Sunday, March 12, 2017

The Power of the Book of Mormon

Talofa, 

It has been quite the week here in the Yakima 3rd Ward. It is incredible how many people we are blessed to work with. We have investigators of all sorts, coming from all sorts of backgrounds, and they're all looking for the same thing. The peace and happiness that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of our investigators, Evelyn, is only twelve years old but so susceptible to the Spirit and so mature. She LOVES coming to church and tells us that each week after church once she is home she runs to her room and closes the door and turns on music and dances around because she's so happy. She has told us that she's felt the Holy Ghost several times since she began to read the Book of Mormon and pray and come to church. Her family isn't currently interested right now, but their hearts are slowly softening as they see the change in Evelyn as she grows closer to the Savior. They're supportive of her decisions and interest in the church, and the Mom told us a couple days ago that she wants to bring the whole family to church one of these weeks! Yesterday, Evelyn brought one of her friends from school to church with her because it makes her so happy. In her prayer at the end of our lesson yesterday she asked God to help her family come with her to church one of these Sundays. It is amazing to see the Spirit touching her heart. 

With exchanges this past week I got to go back to my first area down in The Dalles! It was so much fun to be there again. I got to visit Paola, who was baptized while I was there and I also visited one of the coolest families ever, the Corey Family.
On Saturday we ate dinner with a family where the wife is a convert who was baptized while she was at college and writing a friend of hers who was on his mission. I asked her the question, "Sister Prescott, do you think you would have been baptized if you never read the Book of Mormon?" She started to think about it and began recalling her conversion process, and told me that she thinks she would have. She told me that while she was reading it she didn't totally understand everything that was happening but she knew it was a good thing. Yesterday during Fast & Testimony Meeting, she went up to the podium and told the story of the previous night at dinner when I had asked her that question. She looked at me in the audience and said, "Elder King, thank you for that question. I've changed my mind, I would not have been baptized if it weren't for the Book of Mormon." She said that she had been thinking about the question all night, and came to the conclusion that although she didn't fully understand what she was reading she could not deny what she was feeling. The soft whispers of the Spirit were quiet and powerful, and it wasn't until now that she is able to look back on them and recognize what the Book of Mormon did for her. It was cool to hear about her thoughts and experience, especially with all of the people we are working with to get them to read in the Book of Mormon! Whoever you are, whatever you may be doing, know that I know that the Book of Mormon is something that can truly bless anyone in their life. I've seen many people's lives changed all because of one simple book.

All in all, everything is going good. The sun is out, the sky is blue, things are great, and the church is true. 

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder King




No comments:

Post a Comment