30 September 2013

Hey yall! So good to hear from you as always! I have to share a huge miracle that happened this week first off. Saturday we were out with some youth members of our ward Byron (17) and Daniel (13) to help fellowship our recent converts Rozay (17) and Ques (14). We started off going to Ques' house and had a nice visit with him there but when we texted Rozay and asked if he was home he said he wasn't. For some reason we just felt like going over there anyway despite the fact that he said he wasn't home. They live right next to a McDonalds so we always park in the McDonald's parking lot to go to their house. So Rozay didn't answer when we knocked so we went back to the car and as we were pulling out of the parking lot another car started honking at us and shouted "hey! Where is the church?!" Upon hearing that we got out of the car and started talking to them. It was this little member Micronesian family. They had recently moved to Spartanburg from Tennessee 3 months ago and have been looking for the church ever since. Norma (the mom) and her son Dursten (17) and their littlest one Oliver (3) were all in the car. We got their information and scheduled to see them that night. When we went over there that night we met Norma's soon to be sister-in-law Brenda who is not a member of the church. We taught her the Restoration and Norma bore a very powerful testimony of how much the gospel has blessed her life from her baptism at 8 years old and her husbands baptism just a few years ago in Tennessee and how she just wants to come to church every week. Brenda is now preparing herself to be baptized on the 26th of October. Dursten, Brenda, Norma, and Oliver all came to church and had a wonderful time. Brenda was so excited to be at the church and said she felt so happy the whole time. I'm so excited for her and her family to add to our membership here every week! The ward continues to thrive with a lot of members returning to activity, move-ins, and baptisms. I'm enjoying it so much. Things are going so well out here. As for helping your friend and to answer your question let me give a resounding YES to using Preach My Gospel! Preach My Gospel as come to be one of my favorite "books of scripture". It truly is completely inspired writings of the apostles and prophets and is the best go to source for missionary work. Chapter 3 Lesson 2 outlines the Plan of Salvation and the basic principles of it that nonmembers need to know. It offers great council like making sure to be very simple and basic when sharing the story of Adam and Eve. It also offers great scriptures that outline it as well. The pamphlets are fantastic too and I think the Plan of Salvation one would be great to give to your friend. I'm sure the missionaries will give you one. Maybe consider giving it to her with a few of the Plan of Salvation scriptures out of the BofM written in like 2 Nephi ch 2 with the invitation to meet with the missionaries again. Simply say something along the lines of "the first time we talked with the missionaries they basically outlined where our church came from. They'd love to share with you some of the basic restored truths of the church that are outlined in this pamphlet as well." Basically let her know that there is much more that the missionaries share with people and their whole purpose is to be spiritual guides for people in helping them study and learn more. Continue in prayer as you study Preach My Gospel. I'd also turn to chapter 11 on Helping others make and Keep Commitments. Pretty much everything that applies to missionaries applies to members as well :) Every member a missionary! Haha it's funny that you mention that about getting old because I'm starting to become an old man over here myself! We saw someone moving in a bunch of furniture by themselves and we offered to help him out. It was a lot of large heavy things that he had left and just Elder Lee and I and him. Up to this point in my life I don't think I've ever had my back be sore haha. I slept with a heat pad on it that night and felt completely fine the next day but I've gotta start being more careful as I get old and grey. I have a few white hairs coming in and I feel like my hair is thinning haha. I'm not quite sure if I'm just imagining it because my hair has never been this short before but I hope yall still love me if I come home bald :P haha I'm glad Dad's getting involved with his side of genealogical line. Genealogy is something that I've just been so drawn to lately. We'll be going to the temple next Thursday on the 10th so we're getting really excited for that new experience! Things are just going really well overall here. I'm getting so excited for conference. Every year Conference is just so amazing. Sister Krieser was telling me that her son Seth put it in a funny/ completely accurate way. Conference is like the super bowl for missionaries haha. It's true. It's been my favorite weekends of the year. I hope Uncle Junie and Aunt Peachy enjoy it :) Love yall keep up the amazing work! Elder Nair