So Long, Port Charlotte. Hello, Winter Haven!

Elder Jorgensen and Elder Griffiths being treated to lunch by a very kind member.
Thank you for feeding these missionaries and for sending this photo!

I'll be leaving my area in a couple of days to be transferred to Winter Haven. I'm super excited but very sad at the same time. When you serve in an area you get to know the people and you really develop a strong love for them. It's really hard to say goodbye but there's also some excitement for what lies ahead. Every new area has brought incredible new experiences so I'm looking forward to seeing how the Lord can bless me and use me to bless others. I'll make sure to tell all of you what Winter Haven is like next week!

Elder Griffiths and Elder Jorgensen taking selfies with a 
young man in one of the Port Charlotte area wards.

Gators and Investigators

I spy with my little eye something with sharp teeth lurking in the water.
Can you find it?

I had several neat experiences this week. One of those was on Sunday. 

We had called all of our investigators and none of them were going to be able to make it to church. I HATE not having investigators at church. It makes me feel like my whole week was useless. I said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to bring someone to church. Five minutes before church started, a former investigator walked in. Someone came to church. Heavenly Father had heard and answered my prayer and I was extremely grateful. 

Another experience is this: We were walking down the street heading toward an intersection that we were going to tract and some men were sitting in their garage smoking what may or may not have been an illegal substance and playing poker. We approached them and before we could finish our sentence they just waved their hands at us and said, "Move on!" That usually cuts right through all of my Christlike attributes and this time was no exception. Stubbornly I asked them if they knew anyone who needed to hear a message about Jesus Christ. They just waved rudely at me again and said, "Move on!" Like I said, Christlike attributes such as patience were gone. I told them that they didn't answer my question and then I asked them again, "Who do you know around here that could use a message about Jesus Christ?" One of the guys jokingly pointed at the house across the street and said, "I'm sure they'd love to meet some Jehovah's Witnesses." I told them we weren't Jehovah's Witnesses but thanked him and we walked over to that house. 

We knocked and the lady answered the door. We said a prayer with her and taught her the Restoration. Her eyes lit up when we talked about the First Vision and she said she wanted to go to our church and we invited her to be baptized and she accepted. 

If it weren't for the people across the street we would've walked right past her house. I'm glad Heavenly Father is able to use EVERYONE to accomplish His work.

Until You Find Yourself

Yep, it's cool.

The Book of Mormon is such a cool book. We have an investigator that has been struggling to have all his questions answered. He never takes us seriously when we tell him that the answers to life's greatest questions are all in the Book of Mormon. However, after a very spiritual lesson with him, he began to read it and he realized that there were things he could learn from the Book of Mormon and that his questions were being answered as he read it. 

We talked with him about comparing the stories in the scriptures with our own lives and finding help and he made a profound comment that I think would be a good thing for all of us to realize. He said, "You keep reading the book until you see someone with the same situation as you and then you see how they got through that situation. Basically, you keep reading the Book of Mormon until you find yourself."

An Amazing Experience

A Florida rainbow.

The Lord answers people's prayers. I went on an exchange with another Elder this week and an amazing thing happened. 

We went to an apartment building for an appointment and the lady rescheduled on us. We were walking away but then we figured we might as well just tract that apartment building. On the third floor, second to last door, we knocked on a man's door. There were some moving boxes outside his door. He opened up and saw that we were missionaries and he said that he didn't have time for us. We told him that we actually were going around to offer service to people and that we would love to help him with his boxes. 

His mind was blown. He had just been praying and asking God to send him help. He was moving out of his apartment and it was a last minute thing. Just as he said his prayer, we knocked on his door. As we helped him he asked us about what we believe and he said he would love to meet with us again. Again, the Lord answers prayers.

And another shot of the rainbow because rainbows are just that cool.

Check It Out!

Zone gone wild.

As I watched conference I had some realizations. 

First, the church is true. No doubt about it. The Prophet and the Twelve Apostles are called by God and they are inspired. 

Second, I learned that I have some improvements to make. I had some questions that I brought to conference and I prayed that at least one of the messages would answer them. As usual, within the first session of General Conference my questions were answered. 

For those who may not know, General Conference is when the Prophet of the Lord and the Twelve Apostles and other leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak in a worldwide broadcast. They speak on topics that the Lord needs us to hear and it is a very powerful experience. I recommend checking it out.

Zone enrichment activity - Elder Griffiths is on the far right.