Tomorrow to California!

Hey I have time to email tonight because we leave tomorrow. Heres the letter I wrote to my branch president:

 

This week I focused on the Christlike attribue of knowledge. I'm striving to achieve more knowledge about the gospel of Jesus Christ by reading the New Testament and Jesus the Christ. This has helped me add to the knowledge I already have from the Book of Mormon. As I learn more, I see the lessons I have with investigators becoming more focused.

This week in class we had to facilitate a quick lesson. Doing this helped me learn more about hungering for the scriptures. In Enos 1:4 it says that,"my soul hungered". The connection of a bodily need to a spiritual need is very interesting and clairifying. It shows that we need to hunger for the word of God just as we do for food. In 2 Nephi 9:51 it talks about feasting on the word and delighting in our spiritual fatness.
Elder Hileman and I have worked on teaching with more unity. This has led to both of our progressing investigators commiting to a baptism date. In the next week, we are making sure that before we go to bed we say one thing we like about the other person.

Like last week, I have prayed to invite the spirit. I have also tried to be diligent with my scripture study.

 

Things have been really great at the MTC! I can't say that i'm not nervous for tomorrow morning. I miss everyone a lot but my teachers were really great at they seem to believe that I'll be great. Dad I definitely want to hear more about the Egypt thing. Tell Eden I loved her card! and I got Chloes thing too! Also, I got Moms letter and Grandpas funeral program which was nice. My teachers have been really amazing. I think it's great and somewhat strange that they call 19 guys to go preach the gospel when we dont really know anything. Not only that, our teachers (Sister Hoopes and Brother Austin) are only like 24 and 22. Somehow it works out I guess. Today they told stories about their missions which made me really want to experience what they did.

 

Sister Hoopes went to Texas and she told us about her first 3 weeks. They were pretty crazy. First of all she gave away 9 Books of Mormon while in the airports she was in and like 3 of those people ended up getting baptized. They got off the plane in Dallas and her president ran by them telling her and her compainion to run! He threw their stuff in the car and started driving like 150mph on the highway. He knew that they had to go to a acertian area and they had to make it on a bus that was really far away and leaving soon. They made it and everyone on the bus was a missionary. They told her that the area she as going to was a terrible area. there hadnt been a baptism in 8 and a half years. From her apartment she could see 32 different church steeples. Long story short it was a really hard area. THe first door she knocked on, a big latino answered the door drunk and kissed her. Then they went to a baptist priest's house and the wife said to leave or her husband would kill them. They ended up getting baptized after like several crazy events. It was just inspiring I guess. I hope that I can be that in tune with the spirit to say all of the right things and be in the right places. She did bring up a good point though. That God loves his children enough to not bet their salvation on one time. does that make sense? Just because I miss a prompting doesnt mean that the person who wouldve heard the word and maybe changed their life doesnt have a chance.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how my mission goes. My mission has Compton in it which will be interesting! I just got an email with this month's key indicators(baptisms and lessons taught) so I might forward that to you too.

 

I'll write again soon! talk to you tomorrow! I'll call for a minute before I get on the plane!

 

Noah, how are your Youtube ventures going? ive been thinking about assisted living and your batman thing. Hope youre doing great.

 

Love you  all,

 

Silas