This time of the year is so fun and although it takes a little extra focus, the spirit is soo strong. Last night we were at a members house and they are an older couple named the pinkertons. He is our ward mission leader and she is just a sweet heart haha. But we were sharing a lesson with them and she just starts baring her testimony about the spirit that we bring especially at this time of year and she jsut started crying and it was just really touching. She said some really nice things about us and she just kept saying that we, the missionaries, are what bring that real spirit of thanksgiving and christmas. It's all about the Savior. It was really cool last night.
This week was pretty awesome though, last monday was crazy, one of our recent converts girlfriends took 40 tylenols! So we spent quite some time last week at the hospital with her and just making sure everything was okay. It was actually a real blessing taht we were there, beacuse if she didn't get treated she definitly would have died. I know that heavenly father was really looking out for her by letting us be with her boyfriend at the time, chris, who said something was up with her and that's why we went over.
it was a super quick week just because we had a mid week p-day with thanksgiving! But we taught some great lessons and i got to go on splits with the zone leaders whooaa i was kind of nervous but it went great! Um we taught the son of one of our recent investigators and he has got a date for the 11th of december which is great and we finalyl made contact with this family called the Villalobos family. They are incredble and when president macdonald drove past their house he said he had a revelation that Francisco, the dad, would be a stake president someday! We have been working with him on and off since i got here and even before me so it's a slow process but we know he will be baptized and really help the church grow especially in this area. Some big news this week too is that the branch here is going to be split and we are gonna put it in south salem where there is a huge growing spanish membership. It's cool to see the long term goals of it all where we are planning on having the first spanish stake in the northwest over the next few years. It's really cool to be apart of this.
Thanksgiving was great though. We still got up and did our normal morning schedule for the most part and then had the turkey bowl! it was crazy though mom, cause just where i was in the book of mormon, i read taht part about Jesus weeping for the faith of the nephites. It was so random that i read it on that day and i didn't plan it or anything! When you wrote it to me, i didn't even know what chapter that was in 3 nephi and so i just thought it was a real blessing to be able to read that on thanksgiving morning and really feel the spirit of it. The turkey bowl was awesome haha we got sooo muddy, i will send you pictures. it seriously was just a mud bath it was like playing in soup and it was actually a pertty nice day even though it has been soo cold lately. it just gets really icey over here! But we played for a while and then the hard part was getting home in our car haha it was so nasty but we made it.
Then we went up to the villalobos just to kick it for a little bit and watch the first half of a soccer game that puertas had on dvd. It was alright, but still fun. Then we went to our thanksgiving lunch! Ohh man we feasted! It was fun to just be with a family, their name is the weidmans. Everything was soo good and we just ate till we were stuffed and then had some pumpkin pie (not nearly as good as mine and grandmas :)). It was nice thoguh to just be able to kick it all day. We played som eguitar and hung out and just relaxed. We went over the the sandoval family's hosue and then during the night to the ramirez family who was just baptized. It was way fun and we finished the soccer game that we started while just lying on the couch with one of their little kitty cats on my stomach haha! Then we went home at like 8:30 and just planned real quick and layed aroudn talking with us four spanish missionaries. That was pretty much thanksgiving for us, and it was really a great day!
Then on friday , puertas asked me to teach for like 25 minutes at district meeting with elder kaumaitotoya (from fiji). it was really cool actually, i taught about having the holy ghost as a 3rd companion. it was really cool preparing for it becvause i felt that as i turned myself so much to prayer to ask for guidance on behalf of the two districts that we meet with, heavenly father guided me through the scriptures and old notes to the places where i needed to be and study. It was really cool to see how much i learned as i tried to study on the behalf of all these other missionaries and not for myself. I need to really develop that ability more by studying better for our investigators. But it went really well and i felt really good when we taught, it was just a fun experience even though i was super nervous to teach with everyone there. Then after meetings and things, we went on splits. I went with Elder Bruton and Puertas went with elder newman. they are the zone leaders in charge of 4 districts made up of like 6-8 missionaries each. So they are pretty good duded and i was jtu excited to learn from them and see what i could apply to my own work.
In our first lesson in "spanglish" we set a date with Alejandro (the son of our recent converts). He was pretty open about it even though it's pretty soon. The guy is awesome and shared some realy cool experiecnes that he had reading the book of mormon. Just when he was reading about king benjamin in mosiah and he prophesied of the coming of Jesus Christ, alejandro said he felt soething really good inside and he coudln't really explain it but it was so noticable and it was just a good feeling haah he couldn't really explain but it was awesome to know that his testimony is really coming! What a blessing that was. Then we went and taught an older couplei n english who had never realyl prayed before other than rote prayers so we helped them break out of just reciting something memorized and Max, the husband, was really into it. He said it just makes more sense to say what is close and [personal to us when we talk to heavenly father. it just means more to me, because wheni say the memorized prayers, i don't even think about what i'm saying. He was really into it but she was a little more idfficult. That was great thjough and then we taught another lesson with the ramirez family taht night and they are just always fun to be around so that was cool. Then in the morning somehting really cool happened. Elder bruton was telling me how impressed he was with all of us spanish missionaries and how they never really had to worry about us, but he said our apartment could use some work (like i didn't know already =) ). But he said he had an awesome experience in the shower. He said while he was in there he was thinking about us, and he said he had a personal revelation for us, and he said that he had never had words come so clearly to his mind for other missionaries, but he said that if we would clean and maintiain our apartment, we would get 1 more baptism than we would have otherwise. Wow taht is pretty awesoem! So we have some major cleaning to do today hahah! But taht was really cool and it was just nice to be able to get to know the Zone leaders a little more personally and learn from their great teaching skills and testimonies.
