Week 54 - Clinton, Oklahoma - July 15, 2013

Mi querida familia, Another fantastic week here in Clinton. There were a few days during the week that were really slow and full of rejection, but they all seem overshadowed now because of the miracles we saw yesterday. First off, Cindy and Armando are still doing well. They all came to church and Armando seemed to be bonding well with the young men. Cindy also had a great experience reading the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi chapter 8 about the tree of life. She read it, understood it and found her own personal insights from it. The spirit is really working with her. Yesterday she gave Elder Hirschi and I thank you cards. We came to her door at the perfect time in her life to accept the Gospel and she is so grateful. The Lord really is mindful of all of our needs. Then after church it started to rain really hard. So we stayed in our apartments for a bit studying Spanish and waiting to see if it would clear up. It didn't. After I fixed my flat tire (I had got one the day before) we headed out into the rain. We had called all our appointments: one of them cancelled, another didn't answer and the third confirmed that they would be there. And real quick, before we headed out, we said a prayer, and I remember finishing the prayer and then feeling prompted to pray again and this time ask specifically for a miracle in finding someone to teach. And then we met Jesus (not the real Jesus but a new Hispanic investigator) We introduced ourselves to Jesus and he invited us in. We shared the first lesson with him and his wife. He was intrigued! He loved how simply and clearly we taught and he said that the way we taught was better than any preacher he had ever heard, just because it was simple ad straightforward and the spirit was there really strong as well. So at the end, we invited him to baptism...he accepted. Then we challenged him to a date (keep in mind this is the first lesson) and he accepted again! It was incredible, he was very well prepared. He expressed some concerns about tithing and going to church being commandments because he doesn't like to be forced into doing things; we explained that commandments are there to bless us and he seemed to get it. Then we invited his wife to read the Book of Mormon and she started expressing doubts about God. She had had two miscarriages in the past and was wondering why God let bad things happened to good people and how could he allow irresponsible people to have kids. So we turned to Ether 12:6 and explained that god gives us trials to try our faith. She didn't answer or respond, but you could tell the spirit was working within her. It's incredible how every time you apply the principles in Preach My Gospel how miracles happen! Pray for miracles! When you finish a prayer and feel like its incomplete, don't feel embarrassed in opening up another prayer and starting over. Also, Jesus was a back-up plan that we made the evening before. Planning ahead of time is just as inspired as spontaneous decisions. I'm learning so much. I'm still weak and I know there's more to my potential. But I can see growth, and according to Alma 32 that is all I need. When the seed starts to sprout, this is evidence that your faith is true and then after patience and diligence you will see the fruits of your faith. I only pray that miracles will continue happening. I really like what Brother Eakins said about the mission being more like a sprint. The way we can see a mission more like a sprint is to expect miracles right of the bat. That was my mistake at the start of my mission, I don't think I actively searched for miracles as much as I should have. But now I'm learning and I'm so much more happy. Another miracle happened on Saturday. After I got a flat tire on my bike (this happens very often unfortunately) we went over to a member's house to pump up the tire. As we were in the driveway, a man drives up and asks us for a pamphlet. We gladly give him a book of Mormon and a restoration pamphlet. He said he likes learning from the scriptures. he asked us if we owed him anything. We said no but rather we would like to come and visit him. He like that and gave us his address. I don't know if he'll progress, but at least we have a new area to go explore and find. Oh life is great! The only thing we can improve on is inviting more members to come out with us. Keep on expecting miracles even if you aren't on a mission. Then take the moment to recognize and count your blessings (another word for miracles). You'll find a boost in your morale and much lighter. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Con mucho Amor, Elder Powley