I know it's next week, but it's time to start gearing up! Honestly, getting older it kind of frustrates me that we do the whole Easter bunny/egg thing. It just distracts from the glorious, wonderful message of this time of year. It's been a great week! We're seeing some real progress in a lot of the people we're teaching. We're teaching a young less active man named Chris who is struggling a lot with his testimony of God, and this last week we invited him to prepare as if he were going to serve a full-time mission, thus showing Heavenly Father his willingness to act when he receives a confirmation. He was really taken aback at first, but as we talked about how it was the best way to invite revelation, he liked the idea and accepted! So please keep him in your prayers as he makes this big step.
Another little miracle: we had a lesson with our bishop and his wife, Bishop & Sister Lucero, and invited them to pray for us seven times the next day so that we could have success in our missionary work. The next day, as I was taking a phone call just after leaving the house, Elder Hill decided to talk to a man in his car nearby. When he approached the man and started a conversation, one of the first things the guy said was, ""Do you know the Lucero's?" It turns out he was a friend of the Lucero's and had once been to their house for a family home evening! This was literally the first person we talked to that day. Although he initially turned down our offer to come by and share a message, we told Bishop Lucero about the experience. Bishop called him a day or two later, explained the miracle, and the man said he would talk to his wife and try to work something out! So we're pretty sure we'll have an opportunity to share a message with them in the next week or two. We prayed for the Lucero's to have missionary experiences the next day, and he invited one of the part-member investigators we teach to be baptized that day! And while the brother didn't commit to a date, they had a great conversation and we're seeing amazing progress him.
We've been doing the same thing with a lot of families this week--inviting them to pray for us seven times one day, and then allow us to do the same for them the next day. It's been a great experience! I think prayer is one of those "small and simple means" by which God "doth bring about His great and eternal purposes... and bring to pass the salvation of many souls" (Alma 37:6-7). Please pray for opportunities to "mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as a witness for God," and He will grant it to you. Pray for your missionaries by name, and they will see miracles.
Fun things over the last two weeks:
-We met a professional 20 year old race car driver! He wasn't interested in the message,but he was a really nice guy
-There's a family we've gotten close to in the ward named the Walkers, and they made me a birthday cake last night! They also gave me a dictionary of how to speak Texan. It's pretty hilarious.
-Elder Hill and I sang "I need Thee every hour" in Spanish in sacrament meeting yesterday. And it actually went pretty well!
-I learned how to say, "I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" in sign language!
I love you! I know the Savior lives, and will help us as we exercise faith in Him, repent, strive to keep His commandments, and follow the Spirit.
Elder Gaughan
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