Week 24

hoto Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QuW5JQQJL6emqhb68 Wow this transfer went by so fast and it's already ending. Transfers are this week and will receive the news on Tuesday for where we're going. I honestly have no idea what's going to happen and I'm excited to see. I hit my 6 months this week as a missionary and it's so surreal and crazy how fast everything's been going. I had the opportunity to go and have an amazing dinner with my great aunt Lynn and it was so cool to finally meet her. The funny part about it is how me and my mom were talking about how there's a bunch of prayers going into me being over in the area near her and then I ended up in Hershey. Since the new boundary changes we have some new recent converts that we've been teaching. One of them is Susan and she is so awesome. We go over to house and she feeds us brownies and we just talk for a while and share a message. She was recently baptized in December and is already one of the most Rock Solid members in the ward. The Hershey Ward is so blessed so thankful to be here and to have the opportunity to serve the Lord in this part of the vineyard. I know I was meant to be here, than I know that he has people waiting for me to teach and that I've already taught. This week we've been praying for families to teach and there's one specific time where we went to this knocking block and prayed that a family that would answer and be open to hearing our message would be on this street. We knocked and knocked for probably an hour trying to have that prayer answered for us. We are about to finish and we knocked on the final house on the corner and Daniella answers and she was really interested as well as her family and coming to church and learning more. God does hear our prayers and does answer them but sometimes we have to put in the effort on our part to have them be answered. We got a request from a guy named Christopher who was just interested in being taught by missionaries. He is from Papua New Guinea on a work visa until April and he wants to be baptized before he goes back. We had a great first lesson with him that was one of the most spiritual lessons I've had in awhile. I pulled out the Book of Mormon on a random impression and flipped out Moroni 6 and went over it with him and asked him about each principal inside of it and it was super powerful. Moroni 6 talks about baptism and the Covenant we make and what are the requirements to make that Covenant and to receive the blessings from it. He works for Hershey and doesn't have a car and so there are some roadblocks but he agreed to begin to prepare for baptism within 3 to 6 weeks and he started reading the book of Mormon as well. We met with him again the next day and taught him the restoration and he ate it up. Christopher is such a pure soul and has the believing blood. We really focused on the fact that world worldwide Church and that when he goes back to Papua New Guinea that he would be a great and faithful member over there and that there's a community waiting for him. Mosiah 2:41 "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." This is one of my favorite verses of all scripture which highlights the importance of obedience to God's commandments and the blessings that come from it. One thought that comes to mind is that our lives are a journey towards eternal happiness, and keeping the commandments is a key part of that journey. It's not just about following rules, but about aligning ourselves with God's will and experiencing the joy and peace that comes from being in harmony with Him. As we strive to keep the commandments, we're not just trying to earn our way to heaven, but we're actually cultivating a relationship with God and allowing His love and blessings to fill our lives. The promise of being "received into heaven" is not just a future reward, but it's a culmination of a life lived in communion with God, where every aspect of our being is refined and purified. The phrase "blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual" stands out to me, as it suggests that God's blessings aren't limited to just spiritual experiences, but also extend to our daily lives, our relationships, and our circumstances. It's a reminder that God is invested in every aspect of our lives and wants to bless us in ways we can't even imagine. With Love, Elder Batman