March 10, 2010

I wish I did have a scripture for you.  I didn't bring my scriptures with me to the Library, so sorry.  Read alma 37 especially the part about the easiness of the way.  That is the scriptures that guide us, but because it's such a simple thing to read daily, many do not, just as sometimes Lehi and his family did not give head and diligence to the Liahona.  Check it out.  I haven't read the letter yet, but you say josh is training??!!!???  A New missionary and he's a native German!!!???  Well thanks for the words you wrote, it's good to hear from you.

LOve Elder ADams,  Read my email I sent to mom, I wrote a lot, so I'm done writing.  Big PLans as well for next wednesday ST. Patty's day.  HINT: IN THE CITY!!!!!!!!!

This has been a great first week for us. We had a great lesson with Rebecca Gianpiccolo, and she has really been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon. She also fasted for her first time this Sunday. We also met with will Rios, the father in a part-member family. He as well is now 2 weeks keeping the Word of Wisdom, and he fasted for his first time this Sunday. In our meeting with him on Monday we did try to extend a baptismal commitment, which he turned down. He feels he's not quite there yet. He says that he wants to feel it, but he feels like he is blocking the spirit in some way. He wants it though, I can tell he has true desire. He says he has small reservations and holdbacks as to living the word of Wisdom. He says that he can do it, but he doesn't see what's wrong with going out with friends once in a while. For now though he's living it on faith. We have a number of other potential investigators and investigators that we are struggling to get in contact with though. That's the difficult part of this work is that people have their agency. We continue to find though, and to work hard to find more people. We just need to get in contact with a lot of people.

I had the most amazing day every, from start to finish on Sunday. Sunday it was fast Sunday, and we had designated the last hour and a half of our fast (Where we would be out tracting as usual) to be our power hour. All our faith everything to finding. We drove to the area we had planned and as we were about to park I saw man washing his red Corvette and I said we’ll be by to talk to you Corvette man. We offered a prayer to begin and then started. I got out and put a Book of Mormon in my backpack and told Elder Layton we are teaching. The man with the red Corvette was about 5 doors in. I walked straight up his driveway and I began to teach. He stopped wiping down his car and just listened, he seemed captivated. He listened as I taught and bore testimony. When I finished he said, you really know your stuff. I told him I have my testimony and I’ve learned as I’ve been out. I asked him if he’d accept a copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he would. This guy was incredible. We might be able to contact him again. This was a prayer and a miracle answered by the Lord. I didn’t care if he did have a nice car and house I was going to teach him. After our tracting we went to dinner at the Qualls where our day of the Spirit continued.

We had an incredible experience with some members in their home on Sunday. It was the Qualls family. Husband and wife and their 11 or 12 year old boy Connor. Instead of a message out of the scriptures we ended up sharing our personal experiences and conversion experiences. Somehow I was sharing advice with Connor to find out the Church is true for himself and then to serve a mission for him and for the Lord, not because his parents or anyone else said to. I must have said something about how I changed or hadn’t always planned to serve, because Brother Quall asked me what made me change. Something in the way he asked must have done it, because at first I gave my usual response of prayer. Then it made me reflect back to an experience I had in my apartment at college. The spirit hit me, I got so choked up and I started to cry right there at the dinner table, and I had to appologize, and then it came out. I related the part of my life, what I was going through, and the whole experience or that night with them and the feelings I had. I shared things I've only shared with a handful of people, and I don't know why I shared them with this family and with Elder Layton. I’ve never shared it with members before. This family is really great to us and they really love us. They too shared their experiences and personal lives with us. This was a very spiritual night, and there were a lot of tears as we sat around the dinner table. It was an experience unlike anything I've ever had at a members home. Deffinately one of the most powerful of my mission for that matter. It is a very personal experience and so I told them afterwards to not share with anyone else.

This whole Sunday was incredible. From the moment I woke up, I felt incredible, so refreshed and so happy all day. I WAS SO HAPPY. The testimonies in sacrament were incredible and I felt the spirit there. Our ward mission leader and other members were bearing testimony and expressing thanks for missionaries. It was like missionary appreciation day at the pulpit. Our ward mission leader gave his testimony and mentioned us by name, and how he has heard us teach and bear testimony. There wasn’t a pause the whole meeting, people just kept getting up. The meeting went 15 minutes over and probably would have gone longer, but bishop ended it. I felt the spirit here, I felt so incredibly happy all day. The happiness I felt Sunday, it was one of the best days, it can’t be described. I just felt so good. It was a fast Sunday as well so maybe that had something to do with it. I can’t count the number of times I felt the spirit. It was probably felt in different ways all day. There were just so many experiences. Especially that ending to the night at the Qualls when we all shared personal experiences including Brother and Sister Quall. What a Sunday, so happy, so spiritual. OH the happiness I felt all that day, WOW. This is why I can’t give up being a missionary. I love it too much, I don’t think that’s possible. I just love these experiences, these feelings. It truly is the work of God. The greatest calling and time, and place to be in life. I love it. This is Christ’s Church and I’m sharing it with everyone. I’m so happy. I love you all. I would pay money to have a day like Sunday once a month, once a year. I know you would too, to just have those feelings to have one day like that, money can’t buy it, but I would pay to have a day like that even once a year. I love you all Family, as our ward mission leader says “Be good and do good.”



Love Elder Adams

So sorry I forgot to bring my scriptures to the library today I will make a note of it in my planner for next week. One of the principles of enduring a trial well is just that "enduring" and waiting patiently. So you will have to practice that aspect right now. I'm so sorry, I will get it for you next week. However next week we are going down to the city to see the St. Patricks day parade. We are going to ride the metra train and see the river dyed green for the festival. The river runs all through the city. How blessed are we that our p-day lands on St. Patty's day.