The End

Hey everyone! I had a great experience on my mission; it was everything I thought it would be as far as refining me spiritually, but some unexpected medical issues came up recently and it was decided I wouldn't be able to continue my mission at this time. So I'm home in Maryland again, at the least for six months to recuperate and get the treatment I need, so I won't be posting on this blog for a long time. Thank you for all the support!

General Conference - A Really Great Weekend

Conference was amazing of course, being a missionary and all. I loved parts of all the talks, though I was writing so much revelation on things that I don't think I paid attention to any of them all the way through EXCEPT Elder Corbridge's, the seventy who visited our mission several months ago. He is an incredible speaker, I thoroughly enjoyed his testifying talk. He's just so UMPH in the way he presents it. He's so weary and laborious but it works. I also really liked the focus on Family History, and the idea that we cannot have eternal life without our ancestors, but eternal life IS to live with our entire family for eternity, all those who through their agency choose it. I loved the comment that those who learn about the stories of their ancestors will make much wiser decisions, and I've found that for some reason the stories and lessons learned by the members of the Rawle line (being the only stories I know well) stick more to me and have a more profound effect on me than if those same stories were from another's lineage or just told in Conference. They stick with me. I felt in Conference a very strong connection with Richard Simmons Rawle who I looked up on FamilySearch.org when I was getting some training on how to show investigators familysearch. I felt that connection in conference, as well as for all my ancestors. So I understood at least then very clearly the full Spirit of Elijah for finding these people, because we knew them very well before and have a duty towards them as their friends.

Anyway, there's a pair of senior missionaries out here who are working primarily on how to incorporate family history more into missionary work, because they feel very very strongly that the work of salvation is FOR family history work, because the reason we have the Gospel in this Dispensation is so that we can offer it to all our ancestors who lived in Apostasy. So an investigators main motive for joining should be out of duty to their ancestors, which they will start to feel as they do their family history work. So I really want to use that with pretty much everyone on the street: do your work, study the people. They're still alive.

So I thoroughly enjoyed that. I really enjoyed Elder Utchdorf's comments on gratitude, Elder Oaks' clarification, and several others that were really good, I'd have to check my notes. And Elder Holland's at the beginning.

So as far as missionary work this week, the most exciting thing was talking with A.N., the nonmember in a part member family who is willing to sit in the discussions with T.N. the wife. He's very active in the discussions and has a lot of great questions. We promised him as representatives of Jesus Christ that if he reads the Book of Mormon every day this next week and prays every day that he will know with assurance that the Book of Mormon is true, and all the implications of that towards Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He committed to be baptized when he finds out it is true. Yea!!! And he and his wife watched general conference this weekend at her mother's home, so hopefully he paid attention to the talks about baptism or Elder Corbridge's.

I'm feeling very well since General Conference. There's been a great outpouring of the Spirit between my companion and I and the whole missionary district. We're having a really great time actually. 

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Note from Mom:

General Conference is held by our Church twice a year over a weekend.  We are blessed to hear addresses from various leaders of the Church, including a living prophet of God.  Michael has asked that I add a link to Conference for any who would like to listen or read these addresses.  See the side bar for the new link.

Miracles!

I'm doing really well actually, I was having a bit of trouble last week but I've been strengthened again, so I'm learning all the things the Lord wants me to learn, so its good. My companion was sick for a few days so I had to stay in, which was actually relaxing, but he's better so we're out working again. A lot of good stuff has happened. 

So the boyfriend of one of the ladies we've been teaching is apparently an former church member who regained his testimony at some point before dating her and wants to come back, but didn't tell us until we brought bishop along. So miracles are totally possible. Alma the Younger.

I haven't told you about the M family have I? Man you would have an interesting time with the them. They're a recent convert family, husband and wife, grown up kids are still thinking about it. Hawaiian. They're a hoot. I'm not sure how to describe why though.

Okay, miracle for this week.... we met another Hawaiin less active who wants to come back to church, and he has some family living with him that may be interested in taking the discussions again, so it sounds like there's some promise there to help people.