WEEK 7

Hello Everyone,

It hasn't been long since my last email, but not too much going on these past few days. A lot of good appointments though. Oh and Transfers are coming up! Although Elder Meraz is training me, and he should technically train me for two transfers, he has been in the area for 7 1/2 months! Usually you say in an area for 4 1/2 and sometimes 6 months. So I think I may get a follow up trainer. Elder Meraz doesn't want to go, he said he received revelation the other night in a dream that he isn't leaving haha it's very possible that he won't get transferred.

We have been blessed to find a lot of new investigators and potential investigators. We've also been successful with our progressing investigators. We have also had some decent success with some reactivation's! One in particular is a young family, in their early 30's, that just moved into our area. The husband was excommunicated and he's working his way back to being re-baptized. It was an awesome experience. We just taught the First lesson, the Restoration. He really opened up to us, he kept telling us he doesn't talk about it much, but that he felt he needed too. Every time he spoke it was profound and the spirit was felt. It was a neat experience. 

The Vycitals are progressing well. Sister Vycital is completely active again in the church after 7 years. Bro Vycital is progressing well as we meet with him. We're getting him closer and closer to baptism every week. He told us right now he is still in the healing and recovering process from the loss of their baby and he wants to be 100% when he gets baptized. Most of his concerns are on the Temple. We are making that the center of our next lesson and getting the Bishop of the 3rd ward, Bishop Christensen, to come with us. 

We got a media referral a couple weeks ago and we went to contact on Friday. It was an apartment Building with 4 different apartments, the referral only had the Building number not the apartment number... So we knocked every door, hoping every door would answer so we could talk to them about the church, but out of 3 of the 4 apartments, no one was home. Ironically, the last door opened, a lady answered, we asked if she was Nicole and she was. She told us that she had been a member when she was really young but we don't believe that she was baptized. So we set up a return appointment for Tuesday (tomorrow). Excited to see what's in store.

The downside of this week though is that out of 5 people we committed to coming to church, and they said they would, no one showed up... One thing we are trying to figure out is why people don't just tell us they aren't going to come. The funny part is, when we asked why they weren't able to make it, 4 out of 5 of them said they were sick, NO ONE COME TO IDAHO THERE IS A PLAGUE, haha. People are weird yeah we are 18 and 19 but we aren't that dumb haha. We are working together as a companionship to hold people to their commitments. Wish us luck!

I would just like to end with my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that that Book is the Word of God, as is the Bible. As missionaries we try to help people understand that the Book of Mormon is there to help us return to our Father in Heaven, just as the Bible does. Whats better than 1? 2! We have 2 books to help us return to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am very thankful for the opportunity to study the book everyday, to learn and to grow, spiritually and mentally. I invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon, just a couple verses, then get on your knees and ask God, in prayer, if the Book of Mormon is true, even if you already have done so, President Eyring, of the First Presidency of the Church, once said that he prays every morning to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I end my testimony with this, The Prophet Joseph Smith once said "...the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love y'all,

~Elder Stevens