Another great week

Just read Heather's first email from the Philipines. Hearing about the humble conditions makes me appreciate everything I have here. Her mission will be so different than mine. And she is actually going to be in a different mission than what she started in, which is crazy because all mission presidents are so different! But our mission will have new boundaries starting in July as well. So far my area is staying but a lot of my mission will be put into the new Georgia mission and Virginia mission.

This week was wonderful! One of our investigators was in the hospital and the Elders were able to come and give her a blessing and it was really powerful. They promised according to her faith she would be healed. She was released Saturday so she wasn't well enough for Church but she's still working towards Baptism.

The daughters of a less active sister that we have been trying to meet with forever we finally got to see this week and we had a discussion with them and they committed to a date to be baptized! (May 25th) It's great because we are hoping this will bring their whole family back to church :) They did come to church with their father. He is less active as well, or WAS! You could tell he really felt the spirit as we taught the restoration and his daughters shared what they already knew about it and wanted to be baptized. We have been teaching a lot of children, looks like my Elementary Education experience comes in handy! Also at church we had a daughter of another less active who wants to be baptized with her less active Mom there. It's wonderful how children can be the key to rekindling someone's faith and bringing them back into the gospel! Children are so pure and innocent and the spirit can talk to them, no matter how young!

We taught one other guy again, and he said he feels like it's true but it's hard to gage how much he understands. We aren't sure if he can read! He is an 80 year old black man, so back when he was growing up he may not have had the opportunity to learn. So we are meeting with him tonight to help him learn how to read and understand the Book of Mormon! We are going to teach simply with a lot of pictures to help him understand.

Last night we had a great lesson with a brother of the ward. He really is receptive and open to us, more than he was Elders. He has always been friendly and taken discussions with Elders, but not really felt it. We are helping him understand the spirit, and how he can receive his answer! His wife called us and thanked us for what we are doing for her family. She and the whole ward are praying that he'll receive the gospel! It's been many years coming, but we think this might be it! He's praying and searching for his answer and we're hoping he'll come to church next week to get it.

I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know it with all my heart, and that gets affirmed to me all of the time! I am so blessed. We had a lesson in Releif Society yesterday on "Consider the Blessings" and being grateful for what we have. I want to do that more. I am so blessed to be a MISSIONARY and be bringing people the gospel! It brings me so much joy I can't even describe. I am so thankful for this opportunity. I know it is short, but I am trying to make the most of EVERY day and give the Lord my whole heart and mind.

P.S I told Mom this but Elder Whittaker who is now serving in our ward played Joseph Smith in "Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration". All the Ward is freaking out about it.