3-5min testimony on the savior and kept their remarks on Him. There were no long emotional monologs or fun experiences that had occurred over the past month. The testimonies were simple yet profound and the spirit was undeniably there.
Things I learned this week:
- Pray sincerely: In Preach My Gospel, there is a small section that goes into more detail about what we should be praying for. Two things really stood out to me. First, review your day with the Lord. Tell Him what you did and how you felt. Sometimes I open my planner and I tell him about everything that we planed. It becomes a way to hold myself accountable to the Lord. I tell him about how my day went and I tell Him about what I have planned for tomorrow. The second thing I learned is to pray with the spirit. I know it sounds silly, but you can ask god what you should be asking for. Ask for guidance in your prayers. This practice, helps conform your will to the Lords. I highly recommend studying Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel.
- Stand out: While we were out proselyting, we received a call from another companionship asking for help with a service project. We met at the edge of our boundaries in front of this mechanics shop and started to discuss what we needed to do. After a minute, he walked up to us and asked, " Are y'all gentlemen?" A little confused and flattered we all responded, "We sure do try our best to be." He then started introducing us to everyone he knew: His family, who happened to be eating lunch with him, and his fellow mechanics. We told them a bit about who we were and what we did. They were baffled to say the least. Be different. It will bring you opportunities to share the gospel.
- Contention is not the tone that resonates with the spirit. We have had a couple of really good lessons with groups of people where one or two people just are not on board and try to energetically preach their side with powerful language and volume. Instantly the spirit left. Everybody in the lesson noticed it. I'm thankful that it happened because it became a witness to the validity of our message. After a while, the preachers left and the remainders wanted to continue meeting with us.
I know this gospel is true.
I love y'all,
-Elder Shill
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