September 23, 2009

I'll tell you, it hurt when I first heard Zach came home. I have fasted and prayed. I continue to pray for him every night, and for me to be understanding and to know what I am supposed to do. I don't know how I'm handling it either. It's deffinately something that I think about, but I try to push it aside as much as possible and not let if distract me. The Lord I think is really helping me with this one. (Mosiah 24:12-16) These people here had hard trials placed on them but they cried unto the Lord and he eased the burdens placed on their backs so that they could not feel them. They were still there, they still had to go through the things they did, the trial wasn't taken away or gone, but it just felt like they didn't have the burden on them and they were able to carry on. I think that this is what the Lord is helping to do for me.
Dad I just want to say that that is the first time I've heard you say that you know the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. To hear you testify of the Book of Mormon, that means so much. It feels good to read that. I love you dad. I love you. Thank you for your testimony and your words of encouragement.

Love Your Eldest Son,
Elder Adams

HEy MOM, Just wanted to let you know, that when I was in North Shore I lost my vile of oil off of my keychain, so I've been without for a while. If you could send me one with some oil that has been consecrated that would be great, or just the new vile, and then me and my companion can consecrate some oil together. Also sorry I haven't called State farm yet, I need to find their number. Write me back I'm on for about another half hour.
I don't want you to spend more money on another backpack, I'm making this one work, I just keep my temple clothes in my suitcase. Elder Oaks had a quote about this that I'll have to find. As for my birthday, I don't think I need anything, maybe some dried fruit like apricots and strawberries, kiwis, I think costco had something like this.

The other day when we were tracting we talked to these two guys in the garage watching tv and drinking beer and they had potato chips and nuts on a table. We asked them if they'd just finished work and a few other questions. Their response, "NOPE, now it's beer drinkin' time!" My companion and I couldn't help but laugh at this as we gave them a card and went on our way. We Joked, "Ah, beer, nuts, tater chips, and Mormon literature, nothing better eh Carl." My companion really had fun with this.

Yesterday was zone conference and President Doll presented his vision for our mission. It had been something that had been pressing on his mind. I don’t know if you’ve heard but they have been decreasing the number of missionaries here for the past couple of months. We have gone from 130 missionaries to 90, and soon to be 80. He envisions us being like the small but great army of Helamen and being able to accomplish the same baptisms as when had 130 missionaries. His presentation was great. He believes each of us was called here to this place, in this time when this would happen, because we were the qualified and capable; able to take on this larger load, and to accomplish this task. It will take faith and relying on the Lord to accomplish this. I bore my testimony at the end of Zone conference. I don’t know why I sometimes think I can hold back, or that I don’t need to bear my testimony but I’m always glad when I do. I was choked up as usual, but it felt empowering and a reassurance of the things I know to be true.
We are having a grand time here in Byron. We have almost tracted every street here in Byron, just a couple more short ones. I predict we will finish it here in the next couple of days and then start again. So it took us a little over a transfer to tract this place out. We have also knocked a bunch of doors in some of the smaller towns that we cover also.
We had a great meeting with Chuck and Marissa Crome. Marissa is Phillipino and Chuck is American. They are a couple in their 40's and 50's. When we came back for this appointment they had both read so much of the Book of Mormon, and Marissa said that she would have been able to read faster if the Book of Mormon had been in her native language of Tagalog, because she had to keep looking up words in the index. They both had a lot of great questions. They are incredible investigators and really seem interested. Chuck expressed such great appreciation in his prayers for us as missionaries, and for what he was learning. We had shared with them the plan of salvation and there was great discussion and understanding. It was just another incredible appointment like the first one that we had with them. We are going to return to meet with them this Friday. I can hardly wait. They are both so sincere, and they earnestly read. They both have had great feelings as they have been reading. When you teach a family or a couple this restored gospel there is just such a different feeling that comes. It's an even more sense of fulfillment than sharing it with anyone else.

We had an incredible miracle happen the other day while tracting. We knocked on a door, the first of the morning, and the neighbor answered. It was a woman, Dixie we found out was her name. At first she was not interested at all. She thought that we were selling God or our religion. However we explained to her very calmly that we were inviting. That this was something has blessed us. I asked her to think of it as if she were to know of a great restaurant or shoe sale, she would tell her friends. She was very emotional about how much she knew the Lord, and when she saw that we were not forcing anything and that we have a belief in Christ also she began to change. She cried a lot as she told us of some of the hardships that she has gone through and how the Lord has helped her through them. She expressed over and over again thanks to us. She told us we had changed some 30 years of what she thought of people like us coming to her door. She said that she was currently going through a hard time, because the 23 of september is the anniversary of the passing of her sister or some loved one. This is always a difficult time for her. She said that she had needed some strength, and said many times that we had made a difference in her day. It made you feel so fulfilled. She was extremely grateful to except a copy of the Book of Mormon. This woman had been through so much. Everything from sickness, disease, not being able to work, she'd been abused. She cried a lot. The miracle of this was she came to the door and we hadn't even knocked on her door. We were deffinately led to her door at this time because she needed help. This was that trying week in her life that comes every year. She truly was touched and had a new love for us, her mind and heart had been softened and changed towards us. Most of the time we simply listened, but would occasionally bear testimony. To look up at this woman on her steps and see the tears in her eyes as we spoke to her, to think that I’ve made a difference in someones life. To be able to talk to God’s children and have them open up and share there deepest feelings with me, a total stranger. To feel this womans appreciation, as I looked at her tear filled eyes, this is what makes being a missionary the greatest calling in the world. I offered a prayer at the end and as we walked away I told Elder Nowell, “This is why I always want to be a missionary.” I have never had opportunities like these before, to have them come to you. God led us to this woman and allowed us to be tools in his hands for blessing her life. We got her number, but I don’t know if we will ever hear from her or see her again but just to think of this experience that I had. To be able to share testimony, and listen to this woman and to see her heart soften and to see her change right before us. You can’t help but feel good when she time and time again she would express thanks to us,the difference we’d made, saying “you’ve made an impact in one persons life today.” Think of that to be able to go throughout the day and then to bed at night knowing that you have helped someone. That is a precious and priceless gift. What more could you ask for than this sort of fulfillment each day. I don’t ever want to give up being a missionary. An experience like this, or one great lesson, makes a whole week solid of knocking and walking door to door for hours worth it. A thousand people can say no or reject you or treat you like you are something different, and one experience like this makes it all worth it. I love you so much. ... All of you.

LOve Elder Adams

P.S-You don't have to always understand the scriptures, it's more important that you are at least trying to read them. Just read them and the Holy Ghost will teach you.

gotta go shopping now, and take care of business. Sorry.

Elder Adams