This week has been a crazy week! I have been in Centreville for a week and a half now. I am getting into the routine of things now. I love Centreville! It is like a mixture of Mount Vernon and Aquia. It is so cool. On Monday we had a lesson with a recent convert at a member’s home. He is from Pakistan. We talked about missionary work. On Tuesday we had a lesson with a Muslim family. They are so kind and so nice. I love them so much. On Wednesday we had a lesson with a family that was referred to us by members in the ward. They are so golden! They want to get baptized and come to church. I am so excited to keep teaching them. On Thursday we had a lesson with a less-active man at a member’s home. The members took over the lesson (which is good because we haven’t been able to get through to him and they were). He has been getting into a lot of anti-Mormon literature and we do not know how to teach him because he talks about things that I do not know about nor care to know about. These members really helped him. The Spirit was so strong in that lesson! We could see his countenance change and for the first time he said that maybe he is wrong. On Saturday we had a crazy lesson with the Muslim family. We had a member come to the lesson and it was so crazy! He said things that he shouldn’t have said. It was so bad. He basically was almost combative against them. But this wonderful family did not get offended at all. One of them even came to church! She stayed for all of the church hours.
A spiritual experience that I had: On Thursday we had a lesson with a woman named Priscilla. She is 81 years old and is a widow leaving by herself. We asked a member to come with us to a lesson with her. We started talking to her and then started the Restoration lesson. We got to the part about Joseph Smith and recounted his experience in the grove. Afterwards she told us that she knew that it is true and the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ! It was so wonderful.
I am also learning about myself and how much I need to work on! I am so grateful to be a missionary because if I had not come on a mission then I would not have seen all of the strengths and weaknesses that I have. I am so happy to partake of the sacrament each week to be forgiven of my sins and be strengthened by the Spirit. I have been studying about the sacrament and Moroni’s Promise this past week and I have learned a lot. It donned on me today that when we partake of the sacrament each week and are repenting. We will be forgiven. This means that we will have the Spirit with us more fully. I don’t know why that didn’t cross my mind before but it is cool. The Spirit will be able to be part of my life more than it has been!
With studying Mormoni’s Promise I have learned what “real intent” means. At first knowledge I always say that it means that you have to be willing to act on whatever answer you receive. Of course, this is true but it goes even more deep. The foot note to “real intent” lead me to Moroni 7: 9 which then lead me to James 1:6-7 which continued and lead me to James 5:16. Real intent is not only saying that you are going to act on whatever answer you get but it also means that you will pray fervently. You will pour out your heart and soul.
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