This week has been a great week. I have decided to make some changes in the way I work, and the way I view missionary work. We had interviews with President Ferrin, and he was able to give me a lot of good advice which has helped me out a lot this week. One thing I will focus on changing is to not rely on "the arm of flesh" to have success in the mission, but to be lead by the spirit. I think that for the first part of my mission I really thought that I was going to be the one to teach and baptism people, I would convert them, I would change them. But really it is the spirit. The spirit changes people, the spirit teaches. I hope that I can really put this principle into practice and really be a worthy vessel of the spirit to be able to really teach people by the spirit for the rest of my mission.
This week we taught a lot of lessons and worked really hard, but we didnt get anyone who we were teaching to church, which was sad. But J. got baptized!!! He has been going to church for about 6 months, learning from the missionaries, and going to activities, and now he is baptized. His mom was very supportive (although she wont let us baptize her) and she bought him a suit and about 15 nonmembers came to watch the baptism. He was baptized by a member in our ward who growing up was always like an uncle to him. It was a very emotional time, and he left the water with tears in his eyes. It was a very beautiful baptism.
This week our goal is to teach 60 lessons. I think it´s possible. We taught 43 this week, and we could have done better I think. We are really having fun, I think. I think we can baptize every single week. This area is great, and the members are so helpful. We don”t have to go far away from the church building to find people to teach, so we are able to teach a lot of people really close together, which is great. We have a baptism lined up for this week, so we are focusing on bringing a lot of people to church so we can keep baptizing every week.
I really like being a ''senior" companion. It is a great opportunity to learn, serve and grow. We are having very meaningful studies every morning, and I am learning so much. Its awesome. I learn a lot from Elder R. He is so excited to work and teach and baptize. We are going to do miracles here, I just know it. We are going to rely on the strength of the Lord to help us.
So thank you so much for the package!!! I got to eat delicious Alfredo pasta every morning for breakfast this week!!! hahaha, and I have loved the stickers for my scriptures, the Higley Knights bracelets, and the church magazines. I love the Ensign, new era and friend. I miss it. You guys need to feast upon the writing of the prophets and the scriptures. We live in such a battlefield, we are truly in Enemy territory, and we are the Light houses for the world. As members of the church, you cannot fall, or should not fall. Build your testimony, repent and be your best self, because you don”t know how many people are looking to you, and if you fall, 10 other people might fall. Or people will use your inadequacy to justify their own sins. We are the light of the world. The salt of the world. Be different, be a light.
I just got your emails, sounds like a MILLION changes are happening. haha, from Barrak Obama being president to our house changing, possibly our ward to me in my mission and how I am working. Change is a critical time. It can be good or bad, but we know that with the Lord ALL change can be good. To make change a good thing is truly a Godly quality. Joseph in Egypt passed change after change after change and he always remained true, pure and stalwart to God, and the change always brought with it growth and brought him closer to God. We can make change good, when we are sold into slavery we can overcome it and turn it into a good thing. Just be true. "And should we die before our journey's through, Happy day! All is well! We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell!" Pray for strength, read the scriptures, and be prepared to take the sacrament weekly.
Elder Halls
