Week 83

Sup!

SO this week was good! We had 2 investigators at church! like this area has pick up so much since I have been here! My new comp is great and we work hard a well together! Carol our investigator was at church and preparing to be baptized on the 9th. Yeah the girl from the bombing is in my zone I haven't talked to her yet but we will have a zone meeting on Friday. So things are going well. To day for preparation day we were at the Branch Mission leaders house he has an 18yr old non member son who we are trying to fellowship and baptize haha also his best friend was there who is an active priest in the Branch. We played Settlers of Catan and Risk. I won both games. So things are going well we are taking our investigator Raphael to the Branch dinner for empty nesters tonight. So yeah I love my mission! best(hardest) two years for sure! Love you guys stay safe!

Elder Howard

THE COMPANION

Hey everybody! Happy Monday! This email will probably be pretty short because we spent pretty much all day just playing Settlers of Catan and Risk with some members and non-members. It was super fun....yes....I did get dead last in both games and yes Elder Howard won both. But that's okay I had a super fun time. 

Our investigator Carol passed her baptismal interview!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was super awkward....I know. That's not supposed to be awkward it's supposed to be super great but it is super great! The reason it's awkward is because she wanted to sit in with her in the interview. That doesn't happen ever. But we ended up sitting in with her (Maybe illegal?) and it was just so uncomfortable. I have nothing to compare it to because I've experience nothing like it! Maybe it would be like a parent who has made their child study super hard for like the most important test in history and then the parent has to sit and watch the kid answer every question. She did pretty well though...except when they ask about "The Word of Wisdom" pretty much every time I've asked an investigator what that is they go off about like the scriptures and how they give us wisdom and stuff. But it worked out. Also at the end of the interview she started going off about anti stuff and it was really awkward because the Zone Leader didn't know that she was joking.. But it all worked out and now she is getting baptized!!!! All our problems are solved right? Almost....We have to find a pool with a lift because she can't walk and she is pretty large.

We actually had a pretty cool miracle with our investigator Carol too! She hasn't been able to make it to church because we haven't been able to find a van with a lift. We got a call one night from a recent convert in the Kirtland Ward who has a van! It was awesome but then we couldn't get a hold of him.... But then another guy in the Kirtland Ward was able to drive down because we had Branch conference and he is the Representative for Missionary work. It was super great at church Carol loved it...except she couldn't really hear very well. That's okay though she felt the spirit! She said she learned 3 new songs at church. The funny thing is we did too because our Branch is convinced we need to learn every single song in the hymn book. 3 down over 300 to go!

Does anybody like sparkling water? An investigator gave us some and I guess it's just not for me.

Faith is awesome. President Johnson, one of the counselors in the Stake Presidency, shared an awesome story. He was in institute and they were talking about how Faith can move mountains and all that good stuff. So then he thought he has enough faith, he could make the door close. So he was staring at the door trying to use the force or something when someone in the class stood up, walked over and closed the door!  "Miracles were and are a response to faith and its best encouragement. They were never wrought without prayer, felt need, and faith."-Bible dictionary This is true. If we even have a desire to follow god, to put all of our Faith, trust and hope with him, we can and will perform miracles. I know this is true. I've seen it in my own life and firsthand in the lives of others like with Carol. I wish everybody could have seen the look on her face when we told her she could come to church. Miracle. 

I love you all and I hope you have great weeks!

Elder Vaughn