Liebe Freunde Liebe Familie.
HELLOOOOOO!!!! Everybody. Again a great awesome spiritual fantastic missionary life week. First week of the transfer and I can already tell it's going to be an amazing transfer. Miracles will occur. Challenges will rise. But the work of the lord will continue on it's ever quickly progressing path. THIS ZONE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Super hard. BUT AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okeedokey. Lets' Begin.
Yestarday we had the wonderful opportunity to have a District conference (Essentially a stake conference) but we all met together and watched this great session. It was a conference specifically for Western Europe and it's members. We heard great words of encouragement from some General Authorities and it really made me develop even a deeper love for the members here. I was born and raised in a place where every block there is a church building with at least three wards and each ward has at least one hundred members. The faith and testimonies that these members have are astounding. I have heard some of the best testimonies here from the members and that has really strengethened mine. One of the highlights of the meeting for me was when our District President got up and read this quote from Sir Francis Drake.
“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.”
I thought about that. Every great cause has a beginning. For example this church started simply because a young boy had a question and look to what it's grown to. 15,634,199 members but the work is not yet done. There is still so much to do and I am so glad to be a part of it. What a fantastic gift that God has given us to have this life. I am a life lover and look for all of it's benefits and blessings but the thing that will have the most impact and depth is the end of this life when true glory comes living for eternity with our Heavenly Father.
In other news. On wedesday we taught Michael again. He has some questions about the gospel of Jesus Christ so we retaught that and focused mainly on repentance. It went very well and the spirit was definetly prominent in this lesson. I love giving my testimony on this subject. Repentance truly is an amazing force. The atonement is something that plays the biggest role in my life. It's hard to repent I'll be honest but just like the quote "The continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory." The hope that you see in an investigators eyes when you testify that the guilt and pain they have through sin can all be wiped away is a special experience that not many people have the opportunity of facing. Oh man I wish I could describe to you how it felt through this email but that would be impossible.
After our lesson Michael had asked me to give him a priesthood blessing. I didn't realize it then but I do now that must have took so much humility to ask for one. Michael isn't to the point when he can say the Gospel is true but he has faith that it is and asking me for a blessing was a direct result of his faith. I don't remember what I said during the blessing but I remember what he said. He felt as if all of the darkness and pain and burdens he was feeling in the moment had been lifted off of his shoulders and he felt so much joy. Well let the waterworks begin. After we had said goodbye they came. I tried sooooo hard to hold them in but thanks again to the Genes of the riggs family it's pretty much impossible to do that so yes I cried. I cried because I love this man so much and I feel the spirit and love in a new way I have never felt before. Feeling love is one thing. But showing love and receiving the love is indescribable.
Well those were the highlights or our week. I can't wait to see what this next transfer will yield. Sometimes as we work and talk to people it is so hard to see the benefits of what we do and that is where discouragment and trunkiness set in but it's in those beginnings where we know if we just keep going, if we push harder than we possibly can, true glory and peace is waiting for us at the end.
The Lord is My Shepherd.
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