Blessings!

Throwback to the first day with Elder Jorgensen.

We are teaching a man named Max. Max has a hard time making time for the gospel in his life. We pulled up to his house last week and said a prayer that he would have an experience that would open him up to the gospel. We knocked on his door and his wife answered. She told us that he had gone to the hospital and we should go visit him there. 

We went and saw him and due to some medical concerns he was more open to learning how to change his life to follow God more fully. He had some threatening problems and the doctors were able to resolve them. Because of this experience, he has a stronger desire to learn about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God answered our prayers and is blessing Max's life.

Making a Huge Difference

Found a pug to hug in Florida!

This past week we were helping some people to quit smoking. They had expressed some desire to do this and we have a program that we put people on that helps them to stop desiring a cigarette in seven days. It works extremely well but one of the steps to it is getting rid of all smoking materials. 

This couple proceeded to search their house high and low for any smoking materials that they could find. Then we asked them to destroy them. That included crushing the cigarettes in their hands, dumping out "snuff," and throwing away smoking pipes and tobacco rolls. It was really hard for them to give that stuff up, but they did it and knew that what they had done was the right thing. 

It was really inspiring to watch people make that kind of change in their lives. I know that the Word of Wisdom was a commandment given by revelation to Joseph Smith. It is God's law of health for us in our day and will bless each of us if we live it. It's one of the greatest commandments we have because it blesses us physically and temporally. This couple understood that as well and it's making a huge difference in their lives.

Magnifying Our Efforts

Quesadillas, anyone?

In the past week we have focused on getting members more involved in missionary work. As we've visited with them we've encouraged them to find ways to invite others to learn about the gospel. 

Just in this past week, there has been a shift in the attitude of the ward. People are inviting their friends to church, over for dinner, and to learn about the gospel. It's awesome to see such a change. 

Sometimes as a missionary things start to get overwhelming. Building up the kingdom of God is a big responsibility but this week showed us that if we really put our mind to accomplishing something, the Lord will magnify our efforts. The same works for everyone in whatever capacity they serve.

Talk to Him

With members and investigators at church.
(Thank you, Sister Zimmerman, for the photo!)

We were teaching an investigator the other night and he brought up concerns about whether or not he believed there was a God. As we explained the process of knowing if God was real I felt the Spirit quietly confirm to me that He really is there. We discussed with him that Heavenly Father has a body and that He is perfect and has emotions. He loves us and wants us to be happy. We explained that the only way to come to know God is through talking to Him in prayer. 

All of us need to talk to Him. We can't get to know Him based on what we hear about Him from other people. We need our own testimonies.