BOM Miracles!

So this week was pretty awesome. I spent three days working with Elder Clayton a missionary from down south while my companion was down in McAllen. We had some cool miracles happen this week. Throughout the whole week we hadn't been able to get in contact with Rebecca, so we were kind of freaking out. Phone calls, texts, notes on her door, passing by tons of times, families houses, nothing was working! So on Friday we wrote down everyone we have taught and came to church and made it a priority to go see all of them before Sunday to try and help them continue to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized. So we went by a bunch of people and as we taught a lesson to Amy we received a call out of nowhere. It was Rebecca! She had a ton of crazy stuff happen and finally was able to give us a call, milagros! She said she still wanted to be baptized and was still good to go!:) 

Well then on Sunday we had a good twenty people lined up to come to church, we confirmed all week, passed by their houses before church, called them the whole deal. no body came... So as we sat there we thought about it and couldn't figure out what happened. Well in the front was a young boy, about 14 years old, sitting by his grandmother who is a member. So we went up and started talking to him. Turns out his name is Trey. He actually lives with his mom outside of our mission but spends the weekends at his Grandma's house. He said he had been going to church for years. So we asked him if we could ask him a few questions to figure out how much he knew. Well he knows everything! He is a genius. So we invited him to be baptized and he told us he wanted to be baptized because he wants the holy Ghost so he can be closer to God. So Trey is working to be baptized on the 28th on this month as well! This experience with Trey made me think of this scripture from D&C 123:12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtlecraftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know notwhere to find it. Trey has been coming all this time and never received the fullness of those blessed simply because he hadn't been asked. It was a huge blessing to meet Trey. 

Later that same day we went to Grace's house to teach her family and give her husband Scott a priesthood blessing. In the past we have taught Grace's whole family but they all chose not to act for one reason or another. And for the most part we had been respecting their agency to do so, but something we have been coming to realize is the fullness of our calling to "preach repentance and baptize converts". Alma, or Aulek, or Ammon, or Aaron, or any of the great prophets and missionaries in the Book of Mormon taught solely that very principle: "Preach repentance and baptize converts". So since God is no respecter of persons we ought to preach the same way. So we have made the decision to preach the very same way. So we went to their home and read with the whole family Mosiah 3:19-25  For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child,submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread through out every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent. And even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God, only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee. And now I have spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded me. And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof they shall be judged, every man according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil. And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. So we talked to them about how the time is now. The trumpet has sounded and the missionaries are here. They have received the gospel, heard the message, and felt the Spirit. We explained more but what it came down to is that the choice is simple. God or Satan, because when that day of judgment comes we will stand as a perfect testimony of ourselves standing before God in righteousness or shrinking away. So the chose is all ours. And after having been taught for five months J took us aside and he said "guys, I want to do it. I want to be baptized. That really spoke to me. I don't care what's holding me back right now I want to be baptized, and I'm going to do it." and so Jay wants to be baptized on the 12th of June. This was a huge miracle! 

I know the Book of Mormon was and is the reason for J's change of heart, All happiness in this life comes from the Gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have never felt so humbled and blessed as I am now to be a part of His work in these latter days. I know this church to be the Church of God. His church in the last days. We aren't perfect yet but God has provided a way for us to be, one day. Please study the Book of Mormon everyday and pray to know if it is true, even if you already do. It is the keystone to our religion and our lives and our conversion to Jesus Christ. I love you all and hope you have a miracle packed week!