Feeling the spirit work through you

Hello friends and family!

This last week was a great one.  I have learned a lot about humility and allowing the spirit to work through you.  There were a couple of days (Thursday and Friday) that I specifically felt I was literally just a tool, and that it was the spirit that was directing every thought, word, and move that I made.  We just had lesson after lesson.  When our original plan didn't work out, we were guided somewhere else where we were able to teach and testify and share a message from our Savior Jesus Christ.  We had some powerful lessons with investigators and returning members (less actives).

The investigators we are teaching most right now are [a man and his wife] and [a young adult man].  I love [this couple].  They are wonderful people with big hearts and a desire to do what's right and follow Jesus Christ.  We've met with them 3 times in the last week and they came to sacrament meeting yesterday!  It was such a happy feeling to see them walk up to the church building, and even greater when one of our recent converts walked right up to them, gave them both big hugs, and opened her arm towards the opened door exclaiming, "Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Where everyone is welcome!"  She then walked them inside and up to the second row in the chapel to sit with her.  She even told some other members to go say hi to them!  Ah, talk about feeling so happy and blessed to witness such a wonderful sight....that is how it is supposed to be. :)  We visited them after church and they said they enjoyed the service.  We will be meeting with them again this week so hopefully we can help them to continue to progress and fully understand the fullness of the gospel.  There is still work to be done and lessons to be learned, but they are doing the things they need to do, so at the right time I believe they will accept the fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

[The young adult man we are teaching] is actually the son of [that recent convert sister], and he is about our age.  When Sister Benjamin and her previous companion were teaching [his mom], he would go into the other room.  Slowly over time he has stayed, payed attention, participated in lessons, and now we are teaching him.  At the end of our lesson with him yesterday he said that it was all his mother's plan - that she set it up.  We laughed and told him that she hadn't set anything up and he said, "yes she set this up, she prayed...."  I totally believe that :)  I have such strong belief in the prayers of a family member for another - especially the prayers of a parent for a child.  It reminds me of the story of Alma and his son, Alma the younger.  My favorite part of Alma the younger's conversion story is when the angel says to him, "Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father..."  I know that there is power in prayer, and I believe that there is a special power that comes when a parent prays for their child.

[The lesson with this man] was one of those lessons on Thursday where the spirit just flowed and suddenly I was asking him that as he felt that the things we taught him were true, would he follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God.  He sat for a minute and pondered.  Then he said, "yes...yes I would.  It makes sense that if you want to follow Christ, you would do what he did."  The spirit was strong.  We haven't set a date with him yet, but on Sunday we finally were able to get him to commit to coming to institute for 2 weeks and then come to church.  He has had a fear of coming to church because of a past experience and because he says he doesn't want to disappoint the Lord by coming once and then not going back.  But he's decided he will :)  He is making progress and is reading from the Book of Mormon and the Restoration pamphlet we've given him.  It's awesome :)

We've also had success in getting in contact with some returning members.  Some don't have interest in us teaching them or in coming back, but we have found one couple that we absolutely love. . . .  I love the [this couple]!  (awesome side note: [this brother] looks like Iron man.  He just has a little more silver hair (:  It took me a while to figure out who he reminded me of, but that's who it is!  Iron man.)  It took us a couple weeks to get a time where both of our schedules lined up, but we met with the two of them for the first time on the evening of my birthday and talked with them for about an hour and a half.  They haven't been to church in a long time, but they still have their testimonies and their faith.  We met with them again on Friday and they said they would come to church on Sunday...and they did!  Sadly they only stayed for sacrament meeting, but they came!  We will be seeing them again this week and I'm excited.  They are awesome people! :)

We really have been so blessed here.  Yesterday there were 5 investigators in church and at least 3 returning members.  The whole time I've been here we've had 0-1 investigators in church, and 0-1 returning members.  Yesterday was a boom.  I know there are many things that go into that happening, but I do believe that the Lord blessed us because we have become more ready to handle new people.  What I mean by that is the ward members and the missionaries have come more together and are caring more and more about the members we do have and taking action to strengthen them.  This ward has improved so much, even before I got here.  We are spiritually "digging up heaps of earth round about" and putting up "works of timbers" and causing "towers to be erected" in preparing the Shreveport ward to be a stronghold, as talked about in Alma 50:1-6.  The Lord won't help us to find new people if we won't take care of those we already have.  It is the same with His word - the Lord won't give us more if we won't treasure up what we've already been given.  That is a principle I have been learning.  We have a responsibility to take care of what we already have.  The Lord likely won't bless us with new people to bring into the gospel if we aren't already taking care of those around us who are.  Please do your home and visiting teaching.  Reach out in love and strengthen the area you are in.  Fulfill your calling and accept the opportunities given to you to serve.  As we do that I know we will be blessed to find others who are searching for the truth and "know not where to find it." (Doc. & Cov. 123:12)

This is the Lord's work and I know that as we focus on Him, we will feel the spirit work through us and we will find ourselves being blessed to witness the fruits of His work in those around us, and in ourselves.  I love you all!  May THE force be with you!