Jan 4, 2016

Good Endings and Great Beginnings

First: I can't believe 2015 is already over!
Second: I love Liberia with all my heart and soul!

This week, or specifically this weekend, has been one of the best in a long long long time. I'm just super happy about everything right now, loving life you could say. Cause I do, I LOVE LIFE.

First cool thing that happened this week was that I finished the Old Testament! Yupp it actually ends. Let me tell you, Ezekiel is tough, Daniel rocks, and everything else is pretty repetitive until Zachariah and Malachi, which are pretty cool. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm so happy that I finished so I can focus on other things. I've started the Book of Mormon again but using a standard copy looking for Assurances of the Lord (Thanks to this Article: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/06/young-adults/trusting-in-the-assurances-of-the-lord?lang=eng )
Looking for times where the Lord doesn't immeditely deliver someone from their trials, but assures them with some form of comfort that all will be will if they endure and follow Him, it's been a great experience and its a great little talk to read.

The New year is here! I can't believe it's 2016. I think its pretty cool though that I've spent all of 2015 in Africa, that might not ever happen again so I'm real grateful for that experience, I have loved it so much. For the New Year we didn't do much, and it really didn't feel all that different but that's because where I am the only thing that changes is the date. Back home the weather changes, school starts, new classes new teachers, the tv and radio show different things, and so on but here it was just the date. No problem for me though, except maybe the weather, it's hot.


So, these next few weeks are going to be some of the busiest of my mission I assume, and that is for this reason; On Saturday we had a baptism, this week will have a baptism, and next week we will have a baptism. It's a lot of work to prepare all of them but it's been some of the most rewarding work. One of our investigators had to have his baptism pushed back a bit because he was struggling to follow one of God's commandments, and when he shaped up, to see the change that he went through with the Saviors help to be baptized, it was a real humbling sight to see. We have been working really hard to teach and see all these people, and it's paying off.

Other than that, I would like to share a story I thought was really cool:
This Sunday was Fast and Testimony meeting and one of my recent converts bore her testimony. We'll call her "A." Just as a background setting, the rumor about the church here is that we are some crazy cult/secret society or in their words "a society people." Some say we sacrifices animals or humans, or that we don't even worship Christ, which is funny considering His name is Literally on my chest every day.

Anyway, 'A' thought these same things as she saw missionaries and members of the church, but whenever she would pass by one of our chapels she would admire how beautiful it was. One day she thought to herself, "Let me go see these society people and see what bad things they do." So she took herself to church one Sunday to check it out. She was terrified and her heart was pounding, but as the service went on she didn't see anything wrong, but thought what they were teaching was nice. Anyway church went on and they had to go to the third hour, and for the girls which was Relief Society, at which point she said to herself, "this is it, everything is true, THEY ARE A SOCIETY PEOPLE!"  But as they taught, she felt the spirit, and decided to keep coming to church.

Now, she's baptized and super happy. We met with her after church and met with her for a while. It's a truth that this church makes her, and me, and us, happier. The Lord uses a church, His church to preach his gospel to the world and bring a higher level of happiness to His Children.

I love this Gospel, I love this Church. I love the peace and the Joy that comes from living the Lords Principles. I invite you to do the same, if you aren't already, to try and find a higher level of peace and joy that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Elder Verdoni