Hello there!
This has been an awesome week for teaching and sharing the gospel! It feels like things just get better and better as the transfer progresses.
We met with an awesome guy who is a mutual friend of a few members that they brought to church. He is very open to everything we've taught him and has been reading the Book of Mormon very diligently. He even asked a couple really good questions over the course of the week about specific passages.
The real blessing for him, though, has been how much the Ward has gathered around him and fellowshipped him. For someone new coming into the church, there is a LOT to take in, especially for someone who is eager to learn everything about the church. We were able to do a lesson in the home of a member family recently and it was such a cool experience of member love.
For those of you who don't know about or haven't studied the Love-Share-Invite initiative yet, it really is the key to member missionary work! All we have to do is love those who we already care for, then share little bits here and there about what brings us joy in the church, then invite them to partake of that same joy. It can be intimidating sometimes, but I promise that just the effort you take blesses the person you share with and yourself.
The rest of the week was filled with lots of contacting, with some other great lessons here and there. Life gets in the way of people meeting with us a lot of the time, so we just keep reaching out so they have that chance to feel the gospel in their lives. (Though part of me wants to send Matthew 6:33 every time they cancel, lol)
The cherry on the top for the week was when we finally got in contact with a self referral, meaning he clicked on an ad and filled out a form or something similar. We have several records for people who did so, but they've all been hard to get in contact with. We finally got a lesson with one specific man who has had a really difficult life recently and really wants to grow closer to God. He has just been a little anxious about meeting with a couple missionaries who he's never met before. We had a wonderful lesson where we were able to help give him confidence and faith to keep going and strengthen his relationship with God.
Life can really be so hard without the knowledge we have through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that life will always have its ups and downs, but we have confidence that everything will turn out for our good. It brings to heart what Jesus tells his disciples before his crucifixion:
John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
The peace we have doesn't come from a lack of trials, but from the hope that Christ walks with us through them, and that all things are possible through him. I testify that this hope we have is true and that the Lord has a plan for each and every one of us. I know that every effort we make to share this hope we have with others makes a difference to the world.
Love you all! Hope you have a great week!
Sincerely,
Elder Brown
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