This weekend has been a great weekend! This weekend is what makes being a missionary awesome! On Saturday, Carolyn, one of our investigators was baptized! She was confirmed on Sunday at church! She has been investigating the Church for two and a half years! She knew this was the right step for her life, so she finally made the decision. At the Baptism, Elder Rowley and I sang "Amazing Grace." Elder Rowley played the guitar and sang the melody, and I sang whatever harmonies I wanted to. It was a wonderful experience, and really brought the spirit into the baptismal service. It was a great baptism, and after she was baptized, Carolyn bore a powerful testimony that she knew this was the right step for her to be taking. She was crying a lot, but they were tears of joy.
Later that night, Dakota, another potential investigator, started texting us! We've been trying to contact him for 3 weeks. He told us that he has been in the hospital for 3 weeks. He was in a major car accident due to drugs, and the person next to him died...but he was still alive and barely injured. In the past month, he has had some trials in his life that I can't even imagine. AND HE'S ONLY 19! Anyway, he told us he was glad that we were so persistent in texting and calling him. His phone was actually at home for those 3 weeks, but when he got home, he was touched when he looked at his phone and saw we had been texting him, and calling him for all those weeks. He said he was grateful we didn't give up on him, because he really wanted to meet with us. We tried to meet with him that day, but he could meet with us. We then texted him and asked him if he wanted to come to church with us....but he didn't respond UNTIL we were asleep in bed. At 1:30 in the morning (on Sunday) he texted us back and said he wanted to go to church, but he didn't know where it was and he needed a ride. We ride our bikes to church, so making the arrangements for his ride was going to be a challenge for us with such little notice....
BUT, Sunday was ANOTHER amazing day! We tried to get a ride for Dakota before we went to some morning meetings but nothing worked out. Then, we asked someone in our meeting, right before church, and he said he could drive us to pick up Dakota. So, at 8:40 we called Dakota (church started at 9:00). We woke him up when we called, but he said we could pick him up and we could take him to church! WE DID!
And Carolyn received the *gift of the Holy Ghost at church on Sunday, and was confirmed a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
This Sunday was our Fast and Testimony meeting, and I had a feeling it was going to be a good one! I knew I was going to bear my testimony, and just before the meeting started, I saw another one of our investigators who decided to come to church! Her name is Theresa. She is a west African lady who loves to have Elder Rowley and me come to her house! We have invited her to church many times, and she's always said she can't come, but this time she came to church!
My testimony from the pulpit was focused on the doctrines of Jesus Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and also enduring to the end. Those 5 points are what we try to teach others as missionaries. Anyway, as I was bearing my testimony, Kim, a less active member we have been working with, stood up in the VERY back and yelled (while I was up at the pulpit), "Elder Morgan, I'm here, I'm here!! Your hard work paid off!!!" I was so happy she was here at church! BUT, usually a person doesn't yell from one side to the other during church. It was awesome though. This lady hasn't been to church for 37 YEARS!!! I was so happy she came! We meet with her all the time and she said she knew she needed to go, but she would never show up. She even got to the point of telling Elder Rowley and I not to call or text her. BUT, when I saw her at church, she was SOOOO happy.
After I bore my testimony, she came up and told everyone that if it wasn't for Elder Rowley and me, she wouldn't be at church. She was filled with joy. She knew this was the right thing for her to do!
I'm running short on time, but basically the next hour elder Rowley and I taught the "Gospel Principles" Sunday school class. We had everyone introduce themselves because there was an unusually large amount of people in the class. Basically, this turned into a class of investigators, less active members, and recent converts talking about how Elder Rowley and I always come knocking on their doors. They were teasing us, but it is true. BUT, IT'S IMPORTANT! WE ARE HERE TO SERVE THE LORD AND HELP OTHERS COME UNTO CHRIST! AND IT WORKS!
Love, Elder Morgan
A note from Mom:
*The Gift of the Holy Ghost - A gift from God to man, bestowed by those with priesthood authority upon newly baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In simple terms, the gift of the Holy Ghost is an enhanced spiritual power permitting those entitled thereto to receive it, to receive a greater knowledge and enjoyment of the influence of Deity." (President James E. Faust, former 2nd counselor of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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