Hola Familia!

Another great week here from Royal. It never ceases to bring new surprises. Like finding places that you would have never know existed behind the corn stalks. All that type of adventure. 

We have had some pretty cool experiences lately. This past week there was a change in our ward mission leader which will be interesting to see the changes in the ward missionary work. Every person brings something completely different to the table. It has been cool to see how different people try to apply the call from our prophet and apostles. 

We found a new group of houses the other day and finally decided to go knock it. It was interesting because we set to do it the night before and then we woke up and it was really windy. Not wanting to ruin our plans for the rest of the day we decided to go ahead and knock doors anyway. Well, it was good, the wind ended up being about 50 or 60 miles an hour (but it was warmer like 50 degrees so it wasn't freezing!) and we couldn't even really walk in a straight line. Although looking back not much came from the doors that we knocked, it was showing the Lord our dedication to do what we knew we should. That was something I have really learned recently from Daniel. He is a 19 year old that recently got baptized in our branch. He got called to be a branch missionary and has been awesome. The other night he came to a lesson with us and the person wasn't home, so he asked where we were going next. After 1 or 2 more people not being home, he said, "Well this is just some days of missionary work right? it is preparing me for my mission, where are we going next?" Now every time i have an experience where things aren't really going as i planned i think of Daniel and how he has only been a member for 2 months and already is preparing to serve the Lord. 

This week, although we didn't have as many lessons as we planned, the one that we did have made up for it. We have been able to contact people that we haven't seen since October and teach and testify of the Book of Mormon. That was in a house where they have a missionary leaving this week and it was super awesome the Spirit that was felt there. 

This week my testimony has really grown that it all goes back to the Restoration. Every doubt or question in some way, shape, or form leads back to it. We had people telling us that they knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and that the Book of Mormon is true. We have been focusing on making sure people have the essentials of a testimony in the Gospel. With a testimony of these four things, their testimony will be solidified. 

1. That Jesus Christ is our Savior

2. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ 

3. The Book of Mormon is the Word of God

4. The Priesthood was restored to the Earth

Elder Richards said without these 4 things no one can be converted to the gospel, they are all essential to our testimony. I thought back to an experience that we had this week, we were teaching one of our older investigators and she has been reading the Book of Mormon and is in Mosiah. As we talk to her, we help her discover for herself the true doctrines. She told us she believes that Joseph saw God and Jesus and of the simplicity and the divinity of the Book of Mormon so we began to use the Book of Mormon to help us teach other doctrines. She says she really needs to study some of these things our for herself, but with that testimony that she has I know she can find true answers.

This week as I have been trying to help some of the people we are teaching i stumbled upon an activity that helps me be grateful and find scriptures that show people what God has in store for them. It told me to go through Preach my Gospel and study about the promised blessing of keeping the different commandments. And i barely started but it is amazing the blessings that are in store for us if we are willing to keep the commandments of God. The first and foremost is our Freedom. When we CHOOSE to obey the commandments of God, we do not become bound to the evils of Satan and are blessed with the continual ability to choose. It is truly amazing the plan that God has for us. And i realized that yesterday as I was asked if Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit was really God's plan.

During that lesson another miracle happened. That investigator was actually related to another one of our investigators and we found out that he really did want to get baptized, but then he disappeared! Well, we found out that he still live in our mission area and we are working to get the Elders to his house to teach him. He has helped this other investigator along the way so much and i hope he just finally finds what he was searching for.

It has been a good week as I reflect on it and although i hadn't really thought that so much during the week it is amazing how much more you can appreciate things in retrospect. I hope we can all try better, myself included, to be more grateful in the moment. I love you all and I hope that you have made some goals to strengthen your relationship with Christ this year, as well as do you part to help build his kingdom here upon the earth. As we do this we, through promise, become heirs of that kingdom, joint heirs with Christ.

Love you all, Have a great week!

Hermana Ray

Ready to go tracting in 50 mile an hour wind with my trusty "walking" stick