Sunday 14 April 2013

three lessons learned from General Conference: be obedient, be faithful and don't play with matches!

Hey everyone!

I am beginning to get scared at how big the number of emails I have sent is... yikes!

Well this week work wise, has not been too good. We have had a lot of appointments flog, or fall through, or investigators be busy or just not been able to get in contact with them, so we haven't had many teaches this week. So we have spent a lot of time finding, but we don't have too much potentials from our efforts, so its been hard, but We've kept working.

Chanai we didn't get to see this week as she was with her mum in Newbury, and she didn't come to general conference either which is quite sad. Hopefully we will see her again tonight though and make sure she is reading still.

We did at least get to see Fernando and his family (our Equadorian friends). It wasn't such a good teach though, it was more of damage control if anything. They had found some anti-mormon stuff on the internet about polygamy so we were talking to them about that. We resolved that, but they don't accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet. Hopefully we will be able to see them later this week though and help them.

We did get to see Arthur again last week though. His mum Christiana wasn't home though as she was working nights but hopefully we will see them both tonight too.

So this week has been hard and frustrating at times but I am sure next week will be better.

There were some positives from this week though. We had Zone Training on thursday and there we got to have interviews with President Millar which was good. It was a good Zone Training as well. Lots of inspiring thoughts.

Also of course at the weekend was general conference. It was great being able to attend the sessions that I did. Arthur and Ishmael got to attend the priesthood session which was good. They both really enjoyed it. It was great to hear the Prophet Thomas S Monson and the First Presidency and Apostles speak to us. Every day we meet people who deny the possibility that there is a Prophet of God on the earth today, so I am grateful for the knowledge that I am and the opportunity that we have every 6 months to hear God's Prophet speak to us. I know Thomas S Monson is God's Prophet on the earth today, and is the rightful successor to the first Prophet of this dispensation and the restorer of all things Joseph Smith. 

I will quote what I think were the most powerful words ever spoken in any of the sessions of general conference. They are about our Savior Jesus Christ, and are very few and simple words, only two in fact. They are these: "He Lives!" Hearing that from Apostles and Prophets, who are special witnesses of Christ is the most powerful testimony I think anyone can ever hear, and I know it is true. Jesus Christ Lives!

I hope you all have a good week.

I love you all

Elder Mitchell

three lessons learned from General Conference: be obedient, be faithful and don't play with matches!

Happy Easter

Hey everybody!!!

This is going to be a short email unfortunately as we have a lot to do today... sorry but I will make up for it next week.

So just to run through everything that has happened this week. Well, Chanai did not get baptised unfortunately, She would like a bit more time to make sure she is completely ready. She is at least reading more as we gave her a reading calendar to help her know what to read and give her something to think about.

Our friends from equator we haven't been able to see this week, they have their oldest daughter over from spain and so they have been busy all last week. We will hopefully see them this week though.

Christiana we haven't been able to teach properly either, but we did see her briefly the other day when we went to see arthur. She was just heading out to work as she was working a night shift on saturday night so she wasn't at church either. Arthur though, is doing great, he has been well fellowshipped by the youth and he loves it.

Apart from that I don't really know who to tell you about, except we have found a family from the Phillipines on saturday, who we will hopefully be teaching this week.

Oh, and randomly a guy showed up at church on sunday and said he wanted to become a member. SO we will be seeing him sometime this week. Who says miracles don't happen?

Well, as it is Easter Monday, this email wouldn't be complete without me bearing my testimony of Easter, or the Atonement. I have been studying this for the last few days at least, and I just want all of you to know how gratefuly I am for all that Jesus Christ has done for us. It is said that He suffered and died for everybody's sins but let me change that slightly... forget about everyone else for a moment. He died, for you. Yes, YOU. I feel strongly, that for a small moment in the garden of gethsemane, that in all of his sufferings, for at least the smallest of moments, he suffered there for you. Not only for everything you have done wrong, all of your mistakes, but also, he suffered for all of our pains, all of our sicknesses, he suffered everything that we will go through in this life. EVERYTHING. And he suffered it all, alone. As Jeffery R Holland taught in general conference a few years ago now, (I'm paraphrasing this quote here) "Because He walked such a long lonely path, alone, we don't have to" Because of everything He did, in our times of need, when we feel totally and hopelessly alone, we don't have to be. He knows everything you are going through and He can comfort you, if you allow Him. I also know, that, because of Easter, or the most important part of Easter is this simple phrase: He Lives! Because of what happened on Easter Sunday all those years ago. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer broke the bands of death, and returned victorious over sin, death and hell to His Father in Heaven, and our Father in Heaven. To His God, and to our God. 

I love you all

Elder Mitchell