Salutations!
Because of transfers this week we have our Pday still today in spite of the holiday.
These last couple days have honestly been unbelievably miraculous!
This is the last week of the transfer which always means a huge push forward to be able to complete all the Lord gives us to be able to do.
Monday last week we helped a Chinese member move from one part of a university campus to another part of it, she rented a super tiny U haul van and the Chinese Elders aren't very good at packing haha so I got in there and played some tetras and accomplished the seemingly impossible. After we have a BBQ and FHE at with two families in our ward, we shared with them a message on enduring to the end using the Mormon messages " The Will of God" and "the Refiner's Fire" it was very powerful being able to show that the Lord brings us down a little to allow us to grow in a higher capacity for loving other things that matter.
Tuesday we were able to see Jessica and her boys for a bit, chad was at work, but we chatted for quite a while and talked about them more and how things have been going, turns out that their elder son Calvin-10 has been in the hospital a ton throughout his lifetime, sounds like he is the most known kid there. He has diabetes and some other heart conditions on top of that, he is a really sweet kid though.
Wednesday was an interesting one for sure. We had a really good district meeting that President wrote for us all to do and discuss and it talks about how we can find revelation through church attendance. Super good stuff for sure I will Drop box it after this letter. We taught a man named Stephen, we found him by contacting him on the street and he asked if we were Mormon and if we could sit and share a book of Mormon with him...OKAY! He has had a very rough life, he shared how he was able to find God in his life. He used to be a cocaine addict and one day he was making his drug lines and prayed unto God that he may be able to help him to resist,after that prayer peace of the spirit came to him then he swept the lines away and never touched it ever again! From his story he has been a youth speaker and some ministers sponsored him to go into University for a masters in Divinity.. pretty cool. We shared the Restoration and he has no problem with it at all, he wants monthly contact and will come to church on the 20th.
Later that night we went to a lesson with a Less active family, the brother is very controlling in the conversations that we have (usually praising his children for their successes) and he wanted to show us that art that his daughter had done at school, He called her out and she brought a couple really really good art pieces, but awkward part was that she was wearing something very revealing and that is SOOOO AWKWARD!! Elder Canlas and I laughed about it after the meeting for a while because we just couldn't believe that just happened.
Thursday we visited a few more less actives and because of the summer they too were immodest lets just say haha. Our Ward council was very good though we shared out new mission vision that we have started this month and it takes a while to write it all up, but it is so efficient on all the areas that we are working with, totally worth it.
Jumping to Saturday, took a couple young men teaching, they normally come at least once a week they are fantastic! One of them opened up to a friend at work and bore a great testimony and invited him to learn about the gospel, and not only that he did a whole How to begin teaching with him haha I was so amazed! His friend agreed and we will hopefully see him here soon. Because Elder Canlas is leaving this week we were invited to a Part member family's home that we have been friends with and they being Filipino as well thought it would be fun to cook him his last Canadian dinner before he goes back, a huge turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Then we taught them a super powerful Plan of salvation and the son said that if he knew that these things were true he would be baptized. His parents are allowing him to do it if he wishes, so cool!!
Later in the night we were making sure that our appointment with our investigator Annie was a go, she said " yes sounds good, are you going to come pick my mom sister and me up for church tomorrow?" we paused for a moment to find ourselves again "...ummm Yes of course we will!"
I made Elder Canlas a planner for when he is home and it has wedding pictures and quotes all over it and I wrote finding ideas and planning guidelines for the next 6 weeks haha. He was nervous about going to ask girls on dates and stuff because he had troubles doing it back home too, so we actually role played how to ask a girl out on a date haha it was hysterical!
Sunday So Annie and her family came to church for the first time but as we were waiting for their ride and went to go get them, the mom was drinking beer haha. We made it to church and the testimonies there were so perfect, it was the most reverent meeting I ever attended before and it was so spiritual that Annie and her mom got up by themselves and bore testimony in tears saying that the spirit was here and that they felt at peace. Annie coughed a lot and kinda puked a bit as she sat down. After the meeting she told us that she has hated herself for going through with an abortion in the past, and after that spirit in the testimony meeting she said " it is gone, all the guilt is gone and I can be at peace, you guys have the spirit of the Lord and now I know it." We invited her to be baptized and she agreed to it. HOW CRAZY IS THAT!!!!
Got our transfer calls last night and I am staying put in London, still a district leader, but I get myself a GREENIE!! YAY I'm a daddy again! So excited.
I am so grateful to Elder Canlas I love this guy so much and he has taught me a great deal of lessons on how to become a better missionary and person. I pray he and his family are blessed with much good in the future, I will miss him a lot.
Mormon 9:11
