Well, we had quite a few miracles this last week. Thank for all your praying and fasting. The Lord truly softens hearts, because Tammy Michelle and Victoria have all committed to be baptized this Saturday! They came to church yesterday, Tammy talked with the Bishop and everything that happened a few weeks back is now in the past. I'm just reminded about the importance of church attendance. I do not think Tammy would be getting baptized if she did not come to church. There is something about church that enables us to receive revelation and feel the Spirit more abundantly. Past investigators have mentioned this too: all doubts that seem to accumulate during the week, are swept away after faithfully attending church and partaking of the sacrament. Oh the gospel is just so true.
So this last week I got to go to the temple with my MTC group. It was great to see how everyone had changed so much from that first day we all met at the MTC in Provo. Everyone was in high spirits, we all felt the joy of a job well done and serving a faithful full-time mission. After the temple session, we had the change to sit in with a training with the temple president, where we could ask questions about anything. In the temple there are a lot of symbols, and a lot of the questions I had came from wanting to know what those symbols meant. And the Temple President didn't tell us... instead he promised us that if we wanted to know the meaning of what the symbols meant, we just had to ask God and then the Holy Ghost would reveal to us the meaning of those symbols. Whoa! I'd been using James 1:5 my whole mission but not to have it actually used on me was a thrilling prospect. There is so much still to learn.
It was strange to go to the airport with my MTC group and wave good-bye and then ride back with President Walkenhorst back to my apartment. I'll admit I had questions about whether I made the right decision to extend another week. But as I went back to the apartment and jumped back into weekly planning, I felt that excitement again that comes from working for the Lord. I am so gald I am here for another week. Elder Beus and I are still serving together, and now we have a third companion, Elder Collins and he is a fireball! Man I feel so uplifted around him and he has some really good ideas. He's a business man so he has some great talents in organizational skills and planning. I am learning a lot from him.
We've had some cool miracles. The three of us were driving in a neighborhood when we looked out the window and saw a lady sitting on her porch. Elder Collins piped up and said, did y'all see the lady sitting on the porch?" I looked at him and asked "Did you want to talk to her? I felt the same the same way." He said yes. So we parked our car and walked all the way back to her house. Turns out she was from Arkansas and had lost her husband 9 months back. She was super nice and was open to having missionaries come teach her. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she gave us her address in Arkansas. The Lord works through small and simple means!
Saturday was especially miraculous. The sister missionaries had a baptism. Like 1/2 the ward came to support Matt and Megan. Megan recently married a member, and Matt was a friend from the member's work. Both their testimonies are super solid! I had never seen a baptismal service like that one. The Spirit was so strong, less active members were participating, everyone was happy and excited! The Church is so true!
I am so excited to work another week. Sure I have worries about the future and what I'm going to do next week, but I know that if I keep my temple covenants, the Lord will provide by daily bread. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I love my mission! Thank you so much everyone for your support! I will be a civilian again this Saturday and my email (if it stays the same) is powleyandrew9@gmail.com.
Y'all have a blessed day now! Que Dios les bendiga!
Con Amor,
Elder Powley
