Hi Everyone!
It is nice to have a full week of work since last week I was sidelined for a bit. It feels great to be with a companion who is ready to work and visit people and teach lessons all the time. While I'm "training" him right now, he is already a great missionary. I think the nicest thing is that he is always prepared at any time to teach the Gospel to someone. He is in the zone!
This week I'm starting to get the hang of where things are in Estes. Last night we were really close to our lesson goal for the week so we went on splits with members from the ward. This was the first time I drove in Estes to visit people without the help of Elder Schenk and I did it! We found the people we were looking for! It was awesome. We ended up basically hitting our goal. It felt pretty satisfying to be able to get around town fairly well without my navigator! Though we probably should get a map one of these days…
We had a pretty exciting service opportunity this week! The husband of a member who isn't coming to church currently was doing some landscaping at the townhouse complex he helps run. He is 69 and was planning to move tons of ~100lb rocks to a spot to prevent a concrete slab from sliding and caving. However, the rocks delivered were closer to 200 or 300lbs. My companion and I helped! It was crazy moving these super heavy rocks. We didn't have a scale, so we can't say how heavy they actually were. But they were extremely dense solid granite rocks. I couldn't believe that 69 yr old dude was doing such hard labor! He is pretty impressive to me!
In terms of work, we have been working with these 4 kids (10-14) who are preparing to be baptized. They are set for this Saturday, but we aren't sure if they will for sure be ready by then. It is really exciting to be teaching some people who are enthusiastic about being baptized! It is pretty awesome starting to slowly see changes in them as they start to accept our invitations to actually read from their scriptures on a daily basis and pray.
I had an opportunity to give the training this week at District Meeting and we talked generally about receiving revelation from God. That is one of the COOLEST topics ever in my opinion. I feel like it is THE MOST important thing for people to learn. It is TRUE that we can actually come to our Heavenly Father in prayer and receive counsel and answers to things in our lives that concern us. We had a discussion with all 8 of us there going through ways people receive revelation. 1 Elder said he fasts (24 hrs w/o food & water) in prayer to receive answers. 1 Sister said back home she would go to the Temple grounds with her scriptures & hymns in prayer to receive answers. Another sister prays at night with specific questions and receives answers in visions/dreams while she sleeps. Another Elder prays about it and then talks to trusted people about it to come up with answers. And there were more too. For me, when I am seeking revelation/guidance from Heavenly Father, I go off by myself in prayerful pondering. It is part out loud and part quiet inside and I just ask really specific questions on what to say in a talk or training or how to help my companionship or whatever other questions I have. Obviously there are more ways - like having questions going into church and receiving answers there or listening to talks by church leaders. I'm just SOOOO grateful to know that Heavenly Father loves us and communicates with us IF we do what Jesus says to do, in the Sermon on the Mount "7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." I know that if we ask, seek, and knock that we will truly receive, find, and have the door opened. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is truly concerned with our day to day lives because he is literally our Father! And He is the perfect Father who is able to help you up and allow you to fall. It is awesome. :)
We are going to be out of here pretty soon to go on a hike. I wish I was healthy enough last Monday to go because it was 37 and kinda snowing this morning here in Estes. BUT I gotta take advantage of the opportunity to go on a nice hike. And for my family - yes, I have a lot of warm clothes to wear for the hike in case it is super cold. :)
Have an amazing week!
I attached a picture of Elder Schenk and me, and epic sunset, and an average day in Estes with Elk doing whatever they want downtown. :)
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