Meetings and more meetings July 13th, 2015

This last week we had a lot of meetings. But they were all super powerful. In our mission leadership council we spent a long time discussing the missionary handbook and not so much what is in it, but more the why. It was good and we were able to hear a lot of good things from the leaders of the mission and how most all of it came back to the principle of love. Love for God and Love for those we teach. As we follow the commandments we show our love for God and we should follow them out of love for God. At the same time the white handbook is a foundation for revelation. And as we live it we are more apt to receive revelation and it is a sign of our love for those we teach. We are able to receive more inspiration and revelation to bless the lives of those we meet and teach. The white handbook is a resource given to us to help us show our love for God and help our investigators. It is great! During the meeting we also received revelation as a group about 30 or so people on a mission wide goal. The spirit was powerful in testifying to each of us that it can be accomplished.
Our responsibility was then to take it back to our zones and help each missionary be inspired and to work toward it. That meeting was powerful as well. Because of miracles that happened last transfer as a zone it will make this transfer's goal easier, but it was more to give the missionaries of this zone the faith they needed to accomplish. They already know miracles are possible and more importantly, that they happen and not over there and to other people, but to us and those we teach. They witnessed this last transfer, and that has given them the faith for this. Our meeting was also very powerful. We as a zone also received revelation on this mission wide goal and know that it is possible and the Lord's will for us.
Now the implementation into the zone is key. The district leaders now at this point carry a lot of weight, we need to help to make sure that everything goes the way it is supposed to. We have faith that all will work out!
Paige also set a baptismal date with us this week. We watched the Joseph Smith:Prophet of the Restoration movie! And after we talked about it and eventually I asked her if, limitations aside (because she is in a wheelchair) if she wanted to be baptized. And she said no. But then she went on to talk about how she knew the church was true and that is was God's church because of the dream she had. And if she has to be baptized to join it, she would think about it. So we talked about it some more and eventually Elder Bjorling just asked her so will you? And she thought about it, then pulled out her phone (on which she had been receiving a bunch of texts) so we didn't know what she was doing. She eventually started talking about how a bunch of things are happening on all of these different days and we eventually suggested the 25th and she said yeah. We are so excited for her! And she is struggling with other things too but she is dedicated! Things are going well!
Sincerely,
Elder Roberts

Solid Change July 6th, 2015

We had a good week full of miracles. For just our companionship as well as the whole zone. Those area's that had seemed to be struggling took off and have found a lot of people to teach recently. They are so excited to have more people to teach and to see these people desire to follow Christ. The missionaries have seen amazing miracles within themselves as well. As they have reached out to those around them and felt the spirit it has changed the missionaries as well as the investigators.
Earlier this week, we got to see Paige a few times. We helped plant some flowers, pull weeds, guide vines and plant carrots. She is in a wheelchair so it makes it hard for her to do stuff like that and it drives her crazy not being able to do it herself. She was raised as a cowgirl into rodeo's and things like that. She told us that she has felt at a few different times that she has been about to say that she wants to get baptized, but every time she wants to, the thoughts come of how. It would be hard for her, so we are working out other ways it can be done than in a font through the ward mission leader. We are thinking a swimming pool with a chair lift. This last week she actually got up and bore her testimony as well. She talked about the dream in which she received the answer that the church true. And she talk about how she had always known. She is awesome!

Danielle is doing sooo great!! We were able to see her Wednesday and set up a time for the next day on Thursday for a lesson. We decided to watch Meet the Mormons with her. and set it up so that could happen. We had a member come with us with a similar story to her's, as well as a recently returned missionary. We started off by talking about the spirit and how it feels to her and the purposes of the spirit. Then we started the movie. Elder Bjorling could see Danielle in a mirror by the TV and she was crying the whole time. After we stopped the movie we asked her if she felt the spirit and where. She said yes and specifically at the beginning with the bishop in Atalanta and The Missionary Mom. But she then proceeded to tell us about a bunch of the things that touched her throughout the whole thing. We talked about it some more talked about baptism and the gift the of the Holy Ghost and how these things would bless her family. We then invited her to be baptized, and she said she wanted to do, but she just needs more courage. We bore our testimonies to her and told her how she could receive that answer and courage, and that was the through the Book of Mormon. As we invited her to pray and ask she interrupted us mid-sentence and told us that she was going to be baptized. She knew then and there and had received her witness from the Holy Ghost. Elder Bjorling when talking about receiving a witness was touching his heart and I started talking about prayer it reminded her of a story that had happened in her child where her heart wasn't doing so well and the prayers of members of the church (whom she had no connection to) in that area of Southern California had healed her and she came out well, unlike others with the same condition. As those things connected in her mind she received the witness and she became solid in that decision. We asked when she would like to, she said I don't care, I am just going to do it, we suggested July 25 and asked about a time and she said I don't care I am just going to do it. We suggested 4:00. She changed in about the space of 10 mins. We came back yesterday and asked her about church with her kids and her husband is pretty hard pressed against their kids going to church and so that is a struggle. He works out in North Dakota so he is not around too often. But we have been trying to meet with him too when he is in town. He doesn't have any problem with our church in particular so much as organized religion. But she still seemed like an entirely different person when she came to the door. She is still rock solid in her decision to be baptized. She talked about it with no doubt in her mind that it will happen and she then told us that she would pray and figure out how she could help her husband to open his heart and allow the kids to come to church and be baptized. She is also praying about him coming to her baptism. He is alright with her getting baptized but he is still not sure about the kids. But she awesome and it won't be too long for her.

We also had a great lesson last night with a kid named Cameron who is dating a girl who wants to get married the in the temple. He has family members who are Mormon and some who are not and so he has a lot of conflicting views of mormons but he wants to know for himself if the church is true. He wants to learn about marriage in the temple and why she has this desire. WE taught the restoration and it was a very powerful lesson. He felt the spirit for the first time in his life and he was astounded and blown away. He is anxious to learn and we will be seeing him again tomorrow to teach him the plan of salvation so he can know the whole purpose behind it all. It was a great week! These are just some of the wonderful experiences. There has been a lot with the Zone in particular as well.

Sincerely,
Elder Roberts