Dear Family,
Here
is the report of this week. We had such an awesome lesson with K and
his family. We just talked about the atonement and it was really
powerful. There is a slight problem with this situation. K is really shy
and quiet so it is hard to put him on the spot in front of his family,
especially because they are dying for him to get baptized. We are going
to try and catch him alone and see what he is really feeling. Brother B
is doing a great job fellowshipping him. He took them to the temple
visitor's center yesterday and he said that they had a great
experience. We will keep praying that we will be able to work our way
in and officially start teaching him. By the way, check your Facebook
page, Mom. K's wife (who got baptized in February) sent you a message.
Also, did you get a picture from somebody else in the ward? Sister
Matthews said that she sent one.
We
asked the elders quorum president about his wife. He said that she has
been through the lessons meany many times. She is most likely going to
get baptized when her parents pass away because they are super strong in
their Romanian church. She believes it is true and comes to church most
of the time, but that is what we are waiting on. We actually ran into
her today at Winco, so it was good to talk to her for a bit. K (the one
dating the member) came to church again! We talked to G who is the older
brother of the boyfriend and he said that they are going to invite K's
parents to dinner and they will talk about it then. I will definitely
keep you updated. I am not sure about the foster kid rule or not. I know
you have to have parental consent, but if the biological parents do
consent,I don't know if foster kids would be allowed to be baptized or
not. I guess we will see. Patience is definitely a virtue.
We
had a cool experience this week. A member from a different ward in the
stake referred us to a couple named S and H. We met them Saturday night
and they are in a really humble situation. Their time was winding down
in a dumpy little motel, so they might actually be on the streets right
now. They have seven children, but only three of them live with them. We
invited them to church and they said they would come (yeah right) and
then they actually came! It was sweet! They stayed for all three
meetings. Their kids went to primary and everything. They are pumped
about coming next week. they even met with the bishop. The only possible
concern is how sincere they are. I am pretty sure that they are
sincere, but the church deals with a lot of people that want to take
advantage of the church's welfare system. Hopefully that is not a
barrier. I have no idea if I will ever see them again, but God will
provide a way to help them.
Thanks
for the update from home! I wish I could've been there for Christian's
homecoming. It sounds like it was really powerful. I took for granted
the musical talent of Billy Beard, Melanie Moulton, and Brian Ashton. I
haven't heard a musical number out here that even compares to the music
that I have heard from them. So enjoy it! Thanks for the football
scores. Typical Browns. I would cheer for anyone playing against Shelley
EXCEPT for Sugar. That is a bummer. Snake River sounds like they are
pretty good this year. Hopefully the Redskins can bounce back and finish
strong.
Thank
you so much for the package! The shoes were in much need. I will send
my old ones home soon. I also loved all the sweets (notice the past
tense). Most of all, I am so thankful for the love and support that I
receive from my family. I have met some people here that have loved me a
lot, but nobody has loved me like my family has and I am so grateful
for that.
Elder
Wilson sang a solo in sacrament meeting yesterday. He was so pumped. It
was actually really good. I am usually not a fan of solos, but I felt
the spirit as he sang. I also gave a talk! I would get you a copy except
that I don't write my talks down anymore. I have a bunch of bullet
points and things to help me remember what to say. So I was asked to
talk about missionary work (surprise!). I started off by talking about
why we do missionary work. It's not about bringing people into the
church getting sort of temporal reward. It is about bringing people to
Christ. The church helps, but receiving saving ordinances by the
priesthood is why we do missionary work. I talked abut having the faith
to find. I shared Alma 16:16-17. I also gave a disc golfing analogy. One
time, Elder Martin threw a disc into a giant patch of blackberries. We
looked and looked. We were getting all scratched up and going to extreme
lengths to find this disc, because we knew it was in there somewhere.
It is the same with finding people. If we know they are there, we look
hard. If we don't, then we we will not look very hard. Then I shared an
experience I had with one of my friends from home. I can't remember if I
told you about this or not. Whenever I would think of people to pray
for, her name would come up a lot at the beginning of my mission.
Eventually I started praying for the missionaries in her area that they
would be able to find her and help her out. Well soon after that, I got
an email from her telling me that some missionaries helped her bring in
some groceries and then they talked for a while. She shared how much she
loved talking with them and how her life is changing for the better. It
was such a cool experience and I have a huge testimony now of God
answering prayers. Then I testified that there are people in the
Ridgefield area that have family members and friends that are praying
for somebody to reach out to them. That was pretty much the gist of it. I
love missionary work. I know that God is preparing people to hear the
gospel, long before we ever talk to them.
Thanks for the email. Sorry for such a long reply:) I love you all and I hope you have a great week.
Love,
Jaxon
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