Elders and Sisters

1/9/2023 

Hey...

Well this week was great! The Lord is definitely in the details

One of our friends dropped us. It was so sad because I saw the light of christ in her I don't know what happened. But when another door closes a window opens and that window was Mariana and she is from Fiji and she has so much faith I hope everything goes well with her!

We had a lesson with our friend Rachel and she is so cool! She just talks about how she knows that this is the true church and she is almost done with the Book of Mormon. She is going through a lot but she says it heals her and I would agree. The Book of Mormon heals you. And we asked her to be baptized and she is going to pray about it so pray for Rachel

Haha we had a lunch that a Chaplin at Skaalin (an assisted living center) and there a bunch of leaders from different local religions that got together and we were on a table with a catholic priest (Father Randy) and the Chaplin and he asked us what we believe about the godhead and we told him. Then I think I asked a question about the Catholic faith and then he brought up how he liked the story about the Grasshoppers and we were like oh yea and he went on to explain to the Chaplin about how the grasshoppers were killing the Saints crops and that they prayed and seagulls came and ate them. Then he asked the Chaplin why they were over west and the Chaplin didn't know so Father Randy went on about how there was an execution on the Mormon's heads by the government and gave a synopsis of the history of why we fled New York, Ohio, and Missouri. It was crazy how much he knew. It was very interesting the whole thing. It solidified my beliefs and that I know this to be Christ's church upon the earth.

Spiritual thought: sorry this is taking so long but I was prompted to read in my personal study a couple nights ago the Book Jesus the Christ and I was at the part about the crucifixion of Jesus. And they as I was reading the detailed horrible account of his death. There was a scripture that came into mind and it was Mosiah 14:3-5 it says

"3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

He was despised and rejected... but with his stripes we are healed. There is nothing more beautiful than that. The savior descended below all things to loft us up above the pull of this world. He cared so deeply for us. Now it is our job to use his Atonement daily in our lives so his sacrifice was not in vain. I know he lives and he loves all of his children (even father Randy) and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wisconsin Culture: they call the interstates here for example 15 instead of I-15 like we say it. Kind of weird