Week 51
Date
August 28, 2017
Area
Third Area - Lebanon, OR
Companion
Elder Ketchum
Week 51
This week has felt like its flown by! It's felt like Monday was just yesterday! Something that I have been pondering and thinking about a lot this past week has been the Christlike attribute of charity and love, and the section of Preach My Gospel in chapter 9 called "Go About Doing Good", and how I can improve on that. Pondering over that, and taking that question and topic to the scriptures has been a great experience, and I have learned a lot.
I want to share a few experiences that happened this past week that have impacted me, and helped me to see how service blesses the lives of those around us, and some of the simple ways to show love and charity towards others. The first happened on Wednesday night, near the time we had to get back to the apartment. We went with a member to give a blessing to someone in his less-active home teaching family. As we walked up to the door, we passed under one of the big street lights, and at the exact moment that we all passed underneath it, the light went out. The member we were with teasingly told us we had too much light, and were glowing too much, that the light couldn't keep up. We went inside, gave the blessing, and visited with the person. As we left, we walked under the street light again, and the moment we passed underneath, it jumped back to light! To me, it was an experience that really helped me visualize the impact we have as members of the church to those around us. When we go out and lift those around us, physically or spiritually, we are turning on a light in the darkness that gives them a glimmer of hope; that things will be alright in the end. I pondered along those lines for a while after that experience, and its helped me realize just how needed our help is sometimes as members of the church.
The second experience happened on Saturday, when I went on a companion exchange with Elder Lim. He's from Malasia, and speaks four languages! He's so cool, and I learned a lot from him. We were walking around after contacting a couple people, just looking for anyone outside to talk to. We saw an man putting things on his truck, so we went over and began to talk with him. It turns out he was moving his friend out, so we offered our help, but he said they were okay. As we began sharing the restoration with him, his interest was peaked. He turned from hesitant at the beginning of our encounter, to asking clarifying questions about what the Book of Mormon is. We were able to give him a copy, and he invited us to return and talk with him more another time!
Through these and other experiences this past week, I have come to understand how I can develop more charity and love for those around me, and as I have focused on how to go about doing more good, revelation has come, and I have been able to see how the small, simple acts of kindness are a huge part of that.
I do also want to share a lesson we had with one of our investigators, Brother Herb Orman. Brother Orman has been meeting with us recently, since he moved here to Lebanon a couple of weeks ago. Another pair of missionaries found him before he moved, and referred him to us. We've taught him a couple times before, but this past week was our first regular, I guess you could say, lesson. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and it was the most spiritual lesson I have experienced on my mission yet. He understood everything we taught him, why Heavenly Father created the Plan of Salvation, and what it helps and allows us to become. He got it. He really understood why each part of the plan is there, and he told us it makes perfect sense, and that he really felt the Spirit during his lesson. He got a little emotional towards the end as he described the comfort and peace he felt because of what we taught him. He actually had a baptismal date for early in September, but we shared with him what we have to still teach him, and we felt November 25th is the day he needs to be baptized, which also happens to be his birthday! That was a testimony to me that he's being prepared, and helped along his path to baptism! We didn't see him at church though, so we're going to go find him sometime soon!
We had an investigator come to church yesterday with her young boy! It was her first time coming, which was huge! The members helped out a ton! It was a little rough with her little boy; she got a little distracted with him at some points, and he even tried to play the piano during the special musical number, but thanks to Elder Ketchum, he didn't. 😂
We had a great week, overall. We helped those in our area come closer to Christ, and tried our hardest to fulfill our purpose. I hope you all had a great week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
I want to share a few experiences that happened this past week that have impacted me, and helped me to see how service blesses the lives of those around us, and some of the simple ways to show love and charity towards others. The first happened on Wednesday night, near the time we had to get back to the apartment. We went with a member to give a blessing to someone in his less-active home teaching family. As we walked up to the door, we passed under one of the big street lights, and at the exact moment that we all passed underneath it, the light went out. The member we were with teasingly told us we had too much light, and were glowing too much, that the light couldn't keep up. We went inside, gave the blessing, and visited with the person. As we left, we walked under the street light again, and the moment we passed underneath, it jumped back to light! To me, it was an experience that really helped me visualize the impact we have as members of the church to those around us. When we go out and lift those around us, physically or spiritually, we are turning on a light in the darkness that gives them a glimmer of hope; that things will be alright in the end. I pondered along those lines for a while after that experience, and its helped me realize just how needed our help is sometimes as members of the church.
The second experience happened on Saturday, when I went on a companion exchange with Elder Lim. He's from Malasia, and speaks four languages! He's so cool, and I learned a lot from him. We were walking around after contacting a couple people, just looking for anyone outside to talk to. We saw an man putting things on his truck, so we went over and began to talk with him. It turns out he was moving his friend out, so we offered our help, but he said they were okay. As we began sharing the restoration with him, his interest was peaked. He turned from hesitant at the beginning of our encounter, to asking clarifying questions about what the Book of Mormon is. We were able to give him a copy, and he invited us to return and talk with him more another time!
Through these and other experiences this past week, I have come to understand how I can develop more charity and love for those around me, and as I have focused on how to go about doing more good, revelation has come, and I have been able to see how the small, simple acts of kindness are a huge part of that.
I do also want to share a lesson we had with one of our investigators, Brother Herb Orman. Brother Orman has been meeting with us recently, since he moved here to Lebanon a couple of weeks ago. Another pair of missionaries found him before he moved, and referred him to us. We've taught him a couple times before, but this past week was our first regular, I guess you could say, lesson. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and it was the most spiritual lesson I have experienced on my mission yet. He understood everything we taught him, why Heavenly Father created the Plan of Salvation, and what it helps and allows us to become. He got it. He really understood why each part of the plan is there, and he told us it makes perfect sense, and that he really felt the Spirit during his lesson. He got a little emotional towards the end as he described the comfort and peace he felt because of what we taught him. He actually had a baptismal date for early in September, but we shared with him what we have to still teach him, and we felt November 25th is the day he needs to be baptized, which also happens to be his birthday! That was a testimony to me that he's being prepared, and helped along his path to baptism! We didn't see him at church though, so we're going to go find him sometime soon!
We had an investigator come to church yesterday with her young boy! It was her first time coming, which was huge! The members helped out a ton! It was a little rough with her little boy; she got a little distracted with him at some points, and he even tried to play the piano during the special musical number, but thanks to Elder Ketchum, he didn't. 😂
We had a great week, overall. We helped those in our area come closer to Christ, and tried our hardest to fulfill our purpose. I hope you all had a great week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
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