Dear Family and Friends,
This week I conducted a lot of self-introspection and was able to learn a great deal. On Tuesday, Elder Grant and I went on exchanges with the K1 district. I worked in a Tri-panionship with Elder Phiri and Fiagbedzi in my old area and we had a blast. Being with them without the truck reminded me of how much I miss walking and talking to people as we move between appointment and appointment. As I worked with them, I was able to witness first hand how obedience brings blessings. They did not waste a single minute of the Lord's time, and assuming they do this everyday, it is why the Lord has blessed them with so much success. I respect both of these Elders so much and I'm grateful for their example of selfless service to one another and others around them and their diligence.
On Thursday, Elder Grant and I had a great companionship study and were able to have a discussion of why things earlier in the week weren't going as well as we wanted them too. We set a few goals and re-committed ourselves to exact obedience. Elder Grant spent his entire personal study on obedience and shared this helpful insight: Obedience is the first law of heaven. When we are called on our missions, all we are really asked to do is be obedient. Yes, there is a little more to missionary work than that, but when it comes down to it, the teaching, the finding, the service, all comes down to our obedience to our Heavenly Father's and how much we really love them. I think Elder Grant and I realized we were looking beyond the mark a little and were more concerned about why our investigators weren't progressing and were too focused on trying to be an example, but after we simplified everything, we have been having a better time. We know that all that matters is controlling the things that we can control and that exact obedience will bring the miracles that will move the work in our area forward.
Something that Elder Grant and I have begun to try is using the Book of Mormon in all of our finding situations. This means that whether we are street contacting, tracting, or whatever, when talking to people whether talking about the Plan of Salvation or the Restoration, we would always refer back to the Book of Mormon and show them a copy and invite them to learn more about it by inviting them to church or by allowing us to come visit them. You wouldn't believe how well this has worked. People are beginning to become genuinely interested in the message we have for them and there have been people who have literally begged us to leave them a copy. We know that the Book of Mormon has great power and it truly testifies of the Savior and that it brings people closer to him than any other book in the world.
Going back to the thoughts about obedience, I was pondering if I really truly do love the Savior Jesus Christ. I was thinking about it during my personal study and spent a lot of time pondering. I was thinking about his works, his example, his teachings, and towards the end of my study I came to this overwhelming conclusion: Yes I do. I know this because I aspire to be like him and follow his example of selfless love towards others. I work to improve my teaching skills to become a better teacher like he was. I try to be as bold as him in the face of adversity. I love Jesus Christ with all my heart and because of this I will never stop trying to become better through his Atonement.
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