Wow, I'm super tired! Ha ha, but it's a good "tired" feeling! Ha ha, really Elder Kimball and I went to work this week! Wow! I still can't believe all the things we were able to accomplish this week. I can really testify that 1-The Lord is Hastening His Work, and 2-When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!
Really, this week we knew that by this weekend is when we will hear transfers and have changes probably. So Elder Kimball and I decided at the beginning of last week to really step up our game and give it our all! And that's what we did this past week! We were able to have 30 lessons this past week and we found 10 new investigators. Really, the Lord did all that, not me, not Kimball. As I said before, the Lord is truly hastening His work! It is incredible to see the difference of the work from when I started my mission to now. When I started my misison in September of 2013, we had 16 baptisms for that month as a misison. Now take that with what we were able to achieve in September 2014, we reached 74 baptisms!!!! And that's just in one year and it's increasing by the month! As well, when I started my misison, if you had about 15-20 lessons a week that was credited as a great week. Now, we are able to step it up and hit 30 to 40 lessons a week! It truly is a huge tender mercy to be working in the Lord's vineyard while He is hastening it!
And with my time in the mission, President called my group from the MTC and Tuesday we had a lunch with him and his wife at the misison home. And holy cow is the misison home nice!!! It's huge! Ha ha. President always puts a lunch together for each group that hits one year in the mission. And, man, was it great to be able to see my friends and buddies from the MTC. We have all changed SO much! It's awesome to see, just as Alma when he met up with the sons of Mosiah again--that they are firm in the gospel and instruments in the Lord's hands! It was so fun to have that lunch with all them and with President.
Thursday, we had an awesome zone conference where President really talked about how we need to step it up and that we need to be machines! Ha ha, and that's what Elder Kimball and I really decided to do! We gave it our all this past week and it was just the best feeling at night when my head hit the pillow that I really earned it! I love missionary work! It's tiring sometimes, but it is so worth it!
We received some good news this week as well! I don't know if you guys remember about our first investigator that we taught here named Alan. The one that has health problems but as well was living with his girlfriend and didn't want to separate from her, but wanted to be baptized as well ha ha. Well! We saw him in the street and he told us that he really did separate from his girlfriend and has been reading the Book of Mormon again and wants to start going back to church! Woo hoo! So that will be awesome to continue teaching him and to eventually baptize him really soon because he already has the correct number of times that he needs to attend church so let's wait and see!
As well, we were able to have a huge miracle with a reference we received this past week! We got it Friday night when we were teaching Nancy and Alejandro. We were teaching, ironically, about missionary work and how they are members now and they need to start sharing the gospel with others to give us referencias. And right then we got a phone call and it was the elders in my district who was acting super excited because he had a reference for us. He told us the name of the street and luckily it was only ONE street between where we were! I wrote down the information and then the elder told me that the reference wanted us to pass by right then! Ha ha so we quickly ended the lesson with Alejandro and Nancy and ran around the block to meet Alvaro who was outside his house waiting for us! Ha ha! It was incredible!
We were able to enter the house and he just opened up and confessed everything to us! He told us about the many problems that he has in his marriage and family and how he just feels so guilty of the errors that he has made in his life. He said he has tried repeatedly to find a solution to his problems, but for years none of them have worked out and he seems to keep falling on his face time after time. He realized that he needed some more powerful help. . . a more Godly spiritual help in his live. And that is when he decided to take a drive, after having a big argument with his wife and he saw the two elders from my district. He pulled the car over and told him that he wants missionaries at his house in a half hour! Luckily, we were there! He later went on to tell us that he really needs this helps and that he is up to doing whatever it takes. He turned to us and asked, "So! What do I have to do to be a Mormon?" Ha ha, I have never seen anyone so open and ready to roll! Ha ha, he is a stud! We are super excited to start teaching him! We are going to pass by later tonight so wish us luck!
Now onto the best part of the letter! Sunday!!! Awww! Sunday was just incredible!!! And that was because of Nancy and Alejandro! During the classes the bishop pulled them out to have interviews which was great! And then we went to the sacrament meeting (which we have last in our schedule). It was fast and testimony meeting to which we found out that Nancy and Alejandro paid their fast offering and were fasting! Ha ha and we didn't even invite them to do it! Ha ha, I seriously can't believe how fast they always pick up on the things! But, as well, the best part of Sunday was during the testimonies I looked over and saw Alejandro digging through the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he needed help looking for something, but right then he found the scripture which was Mosiah 18:8-10. He then went up and bore his testimony about the power of the Book of Mormon and that really if we understand it what else do we have to worry about! It was such a powerful testimony. The room was dead silent and I swear you could've grabbed the spirit in the air! He bore his own heart to the congregation of his testimony of this gospel. It was one of the most beautiful things I have seen yet in my mission.
And it just gets even better too! Because, as well, Nancy gave the closing prayer in the sacrament meeting and the members just swarmed them! Ha ha, all the members love them! Ha ha, and that's why for this week they have been invited to 3 different family home evenings, and Alejandro was assigned to give a talk next Sunday! But after the meeting the bishopric called all of us into his office to be able to give the Aaronic priesthood to Alejandro!! Woo hoo!!!! Awww there were about 12 priesthood holders in that circle to give him the priesthood in that tiny room, but it was sooo powerful! Aww it is the best to see a convert be so bold and strong in this gospel and, as well, to be able to see him get the priesthood. Next week he is going to pass the sacrament for the first time! And this Saturday we are planning to go to the temple to go do baptisms for the dead! Ha ha it's going to be a busy week for our converts! Ha ha, but they are awesome! As well, now that Alejandro has the priesthood we want to focus a whole lot more on his son, Francisco, to be able to have Alejandro baptize his son! Awww that would be the coolest thing ever!!! Please have Francisco in your prayers!
Aww, I love Nancy and Alejandro soo much! Whatever does happen with transfers, I know I can feel the peace in knowing that they are really really converted to this gospel and to know that the members have put them under their wings and that they are in good hands! They are such great examples to me!
I love my Savior Jesus Christ, really it is through Him that we can do it all. This gospel CHANGES lives every single day of our lives. I love this gospel! I know with a firm conviction in my heart that it is true. I am so grateful for the power of the Book of Mormon, it really is a book to apply, live, and feel! It is the keystone of our religion. May we all have this beautiful experience as we feast upon its words. Keep going strong, I love each and every one of you so much!
Love,
Elder Cowan
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