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Favorite Scripture

Alma 37:37
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Elder Mower Letter #19

Its been such an amazing few weeks overall! We have had quite a bit of referrals this week. I think that i should start off with our BEST referral! His name is Cha Yang. He is a single, Asian father of 3 teenage daughters. He worked with a very close friend who is LDS. His friends name is Gary. Cha told us that Gary called him a "dry Mormon." Basically he meant that its someone who follows pretty much the fundamental teachings of the church but is still unbaptized or "dry." He then asked us: do i have to come into your chapel for church, walk in, and shout "Hello everyone! im DRY!!!." Elder Black and I were laughing our heads off! He is a funny dude! He has also been sincerely looking for a church that fits him. He told us that every church he has been to doesn't seem right. He looks up to Gary as the best example in his life. Gary is actually the one who called Church headquarters and the Church then gave us the referral. We stopped by and he let us in immediately (this was our first initial contact with Cha). He really wants to come to our Church. We told him our purpose and he invited us back this next Sunday for dinner and not just any dinner he said that he would feed us steak, lamb, pork, etc. He's really solid and we are EXTREMELY excited to teach him!

We received other referrals that aren't near as legitimate as Cha is but we will see this week or later.

Before I go on with the work this week I will now be using a key to categorize people that we are working with from now on. Here's the key:

I = Investigator
LA = Less Active Member
RC = Recent Convert

Last Tuesday, we taught Brad Nivala (I) whose girlfriend is Jamie Nolan (LA). We gave him a spiritual thought on how the Atonement not only can redeem him from his sins but it can also heal him from his afflictions and from everything that seems to be unfair in his life, especially his financial situation. We then committed him to take the missionary lessons. We have them for dinner tonight and will be starting with the 1st discussion. Last Friday, Elder Black and I saw a HUGE change in one of our investigators. Her name is Angela. She is a Unitarian (so basically she takes the best doctrines of each Church including our beliefs about eternal families and puts it together in one religion). A member (Brother Winspear) came with us. He helped us out ALOT. He is a VERY blunt man and will tell you how it is. Before this we were thinking about dropping Angela because she thought that we were there to compare religions. So we really established our purpose along with Brother Winspear. It got a little bit heated but Brother Winspear told her to put aside her beliefs and to listen to us missionaries and pay attention to how she feels. From that point on, she listened to us and committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. HUGE change. It was either a do or die. It was a success! That was the highlight of my week. That's evidence right there as to why we should be bold in our teaching. Yes it may seem that a relationship might be on a thread after that but it may also influence them them to pay attention to the gospel. President Brigham Young once said: "If you go on a mission to preach the gospel with lightness and frivolity, looking for this and that and to learn that which is in the world, you will go and return in vain." That statement is extremely plain. But its true. It has started to push me to be more bold while loving in my teaching. I have noticed a huge difference in doing so.

Here is my spiritual thought of the week. Elder Carl B. Cook said this last general conference: " At the end of a particularly tiring day toward the end of my first week as a General Authority, my briefcase was overloaded and my mind was preoccupied with the question 'How can I possibly do this?' I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor. The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, 'What are you looking at down there?' I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson. I quickly looked up and responded, 'Oh, nothing.' But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, 'It is better to look up!' As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, 'Now, remember, it is better to look up.' sins are forgiven and burdens are lightened as we look to Christ. Let us remember him, … and not hang down our heads, for, as President Monson said, 'It is better to look up.' " We all go through tough times in life. Just because i am experiencing "the best 2 years" doesn't mean that its the perfect, care-free 2 years. I still go through MANY hard times. There are times like Elder Cook where i feel discouraged and i look down. But i promise through my mission experiences and learning that if we look up to the light, we will be ever happy. Live life to its fullest. I am only beginning to realize how short life really is in an eternal sense. Remember that it is ALWAYS better to look up. I say that in the name of our Good Master, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love Elder Mower

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