January 11, 2014

Top o' the mornin',

  This was another spectacular week.  We are expanding our teaching pool a bunch (when I came here three weeks ago we had a grand total of one [1] investigator, and now we have eleven!), and have the world's best ward mission leader!  He's so willing to help us get members to go with us to each of the lessons we have set up, and has already gone out himself for several hours at a time this week.  In particular, our investigator Lucía is progressing toward baptism-- she found the missionaries herself, tracking them down in her car, and has been one step ahead of us ever since!  For example, we called her last night to talk about when to schedule her baptism and a lesson about the commandments (with mostly tithing in our minds), when before we could say a thing she suggested that she be baptized the same day we had thought and asked about how she was going to pay tithing as a member of the Church!!  It was incredible to see how she had been learning from the scriptures and from the Spirit.

  I felt the same thing this week when we were in a lesson this week with her.  She brought up a concern about how the Bible says not to add or take away from the things written in the book.  I felt prompted to share a scripture (3 Nephi 11: 40) and I didn't even remember what it said!  But as we read it together, we all realized that it referred to the doctrine of Christ--the same doctrine found in the Bible-- and it was that same doctrine which could not be taken away from nor added to.  It was touching to see that the Spirit could "teach [me] the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5), or at least "bring all things to [my] remembrance (John 14:26)."

  I'm actually going to try to achieve a greater mastery of the scriptures this year, memorizing something each day--whether a passage or a reference--that I can apply to my life and to my teaching.  Then I'm going to try to base my studies around other peoples' questions and needs.  In addition, I want to do a much better job of writing in my journal daily.  So those are my new years goals!  I know that as we each set some meaningful spiritual goals and then make measurable plans to reach them and work on them, we can come day by day to be more like Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers,

Elder Hansen