Hey there everyone! I can't believe I am saying this, but it is true- this is my last email home. Tomorrow I will be going to the temple with the Calderwood's and eating at Carnegie Deli! I am super pumped for this. I will also be turning in my iPad, so I won't be able to email next week. I will going to Staten a island as well to see a few people before I leave. By the way, it is finally freezing cold here! The wind is terrible.
The other day I was seeking another witness that the Book of Mormon was true. I knelt down and prayed and was honest with the Lord about my desire to have a further witness of it's truthfulness. After that prayer and some time later, I realized the bulk of my testimony is that God is our Father and that His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior.
I realized that my understanding of God and my relationship with Him has come from the Book of Mormon! The Book of Mormon has taught me the why of Christ, how to truly pray with faith, etc. I know that my relationship with God is real and it is because of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith that I have that relationship.
We were doing church tours last Monday evening as a way to find new investigator. I saw a man stopped on his bike using his phone and he looked easy to approach for the first street contact of the night. I told him that we were doing tours of church building and we would love to have him come inside. Surprised a first, he said yes and that he was riding his bike around the neighborhood looking for a nearby Christian church, but had no luck finding one! We went inside and showed him around. There was a special spirit present. He liked what he saw and said that he would come on Sunday as well as meet with us before. It was a total miracle!
After the miracle, we met with Josh over Skype. We had Benjie, a member, with us and also skyped in the missionaries from Josh's neighborhood in Long Island so he could meet them! It was an awesome lesson. Benjie related very well with Josh and I felt promptings flying at me for him and knew that he needs to take a leap of faith and be baptized and his family will soon come around. I read Enos with him and applied it. Looking at that scripture now it doesn't make sense how it would apply, but I worked perfectly!
We taught Curtis, a media referral sent from someone. At first he wasn't very interested and his mom forced him haha! We talked and he was not very involved. We told him to read the pamphlet and meet up with us next week to see if this is something that would interest him.
This second lesson was different. He had tons of questions! I felt promptings come regarding prayer and the Holy Ghost and the lesson was great. He even said a great prayer on his own for the first time. He asked God to help him learn more about Jesus Christ. I think he is starting to trust us.
In addition to these people, we had a family of 6 come to sacrament meeting for first time! Woohoo! They are so awesome. The father is a member, but the rest of the family is not, the kids like the church a lot and I think the mom is starting to trust us, especially after I raved about Haitian food. They make awesome meals with beans and rice!
There are so many miracles that have happened and that are going to happen in this area.
Brooklyn has a special place in my heart. I have spent the majority of my mission serving in Brooklyn and I love the people here. This branch of members are like family to me and I love them so much. I will forever miss NY, but I am so excited to continue on my journey at home. I now know where I want to go with a career and I am just ready!
See you all soon!
Love,
Elder Hooper
No comments:
Post a Comment