In my studies i have been tearing apart the chapters in 3 nephi where Jesus Christ is amongst them. They are so incredible, i feel like everyday i just have pages and pages of thoguhts and notes and just cool things that i'm learning. Here are some awesome verses i found in 3 nephi:19
25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his acountenance did smile upon them, and the light of his bcountenance did cshine upon them, and behold they were as dwhite as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.
28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast apurified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.
29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me aout of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
I dont' know what it was about them but they just really touched me. I love in 25 when The savior smiles down upon the people and it says their countenance was as white as Jesus'. I think it is so important that we strive to do what the savior asks and follow his example that we may bare his countenance to others. So that when others just look at us, they can tell there is something difference. I truly believe that as we are obedient and faithful, that we take upon ourselves The countenance of Jesus Christ and we may bring his spirit with us wherever we go through a smile or a laugh or a helping hand.
Then in 28 and 29 how it says and Jesus prayed for them. I love the thought of Jesus Christ praying for me individually. If i'm having a hard time, i imagine him praying on my behalf, pleading with Heavenly Father to help me through whatever it is i'm struggling with. And the same for you. Imagine YOUR Savior, pleading on your behalf, praying that you might have the faith to go on, or the strength, or the health, or the confidnece, or whatever you need. And then in 29 too when he says i pray not for the world, but for those you have given me out of the world, beacuse of their faith. In all seriousness, the world is a pretty nasty place. it is beautifull and lovely but there is so much wickedness that goes on, that it's easy to get sucked in. it is our strongest effort to become those who Heavenly Father sees as being "out of the world". That is our goal that we maintain or develop or even just begin to have Faith in Jesus Christ. He is pulling for us, even praying for us, and wants to smile upon us and let his countenance show through us. But first we must have faith, and take ourselves out of the world that takes us away from the Savior. I feel so lucky to have this time now to give up even things that are hard. Even if in the back of my head i want my ipod with me or a cell phone to text friends, I am so blessed to get this opportunity to let it all go, and just focus on what is important and that is others, coming unto christ, developing this faith, and countenance that christ has.
I have to run now though, this last week was awesome and this coming one will be even better. I'm so thankful for all of you. my family, friends, loved ones, leaders, and aquaintances. i'm thankful for everyone who has helped me become who i am now and for the love and support i get every week. It really makes being amissionary a lot easier. I love you all so much and know this church is true. We are so blessed to have a prophet on the earth today that leads and guides us, and the scriptures really are for us! We can find any answer we are looking for within the scriptures. i know that the book of mormon is true.
I love you soo much!
love elder edwards
In my studies i have been tearing apart the chapters in 3 nephi where Jesus Christ is amongst them. They are so incredible, i feel like everyday i just have pages and pages of thoguhts and notes and just cool things that i'm learning. Here are some awesome verses i found in 3 nephi:19
25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his acountenance did smile upon them, and the light of his bcountenance did cshine upon them, and behold they were as dwhite as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.
28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast apurified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.
29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me aout of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
I dont' know what it was about them but they just really touched me. I love in 25 when The savior smiles down upon the people and it says their countenance was as white as Jesus'. I think it is so important that we strive to do what the savior asks and follow his example that we may bare his countenance to others. So that when others just look at us, they can tell there is something difference. I truly believe that as we are obedient and faithful, that we take upon ourselves The countenance of Jesus Christ and we may bring his spirit with us wherever we go through a smile or a laugh or a helping hand.
Then in 28 and 29 how it says and Jesus prayed for them. I love the thought of Jesus Christ praying for me individually. If i'm having a hard time, i imagine him praying on my behalf, pleading with Heavenly Father to help me through whatever it is i'm struggling with. And the same for you. Imagine YOUR Savior, pleading on your behalf, praying that you might have the faith to go on, or the strength, or the health, or the confidnece, or whatever you need. And then in 29 too when he says i pray not for the world, but for those you have given me out of the world, beacuse of their faith. In all seriousness, the world is a pretty nasty place. it is beautifull and lovely but there is so much wickedness that goes on, that it's easy to get sucked in. it is our strongest effort to become those who Heavenly Father sees as being "out of the world". That is our goal that we maintain or develop or even just begin to have Faith in Jesus Christ. He is pulling for us, even praying for us, and wants to smile upon us and let his countenance show through us. But first we must have faith, and take ourselves out of the world that takes us away from the Savior. I feel so lucky to have this time now to give up even things that are hard. Even if in the back of my head i want my ipod with me or a cell phone to text friends, I am so blessed to get this opportunity to let it all go, and just focus on what is important and that is others, coming unto christ, developing this faith, and countenance that christ has.
I have to run now though, this last week was awesome and this coming one will be even better. I'm so thankful for all of you. my family, friends, loved ones, leaders, and aquaintances. i'm thankful for everyone who has helped me become who i am now and for the love and support i get every week. It really makes being amissionary a lot easier. I love you all so much and know this church is true. We are so blessed to have a prophet on the earth today that leads and guides us, and the scriptures really are for us! We can find any answer we are looking for within the scriptures. i know that the book of mormon is true.
I love you soo much!
love elder edwards
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