Proof and Conversion

This week we had some great miracles!  We had a goal this week of 10 new investigators, and Saturday we had a goal of 3.  At 7:00 at night we had 0 on Saturday, and 5 total.  We then went to a sister that said she had some references for us, which usually doesn't end with new investigators, but we tried it.  We went to the house, and it was a mom and her two kids, and they were super interested!!  It was awesome!  We were also working to get more references, so we gave a pass along card to one of our recent converts, 11 years old.  On Sunday, he asked if he could introduce us to his friend, and we said of course, and he introduced us to a 50 year old woman, his neighbor.  He had invited her to come to church, and she came and was very interested!  We had a lesson right after church, and she was awesome!  By the end of the week, we had 10 new investigators!  It was incredible!!  It came after a week of tracting super hard and lots of walking!  Faith precedes the miracle right?

Today we had a P-Day activity, and I made Sister Homer's Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy!!!  It was so good!  I also made the biscuits in a pan, because we don't have an oven, but it worked, and I loved it!  It was so cool!

I also have been struggling recently with investigators that want to prove the Book of Mormon is true, because I half want to do it, and prove it to them that it's all true, but I know that that won't bring conversion.  So, I found this scriptures that really helped me to teach these investigators:

1 Corinthians 2
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Nephi 9
42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

We cannot know anything is true at all without a witness of the Holy Ghost.  The only truth that exists that we can get to without the Holy Ghost, is ''I think, therefore I am,''  which sounds cool and all, and was a stepping stone in history, but doesn't actually help much!  I love everything I'm learning and all the people I'm helping!

Love you all!

Scripture Study and Miracles

This week has been pretty crazy!! I've been working super hard with my new companion, and we are finding people left and right! I'm super excited for this transfer! This week I've been studying Christ, as was mentioned by Russell M. Nelson, and it's fascinating to see what kind's of things you find incidentally while reading those scriptures! Here are some things I found that were incredible:

John 16:
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
(emphasis added)

This is super cool, because it's basically written to those who haven't prayed like that before!! It's written for teaching!

also this:

D&C 76:
22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father. . .

Which reminded me of the talk by President Packer in April 2014, which says:

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:
“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him” (D&C 76:22–23). 

Their words are my words.

I believe and I am sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He lives. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, and “by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

It's super powerful! I am also learning a ton from my companion and from all of my leaders! I feel so happy to be here in the mission!

We also went to a cemetery today for P-Day, and what was really interesting were the open crypts! We got to take pictures, which I will send, when I get an SD card reader again...

We also had a miracle this week. We had 0 new investigators on Wednesday, and 5 on Friday, and the goal is 10. I said a prayer in the morning on Saturday that we could find at least 2 more, so we could meet our goals for the day, and we found 4. Then I prayed that we could meet the weekly goal on Sunday, and we found 1 more! It was absolutely amazing! I feel so close to the savior, and I know he hears me!

I love you all, and keep being amazing!

Dallin

Miracles and Transgression

This week was pretty calm, without much movement, except at the end of the week. This Sunday we had some miracles! We were in church on Sunday, and we were talking about the Priesthood in Gospel Principles, and our recent convert shared a story about when we gave a blessing to their baby boy, who is struggling with some health issues. We gave him a blessing, and didn't hear any more about it. Come to find out, they went to a doctor's appointment the next day, and the doctor told them that nothing was wrong with him! It was literally a miracle! Then, in Priesthood, we talked about the Holy Ghost, and divided up into groups to speak on different topics. We were in a group with our investigator that is looking for all the information he can find on the church, and I mean all! He wants proof that it's true. So, our part talked about how the church is directly contrary to intellectualism, and how you can only understand the things of God by the spirit, and talked about how we can recognize it. It was so perfect, because we had been trying to teach this to him the whole time, but when he read it, and taught it to the rest of the class, he understood. It was amazing!!!

And then, Sunday night, we received transfers. My companion is leaving to the poorest zone in the mission, and I'm staying here. As District Leader. It's going to be absolutely crazy! That's a lot of responsibility, and I have to go to a training for new leaders this week to figure out what I'm going to do!

I also had some great studies! We are taking the challenge by Russell M. Nelson to read and underline every reference to Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide, and it's awesome!! I also wanted to know the difference between transgression and sin. Everyone here told me that a transgression is when you break a commandment without knowing it was wrong, and a sin is with that knowledge, and they teach it when they teach about the Fall of Adam. What's really interesting though, is that the definition of transgression doesn't appear in any book we can read as missionaries: Jesus the Christ, True to the Faith, The Guide to the Scriptures (in Spanish, because it's found in El Libro de Mormón), Preach My Gospel, or The Bible Dictionary. So I studied it. It turns out that transgression is when you break a commandment. In any situation. Sin is when you break a commandment with knowledge. So every sin is a transgression, but not every transgression is a sin. I was a little worried about this, because we know that the spirit testifies of truth, and if we don't teach the truth, the spirit won't be there, so I'm focusing on teaching only what it says in preach my gospel, and understanding the truths that aren't in case somebody asks. As missionaries, we can't share everything we know on a subject, but we need to learn everything really well, so we can answer questions and also become more like Christ. I figure that even though this knowledge is really good to have, and will help me understand the scriptures better, I still won't teach it, because it's not important enough to be included in Preach my Gospel. If somebody asks why I keep saying "Adam's transgression," I will be able to explain it, but it was really cool to be able to simplify what I teach!

That's about all this week! I love you all, and keep learning and progressing!!

Love,
Dallin

General Conference

This was an amazing session of conference!!! I loved the revelation I received, and it was such a blessing to be able to listen to it in English!!! It is super interesting to hear what President Monson says in his talks, because every word is worth that much more!!! I also loved what was basically an exposition on the doctrine of the Godhead from Elder Oaks, and the amount of quotes in the talk by D. Todd Christofferson, was very interesting, and I'm excited to read what I can from the sources! I've decided to start a binder where I can basically store modern day scripture by author, in print, so I can mark it up and add cross-references like the quad. It is going to be so cool! Also, for General Conference, although I couldn't watch it in house, all comfortable like you can at home, I bought a whole bunch of snacks to eat during it, and then our zone leader bought us Pizza Hut!!! It was awesome!!! I also loved the allegory of the choir from Jeffrey R. Holland. It was so powerful!

We also found a new investigator this week that loves the Bible, which means we have to work hard with him on the Book of Mormon, but I'm learning a lot about the Bible, and finding things to think about! 

There is a BYU Speech that I think everyone should look at called A Reservoir of Living Water, by David A. Bednar, that really is a great way to feel the spirit and to be taught the type of things you read about in Jesus the Christ, by the spirit. It's very powerful!! So, when you are trying to understand what something means, you can use connections, as described in the article, to figure it out! 

There was also a General Conference talk about underlining every mention of Jesus Christ in the Standard Works, and the power it has to change people, and it was so cool! 

The biggest challenge we have right now, is helping people understand the importance of personal revelation, and the need to change their lives. But I love this mission, and I feel confident that this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be, serving him.

I love you all!

--Dallin