4/20/15

So, have you ever had a member go off in a lesson about the knee high water baptism of Constantine's armies and the fall of Lucifer and war in heaven in a restoration? I now have haha We have to greatest member missionary family on planet earth named the Reeds, who gave us 3 of the coolest referrals on earth. Unfortunately, the previously mentioned lesson was with Brittnee, the super solid girl from last week. It was a super rough lesson, but thank goodness for the power of the Holy Ghost which over comes those weaknesses in teaching. The coolest part of that lesson though, had to be Aubrieanna bearing her testimony about the truthfulness of the gospel. It is such a special thing to listen to one of your converts bear testimony, and definitely a confirmation to my own testimony. 

SO!!! Who wants to hear about some super crazy miracles?????

We have been teaching a young man with Asperger's syndrome who's mom just joined the church, though he wanted nothing to do with us. He finally started sitting in on the lessons midway through last transfer. We ended up switching our focus to him, and when we shared the first vision, he said he felt a chill run through him. When we invited him to be baptized, however, he said no, so we invited him to think and pray about it. The next lesson we followed up with his desire, and he said he wants to be baptized.... in 3 years when he moves out and gets a girl friend. The next lesson he said, "I want to be baptized sooner, I am just not sure when." This last lesson, he decided he wanted to be baptized on June 6. What the heck???? I know that the Lord is the only one that can change hearts, because we did absolutely nothing to make this happen. To be honest, I didn't think he was ready for the gospel at first, but the Lord changed all that real quick. Such an awesome young man! I love him to death!!!

Second miracle is a young woman named Kate. I believe I've written about her before in past emails, but I wanted to update you all on her progression. She was another one who I was wondering was going to pan out, but she has taken huge steps forward. Last week we put her on a baptismal date, and we were a little nervous about teaching the Word of Wisdom because she didn't have a testimony of Joseph Smith. We followed up with that testimony, and she said she believed he was a "good man." She had some concerns that were resolved in that lesson, and by the end, she believed that he was a prophet and committed to live the word of wisdom. Again... What the heck???? Nothing we said or done could have made this work. 

The Last miracle I will write about is the craziest of all. We don't drive our cars on Saturday, but we were called to do some unexpected service for a member. They came and picked us up, but on the drive back, we get a called from Brother Reed which basically went like this: "Elders, this is Gary Reed." "Hey Brother Reed, Hows it going?" "I have 2 investigators sitting on my porch that would like to meet some missionaries. Do you know where I can find some missionaries?" "Certainly! We will be there in 4 minutes!" Just the fact we were already in car with a way to get to there was a miracle in and of itself, but when we arrived, we were introduced to a wonderful couple with, "Elders, this is Brianna, she is ready to be baptized." "Oh... awesome! We can definitely take care of that for ya!" They have investigated for a loooong time already in another ward, but Brianna is now ready to go. She already reads the book of mormon daily and is a regular attender at church. We taught them 2 days in a row, and they are the greatest people ever!! They have the most child-like faith, and their love for the Gospel is contagious. She has had a crazy history. She was adopted out of communist Romania when she was 3 and has been through a ton, and was in tears when we told her about the meaning of baptism. She has tons of awesome questions and when we taught about the Celestial Kingdom, she said, "I want to go there so bad!" Her husband Jerry is a little more reserved, but its been cool to see him open up over the course of the lessons we have had. Again I say, WHAT THE HECK??? 

The Lord is pouring out his spirit upon this area, and I am so thankful to be caught in the current. This is the Lords work. He is making things happen that I have absolutely no control. I know that the gospel is true, because it works. Not only in my life, but in the lives of everyone that I have seen try. Its fruits are not always seen immediately, but the slow process of spiritual growth allows the roots to grow deeper, and the stronger the root, the sweeter the fruit. I know that this is true! I love you all!

Elder Wheat