February 17, 2010

It's good to hear that you got the pictures, it's good stuff, don't knock it till you try it. Josh, Thanks for the words of wisdom as to release dates. Just enjoy all of your time and work hard. The days go by so ridiculously fast. Weeks fly by like nothing, it's robbery of my time as a missionary I tell you. Elder Whitsitt from Josh's mission comes home tomorrow as well, so I guess you didn't get to meet him. Congrats on senior companion.
I did get the Valentines card. Thank you so much for that. Congrats on the tests, keep it going and study hard. As for teaching this week I know that you will do good. I taught our gospel principles class this week, it was on the Holy Ghost. Also this week at district meeting I was asked to give a 10 minute talk on a Christlike attribute of my choice. I chose charity. It was a great study and I wrote a talk and learned things that I will keep forever. I didn't think my talk would go the way it did. I didn't think I would get emotional about it. I thought I would get up and share all these exciting things that I had learned. The emotions were unexpected. It was a great talk, one that I will probably save.
The work here has gone from not much happening at the beginning to really starting to take off this week. We have met some incredible people, and the Lord has blessed and rewarded us for our work in knocking all of the doors. I had told my companion, hang in there a little longer and the Lord will bless us. Sure enough that time has come, they are flowing in. It's incredible. My companion says that he hasn't had that busy feeling in a long time.
Friday night we were out tracting. We had been knocking on some apartments. We met a lot of different people lets say. Including a few ladies who were having a rather inappropriate party. We continued on. It was almost 9 o'clock, maybe five minutes till, and we still had to drive home. Then we had just finished knocking an apartment building. We hadn't had a whole lot of success this night. I looked across the street and I saw two houses with lights on, and I thought we should go and knock just those two on the other side of the street. I told my companion what I thought we should do and we went over. We knocked on the first and the man wasn't too interested. Then the last door of the night. This man answers and lets us in almost immediately. He's middle aged, named Joe Evans. He invites us to sit down, he's been watching a fight on T.V. He then begins to tell us how he is trying to be a better father, but how Satan keeps working to make him feel worthless and then he'll slip back into his old ways. He said that he has a faith in Christ, but he's just trying to be better. Then the reason we were sent there came out. He said that he had gotten into an argument with his fiance who is living with, and she and the kids had left and gone to dinner, and he was left at home. He was waiting for us essentially. He said I know you guys were sent here for a reason, things just don't happen. He recognized there was something. He said when his fiance got back, he and the kids were going to pray together. He then said that he wanted to hear more of what we had to say, and invited us to come back for dinner, and we set an appointment. We prayed with him after. The last door of the night!!! Elder Layton and I walked away from that feeling like God had just moved us right where he wanted us, and that he was so close, like he had been watching every move of that night. That man was waiting for us. It's times like these you know that there is a Father in Heaven. Now our appointment with him was set for yesterday, and he had just gotten back from a family road trip so we had to reschedule for this Saturday. Pray for this to go well. He wants to marry this girl and to be a good father to these kids. He says that he and his fiance both believe strongly in the law of chastity and so though they live together he believes in saving themselves for each other. How incredible is that, it's like they've been prepared!!!!
On another note. We met with a less active family the Ralph's. Mom I can't tell you how similar the trials this family is facing is similar to what we went through. This lady is also suffering from some depression. The trials and the whole situation of this family is similar. I feel like this family is one of the purposes that I am here in this area at this time. Yet another evidence of God directing this work, all the way from the beginning in receiving my call here to Chicago.
There is also another girl we are teaching who is 20 years old, Rebecca Gianpiccolo. She left her home in North Carolina and was living with other family and friends for a time, then she has now come here to live with an aunt and uncle that are members of our ward. (Sound Familiar). She has been agnostic, but we are teaching her. She has started reading the Book of Mormon and trying to find work and what not. This is another example of why I feel that I am supposed to be here. It seems that we are meeting certain people for us to meet. The feelings she's had, the situation she is in, and has gone through. It sounds so similar to my life story and some of the trials that I went through. I feel like I can relate to these people, and help them see how I was able to overcome. I can help them find a faith in Christ, and happiness, the way I did. It's incredible.
We have had so many miracles, been blessed to find people, been led and guided by the hand of the Lord. We pause in the day when we receive answers to prayers or blessings or see miracles, and we pray and return thanks to God. Elder Layton and I have grown closer together yet again this week. We really can talk to each other about how we feel about the work, and how we teach together and how we share in the planning of lessons and our day. We're doing great work. I feel like a team together. The Lord has blessed us with some more investigators and a number of potentials. Elder Layton says that he loves this feeling of busy and that he hasn't felt it in a long time. We have had some faith building miracles occur as well. It's also incredible how much the Lord is blessing us in our finding efforts. I knew it would come, I told Elder Layton to hang in there and it would come. The work is just absolutely taking off!!! The Bishop has really began to show trust in us. This Sunday we both felt like the ward really likes us and reached out to us. You could feel something from the ward members. Its great when you heard ward members pray for you in meetings and say "Thank you for these great Elders." The work is going to happen here!!! I am so excited, I knew I felt something here when I came to Elgin, I knew it. I could probably fill pages with the stories and what has happened here. I know this work is true, and how lucky I am to be a part of it. It's the greatest feeling in the world!!!

I love you all,
Elder ADAMS

Everybody read Mormon 9- It's about how there is a God of Miracles.
Yes we have been getting snow.

I have a new email address. They have redone things, and are now linked with google and gmail. Here is my new email address.
devin.adams@myldsmail.net