Today we get to go to the temple. I am super excited. It is going to be awesome! We're going to Newport Beach and I think it will be super awesome. The temple is so amazing.
Thank you for the updates on Grandpa. I have been praying for him!
It was so good to talk to you on the phone on Sunday. Thank you for your encouragement. Home is just so great :)
This week has been full of ups and downs just like always. We've had several nights where exhaustion sets in and everything becomes hilarious while we plan. We've had some funny contacting stories. Some awkward, some totally uncomfortable, and some good :)
The weather has been really warm lately. And so humid. Gross, I'm not a fan of humidity when you have to walk or bike in the heat all day. And I'm sure it's not even that bad compared to some places. But several times this week I've really wanted just one breath of dry utah air :)
For some reason the heat has made my brain think that it's the fourth of July time. And I love the fourth of July.. I think I've decided that it's my favorite holiday and my favorite time of the year. So several mornings as we've been walking I just got super happy and all patriotic feeling haha. I think on Monday we just talked all day about the founding fathers and 1776 and A More Perfect Union. It was so funny.
I have been thinking of the question that Quince asked me on Sunday. What is the most amazing thing I have seen on my mission? The answer I gave is one of them, but reflecting on that question since I've decided that the most amazing thing I have seen so far is how involved Heavenly Father is in our lives. Even when we don't recognize it. This week we have seen so many examples of that. I'll tell you just one (sorry it's super long):
The first is with a man named Daniel. Earlier this week we tracted in to Daniel at a bus stop. As we began talking we realized that we had briefly talked to him before but he had been going to a bible study class so didn't have time to talk. This day he was early for the bible study so we began a real conversation. He posed the question almost exactly as Joseph Smith had-Of all the churches that are in existence, how do we know which one to join? Of course this was a perfect lead into the restoration, so we began to teach him. As we related the story of Joseph Smith he said, I was baptized as a mormon. And we were like, WHAT? He said that he had a severe head injury several yrs ago up in Washington and someone told him that if he got baptized he might get healed (I don't know who would say something like that but that is how he remembers it). So he said he was baptized. But later realized that mormonism was not for him. After speaking with him for a while it became obvious that he had very very little understanding of what we believed. So we asked if we could set up a time to meet with him. He gave us his card and told us to call him the next week.
We called him later that week and he told us he could meet for a few minutes on Friday morning. Unfortunately he lives just outside of our area so we asked if we could meet somewhere two blocks further south :) He said, yeah, lets meet just outside of the starbucks on the street corner. We said that would work and then sent his address in as a referral to the elders in that area.
On Friday, when we got up there, we realized it was just outside our area so we called our zone leaders to get permission to cross the street and meet with him. Well, they didn't answer and we were almost late. And then we saw them just right across the street because that is their area. So we called them again and this time they answered and we told them to turn around and come talk to us :) They did and before we could say anything they said-We just tracted into a referral that we just got! And we said, was his name Daniel? And they said Yes! And we said we're meeting with him right now. Do you want to come with us so we can do this pass off really easily? They agreed and they came with us. Apparently they had planned on going by his house that morning at 11 (the time we were meeting with him) but had decided that they felt they should tract on that street instead. So they did. And they contacted him just before we got there.
We met with him and began to talk about the Book of Mormon. We had felt like this was something we should talk to him about and challenge him to read. For the first little bit he didn't seem interested. He was super nice and he thought it was funny that we had both contacted him 3 times in the previous week, but he didn't seem too interested in our invitation. And then he said this: What would you do if you were in my situation? And we didn't really know what he meant so he explained. "I am so involved in my church already. I do this and this on Sat and go multiple times on Sunday. How do I know which church I should go to?" And the answer was so simple. We said-ask God. That seemed to really make him think. (And then he leaned back and said something like, "isn't it just wonderful that she knows this? How old are you, 16, 17?" haha and I said, well I"m actually 21 :))
And then Elder Elton was so inspired. He turned to a scripture in the Book of Mormon and said, "Daniel, when we want to talk to God we pray. When we want God to talk to us we read the scriptures. We don't want to convince you to do anything. We want you to find out for yourself. And then he read, "feast upon the words of Christ for the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." This is why we're asking you to read the Book of Mormon." And suddenly a light seemed to go on and you could see it in his face. He finally understood. And he agreed to read.
We had to leave but the elders walked with him and set up another appointment to see him. Since then they've met with him and his girlfriend several times and he is so receptive to their message. I don't know the end of that story yet, but whatever happens it is clear that the Lord was so involved in it. If we had not sat down and talked with him we wouldn't have known he was baptized. If the elders had not followed that prompting to contact instead of trying to go by his home they wouldn't have been there to say exactly what they needed to say to allow him to understand. What an amazing thing that is. Most of the time we don't really feel like we're being led. We don't consciously think-oh, the Spirit is prompting us to say this or go here or do that. But when we are doing our best to be obedient and be instruments in the Lord's hands, He does marvelous things with our weak and simple abilities. I have gained such a testimony of that. And that is thus far the most amazing thing I have seen on my mission.
This week I have really learned a lesson about obedience. We had a whole special training where President talked to us about exact obedience. He told us the story of Naaman and Gehazi and Gehazi's disobedience. You should read it sometime. It's great :) But later on in the week I was reading about the Sons of Helaman. What a powerful story that is. I read this verse: "they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them." I immediately had the question come to mind-what is the connection between faith and obedience? As I continued to read the story it began to make sense to me. Just after that verse Helaman tells Moroni that not one of them had been slain. "And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith...they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually." (I immediately thought of 1 Timothy 4:12-read it after that scripture:). Later on we read again of their miraculous protection-that even ONE soul had not been slain. And then here is the key: "and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong."
Obedience leads to increased faith. Exact obedience yields faith that is firm and strong. What a beautiful principle. I love learning the blessings that come from each particular commandment. This is so obvious that as we obey our faith increases. We have been told on our missions that as we obey the mission rules our faith will increase. And as we obey the "rules" God has given us, our faith will become strong.
So this is my challenge to you this week: Be exactly obedient for one whole week. To parents, church leaders, but most importantly to God. Try it. You will see blessings and your faith will increase. Isn't that worth it?
I am so grateful for this opportunity to be on a mission! What an amazing experience it is. I have realized more and more the truth of what Christ told Martha: "Only one thing is needful" (Luke 10:42). Remember that. A midst all the craziness of life and everything that we have going on only one thing is needful. Choose that good part. It is so worth it. I love you!
Love,
Sister Andelin
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