Sorry for the very extensive email this week but this was a very solid week full of amazing things and I could not wait to share them with everyone with a hope that it sparks something in your little big hearts! I hope you enjoy it as much as my companion and I did!
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| The Smoldering Reunion After 8 Months..! |
I had the opportunity to go on exchange with Elder Redd again after like eight months! Crazy how fast time has gone and it was definitely a well awaited time for us both. We had the best day ever and it was probably not only one of the most successful days ever, we also had a ton of fun with it. I'll share the full day's events at the end of this email. We also had a very good stake correlation with the stake leaders and our mission president and his wife. A lot of good was discussed and some new action points we wanted to hopefully take as a stake in the next couple of weeks.
Wednesday: June 1st, 2016
We finished up the exchange and headed to did strict meeting this morning and then we had some stuff we needed to get done back home on the computer so we did that and then went and visited some people in the evening with Dave.
Thursday: June 2nd, 2016
We had another round of exchanges with Winchester and Elder de Kock (South African) and I helped the Chinese elders move into their new flat which took quite a bit of time but it was nice to help out. We then went knocking on a road that a member gave us as a referral and that was about it for us today...
Friday: June 3rd, 2016
After our exchange we went and had the chance to help a member with some unexpected service as we showed up at their house. Later in the evening, we met with another member to help him set some goals to do some member missionary work, turns out she was already ahead of us so we just discussed how we could help!
Saturday: June 4th, 2016
Now today... This might be a long story but I have to capture it for you all!
So we went to the temple with our friend Ali who has been on the fence for a couple of weeks now. We arrived at around 11:30 and sadly, he was about an hour late so we had some time to relax and enjoy the temple until he showed up. Right when he arrived we jumped right into it. We watched the Joseph Smith movie and it was intense! The Spirit was super strong and you could tell he was really enjoying it. Following that, the sisters began going over the temple and what it is and why we have them and as they were, Ali asked us if we would give him some space. Strange..? Okay we said, and decided to go to the office to pick up some stuff and a Book of Mormon he wanted in a specific language called Urdu. We gave him time there and when he finished meeting with the sisters, he wanted to go for a walk around the temple grounds and we did so and it was peaceful. The sun was out and everything was just quiet. As we continued to go around we came to a bench on the front side of the temple and decided to sit down. Elder Lika shared his conversion story with him and after doing so, Ali had asked if he could have five minutes to himself. He went for another walk and we sat and talked about the mission and how we felt he was doing. On his return about 10 minutes later, he sat down and said with a smile, "I went and prayed... And I got my answer." Our faces lit up... But he didn't tell us what it was yet haha. He wanted to take us to dinner and so we went to KFC along with the Assistants who were invited by Ali as well. As we were eating, the assistants had a baptism at six that night and Ali was looking forward to seeing one and so we asked him if he wanted to come and he said he had a lot of stuff he needed to get done with work but then, he changed his mind, and was like, "forget that stuff... Let's do it!" So we headed off to the baptism and again... After an amazing service, Ali took some time to himself and was just so happy with the day. He really enjoyed it all and as we were leaving, we asked him how the day was in a nutshell... "I went to the temple expecting an answer to something and it didn't come, but I found something a lot more beautiful in it." Something amazing to be apart of for sure... This was probably the best temple trip and Saturday of my life. Stressful because it was a do or die day. We are looking forward to seeing him today to see what results came of it and if he is ready to take a leap or not yet. We shall see! Amazing!
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| The Three Muskateers! |
Great day of church! I love fast and testimony meeting because the Spirit just touches everyone so tenderly. It was quite the day and Dave invited us over for lunch after and we enjoyed a nice sub sandwich and then sat in his garden for a bit in the sun. Good day for sure!
Here are Tuesday's Miracles:
Elder Rivera and Elder Redd on May 31st, 2016
Today was quite the day for missionary work. While we were in the park contacting in the morning, after about an hour of pure rejection, Elder Redd noticed a guy with a grey and red Nike hoodie and with time running down, he was going to be our last contact until we headed to our lesson following that. His name was Shane and was super interested in what we were sharing and he really wanted to learn more. We were able to say a prayer with him there and in his words he said, "I felt shivers after you finished." Whether the Spirit answered him or testified of truth or if it was the cold rain that was pouring upon us, we don't know, but what we do know is that he was super interested and wanted to learn more and as he walked away, Shane said, "I hope your day with be just as good as mine has already started with you two." Now keep those words in mind because that is just what happened to us throughout this day.
Following that, we were able to visit one of our friends in the morning named Michaela and after having a powerful lesson with our Ward Mission Leader (who shared some very good insights and experiences as we taught) we were able to extend a baptismal invitation to her and has gladly and immediately accepted it. She will be preparing for a day on June 18th.
Following that amazing teach and a well deserved lunch, we met with our other friend who we have been teaching for three months and after a very brief explanation about the temple and why we have them, we were able to help him ease his nervousness about visiting the temple. After having a visit with him a few days prior, we showed him a talk by Elder Holland titled, "Safety for the Soul" and after the video had finished, he pulled his calendar out and he said that he needed to move the day for our Temple trip forward from the 9th of June to this Saturday (June 4th) The results were very promising and he is looking very forward to seeing the temple with us but more importantly, for himself.
The excitement continues as we went knocking on a road that we have had success on before but as we were finishing up the final houses on the road, we managed to knock one last door and a 22 year old man named Alex answered the door and after explaining a few things of what we as missionaries do and our purpose, we asked if we could share more with him and he allowed us to go into his home and we had a very good introduction visit with him and he was interested in taking a Book of Mormon and also our number for future reference as he is preparing to move back home but wanted to learn more in the future after he moves back.
To finish off the list of great miracles the Lord blessed us with on this wonderful day, while Elder Redd and I were enjoying a wonderful dinner, a number that was unknown to Elder Redd popped up on his phone and he answered it and it turns out that a former investigator had contacted him and a few months ago, he was taught my the missionaries and after having much time to ponder over what he learned and had his own experiences, he called and asked if he could be baptized and asked what he needed to do in order for it to happen. Super amazing experience to hear and see.
We definitely saw the hand of the Lord blessing and guiding us to those who have been prepared by His hand and we were super blessed to be able to be instruments in His hands in order to help our brothers and sisters come closer to Him. This work is the best work in the world and it is truly amazing to "hear" miracles but when you put yourself in the position to be "in" the miracle, your day just seems to light up more than the others and they are the moments you remember for the rest of your life!
This week has been something else! It almost seems appropriate that all this happens and tomorrow the best of it all comes! We get to go to London and have a conference with Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles! I'm so pumped and looking forward to it!!! This will be a day to remember for the rest of my life and a huge day to remember from the mission!
Verses of the Week:
Alma 9:32
"And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them."
I hope every has a great week! Love you all!
Love,
-Elder Rivera
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