Sept 25, 2012 Hunter, Rylin and Landon

This morning I woke up with such gratitude in my heart for the opportunity that the Lord has blessed us with.  Elder Whiting and I are loving the opportunities we are having to serve others, teach and watch them grow.  It seems like it is different everyday.  Yesterday on our preparation day we made several loaves of whole wheat bread, banana bread, and apricot nut bread.  Whenever we go out to visit members we always take something for them.  They open their homes to us and we open our hearts.

Over the weekend we had Rob White and his wife and grandaughter come up from Richmond.  The Elders originally taught Rob, but his wife would have nothing to do with the Gospel.  Her father is a Pentacostal minister, and they have attended that church since they were married.  It has been hard for her.  But the Bishop in Richmond took Rob under his wing and cared a bout him and spent much time with him.  He gained a testimony and then came upon the scene.  We first met Rob at his baptism when Elder Whiting and I were ask to be the speakers.  It was a wonderful opportunity and we all felt the spirit very strongly.  Since that time we have met with Rob many times and continued to teach him the doctrine.  Also Elder Whiting always made it a point to set by him in Gospel Principles and was sure that he understood what was being taught. 

So they were here for a wedding over the weekend.  It was such a great reunion!!  Besides us being here, the two Elders that first taught him are here in Lafayette right now in different companionships.  Rob and Janet and Taylor all went to church with us and we had four Elders and Janet, Rob, and Taylor over for dinner afterwards.  it was crowded in our little apartment, but we all loved it.  I took Janet and another investigator to Relief Society with me and it was also a wonderful lesson.  With our Sacrament subject of, Prophets, and our Relief Society lesson about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, it was a complete day.  The teacher ask me if I would bear my testimony of Joseph Smith, which I did.  Everyone was very friendly to our new people.  So that was our wonderful weekend!

Yesterday afternoon, after our preparation day baking, we visited three of the people whom we are working with and teaching.  Hunter, Rylin, and :Landon are ages 9, 11, and 13.  Their mother was baptized as a teenager, and their father is not a member.  We also had their Aunt Jennifer and two younger children there, sl we had a house full.  it was a great discussion.  Last week when we taught them the overview of the plan of salvation, they did really good and could take us all through it with our visuals before we left.  But we realized they really did not understand who God and Jesus Christ really were.  In praying about it, we decided to go back to the Bible and teach them what the Bible was and what it taught.

In teaching them a thumbnail version of the creation, it came up that Hunter had been learning at school that there was no  creation, but scientoloy and science and how everything just happened.  It was a great opportunity to help him understand how the creation occured.  Then we taught them about a few of the Old Testament prophets and their stories.  We ended by teaching them about prayer and how the Prophets prayed for answers to their prayers, and how we can also receive answers.  Then we ask them if they would like to learn how to pray.  They were really excited about that.  So we reviewed and talked about prayer and how they could find out if the things that we taught were true.  We also talked about the feelings that they might feel.  what a great opportunity.   The spirit was very strong.

We left and went to the Isenbargers, a young couple attending Purdue University.  What a sweet young couple.  We left them with our five minute message about the lessons  that we have in the Book of Mormon.  Then we traveled to Melody's home where we taught her the New member lessons.  It was such a good feeling to be able to share our feelings and testimony of the Gospel with others and feel that we can make a difference when we are carrying with us the spirit.  For that I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father.