August 20 2012

My Dear Family,

 I will start by telling you that with transfers I have gotten behind in my journal writing. I have not written since Saturday, but I plan on catching up today! I had good intentions, but because I was not exactly obedient I messed up. I am working on making sure I am obedient with exactness. The Purification Challenge is helping me to do that.

As for transfers,
I have been called to...continue in my service and labor in Sakubva. Yebo! Although, Elder Mninzi has been called to serve in Highfeilds Harare. My new companion's name is Elder K and he is from Uganda. I want to ask you to please pray for me. President Cook and the Lord have trusted me to watch over Elder K.  President Cook, when he called for transfers, ask me to help him. I do not know how I will be able to help him, but I am searching for the guidance of the spirit. I have met him and we have been together for a few hours now and he seems like a very nice guy, and he is. From what I have heard he was given a second chance and now he is serving in this mission. He just needs some help with keeping some rules. I will update you more next week when I really get to know him. Pray that I may know what to do and how to help him. I want to lift this kid up.

Elder Mason has also been called away to be a District Leader in Gweru. He seemed sick about the idea, but I know he will do well. Guess who replaced him? Elder Miller! Yebo! Ha Ha! I am together again with my former companion! I am kind of really excited about this transfer!

As for my week:

Well, I have been continuing to work on this Purification Challenge and like I stated before: it is a challenge. I honestly have made a lot of mistakes and am failing a lot...but I am improving. I can feel the spirit more when i teach. Miracles are happening. My will is becoming his will. I now keep my mind more focused, my desires are changing. The change is very small, but very noticeable. I find myself so disappointed even when I forget to shave in the morning even though there are no hairs on my chin. I am finding myself more aware and wanting to keep all the commandments given me. I would like to share with you just a few of the miracles I have witnessed this week.

One miracle was a lesson we had had with this Baba that was a street contact. We found his home and we started the lesson. I could feel the spirit as we taught. He had questions about why there were so many different versions of the Bible, and that was actually the reason he invited us to his home to share with him. I felt inspired to introduce him to the Book of Mormon. We used that book to answer every question he had. Apparently, he wanted to know if our church allowed plural marriage. He has two wives and he said he wanted many so he could basically...be rich. My companion and I both turned to Jacob chapter 2! Yo! We did not even say anything to each other, but we both turned there at the same time. That chapter was written for this man. When we told him you should only have one wife and that he should seek the kingdom before riches he said to us, "well, I cannot argue with that." He then started asking us inspired questions like: "Is there one true church?" "Should I be baptized again?" and he was just asking everything pointing to the Restoration. When the invitation for baptism came he had some doubts, but we confidently asked him again. He then said (without us even mentioning the book), "Give me a copy of the Book of Mormon. I will read it and if it is true I will do it." Yo! It was so cool.

Another miracle this week was when i was on splits. The area I was in was dwindling in investigators. So I spent most of the time finding. We, the branch missionary and I, were walking from a less-actives home. There was a man on a bicycle talking to a woman in front of us. As we passed he was smiling at me. Naturally I said, "Hello!" He then responded by saying, "i have your book." He then turned around on his bike and pulled a Book of Mormon from his carrier. I was like "WHAT?!" He began to explain that some one had given him the book to read. He also explained that the book was a bit difficult for him to read. I immediately asked if we could come and explain and teach him about the book. Of course he agreed, but when I asked were he stayed he said,..."Chikanga." Fetch! Excuse my language, but come on! Oh well, i gave the Chikanga Elders a POWERFUL referral.

My last experience to share happened the very same day. As we were searching for souls to teach we had walked by a man that was looking at me with...some kind of...light in his eye. As we passed I raised my in greeting and he smiled and did the same. Just in front of his house was a group of three men. I walked past them and continued. I then received a prompting to turn around and invite them to church. They asked where the church was. I felt that I should go talk to them and get their details. When I joined the group of three, the man with the "light in his eye" came and joined as well. I got their details and they asked if I could come share with them the following day. I later learned that one of the guys had decided that he wanted to find a church for him and his family to go and that is why he wanted us to come.

I actually have one more. It happened while I was on exchanges with Elder Mason. The day was nice and we finished with a devotional. After the devotional we taught one of the investigators that came. It was a short lesson about Joseph Smith from lesson one. The lesson was going very smoothly. The spirit was in the room as we taught this young lady with her brother (member). Elder Mason had just finished sharing about the first vision and how she could pray to know that it did happen. I then asked Sister Trish (investigator) if she would describe the scene on the picture book we were using. At first she said that Joseph Smith was being visited by "angels." We waited a moment and then she said, "no, it is God...and Jesus Christ." I felt the spirit push me to say, "Trish, I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ that you can know, as we know, that Joseph Smith did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through prayer, and you will get an answer through the power of the Holy Ghost." Trish was smiling and the spirit was there. She said she would pray to know the truth of our message.

There were a couple other experiences, but those are the ones that touched my heart this week. I know that as I work on making my will His will he will trust me with his children. I know this to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thank you for sharing your new discovery with me. Wow! My mom is diabetic...probably. Ha Ha! It is crazy how much the Lord watches over us, isn't it? Father in Heaven is POWERFUL! It kind of reminds me of one of the famous scriptures in the Book of Mormon: Either 12:27. When we come to God we are shown our weakness, so that we can then be humbled and with him make it our strength. Yo! Mom, you are known and you are watched. I know that you know, but that is what makes it more amazing. You are POWERFUL mom! You are blessed for sure. I also was reading somethings I have wrote down over the years and I read one entree that said, "a blessing is only a blessing when we recognize it as a blessing." Do you remember when our house flooded and we received so much help from the ward? I counted that as a blessing, because it had united us. Personally, I think this diabetes thing is a blessing in disguise.

Oh yeah...I got Grandma and Grandpa's letter and also that guy story you sent. LOVED IT! POWERFUL! I hope to have something a lot like that one day. :)

So I got a dearElder about Scott and Luara. Yo! Sounds like things are crazy. I want to write them a letter, so i will work on doing that. What do you think I should write about?

I love you all like NUTS!

Keep the Faith

L O V E like something great, or greater, or
even GRAND

Elder TOM