Week 11

Photo Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QuW5JQQJL6emqhb68 This week we have been focusing on team ups since it has been a slow week, not much success. We usually have around 3 per week, but this week we had 7 members participating, and they were all different members. We tried so hard this week to find new people but we faced so much opposition and rejection this week it's actually crazy. So since we didn't have success in finding new people, we focused on our other key indicators (church attendance and team ups). On friday and satuday we must of texted at least 100 people in total. I cleared out the whole 1+ church attendance filter and out of it we got 1 person to show up (we had 3 church attendances but just the 1 from texting). This week was really draining but that's the way of the road sometimes. One of our progressing friends that we started teaching this week is Dylan. It was so funny seeing him in person for the first lesson with him because I vividly remembered talking to him over a month ago at sheetz but he just wasn't interested at the time, I guess I planted a seed. He has been really depressed and has bad anxiety, but wants to have god in his life more. For the 2 lessons we had with him this week, we focused on Faith, Repentance, and the Atonement. He has no knowledge of religion and the bible, we focused on the main things that can bring us that joy and hope inside our lives. Even though we taught only a couple principles over the 2 lessons, it's what he needed. He needs the root first before he can grow. We had a team up for both lessons and it was so powerful and spiritual, member work is amazing. Dylan showed up to church yesterday and he loved it, unfortunately he had to leave after second hour because his work called him in. Awesome guy. Our friend Jay has been continuing to progress and came to church yesterday. We focused on the word of wisdom this week and the restoration and he ate it up. He really liked how unique our church is and how we have guidelines specific to how we can keep our bodies clean and pure. We've been working with him in helping him quit certain things and are going to give him a baptismal calender to set some goals with him. He got his hair retwisted and got some veneers in, bro is actually so fresh. He's such a chill black guy with the purest heart. He offered the closing prayer this week and it was a powerful prayer to say the least, he slammed on the table with his fists and hands in the air during the prayer. I love him so much. 🚨Unnecessarily Long Spiritual Thought🚨 In my journey I've had the opportunity to do some reflection in my life and see specific evidence or times where I felt God's love and spirit in my life when I either forgot or didn't recognize it at the time. The first notable one has to be my family. I am so infinitely grateful and blessed to be raised inside a family that already belongs and is so faithful to Jesus Christ's one true church restored to the earth today and that being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Seeing the fulness of joy dwelling in all my family is undeniable evidence of God in my life. All 3 of my older brothers went on missions and had the opportunity to experience true conversion like how I am now, they all had undeniable experiences of how true this Church really is. I have lots of people say to me, "I don't believe in the Book of Mormon because it's not Biblical." YES IT IS!!! There are so many scriptures in the bible that talk about it. One that stood out to me is in Revelation 14:6, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." This is literally stating that the gospel will be restored in the last days by angelic ministry and that being the Book of Mormon restored by the prophet Joseph Smith through the Angel Moroni. John the Beloved wrote Revaltion on an island of Patmos, where he had been exiled by Roman officials. In D&C 27:5, "...for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel." John the Beloved saw 3 angels in the beginning of Revelation 14 and the first being in Revelation 14:6 and that angel "having the everlasting gospel" which is the Angel Moroni having the Book of Mormon. Another mention of the Book of Mormon is in John 10:16 and is probably the most notable one: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Now this is not talking about the Gentiles as said in Matthew 15:24, "But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Now the people in the Book of Mormon are of the House of Israel and after Jesus had been Crucified and then Resurrected, came down to the Nephites in the Americas in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Jesus said in 3 Nephi 15:21, "And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." It just layed it out for us, Jesus Christ talking about a people inside the Book of Mormon of the House of Israel who came from Jerusalem before its prophesied destruction led by the Prophet Lehi who are the Nephites as seen in 1 Nephi. They are the "other sheep... which are not of this fold." Growing in my faith, knowledge, and understanding of the scriptures has been such a strong converter for me. Reading the Book of Mormon alongside the Bible has brought me so much joy and so much closer with my Heavenly Father. Reading the Book of Mormon fills in so many gaps in my life and clarifies and answers questions the Bible can't answer clearly. No it is not adding on the Bible, it's teaching the same things and testifying of Christ, but is just another record of another people in the American Continent. It's Proof that Jesus doesn't just love Jerusalem, he loves the whole entire world. The examples of my older brothers leading me to serve this mission has brought me to tears on my mission so far because of how much it's blessed me both spiritually and socially. My anxiety used to be super bad to the point where I couldn't even bless the sacrament without shaking violently. Now with the strength and comfort of God, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost in my life has changed me in countless ways all in the span of 3 months. I am a completely different person now then I was 3 months ago. I have obtained an unwavering, undeniable witness and testimony of this church and of it's truthfulness, that Jesus Christ is my savior and laid out the path for us to return to him. He was the only one qualified being sinless to become the last lamb to be sacraficed, fulfilling both the law of moses and all righteousness. This is the Final week of tranfer, I thought the first transfer was fast, this was even faster. I blinked and then it was done. I will be staying in Johnstown for a 3rd transfer most likely and Elder Kress will be leaving me. It'll be cool to finally not be a greeny and to lead out an area. Happy Thanksgiving, sorry this is so long, please forgive me. With much love, Elder Batman