Sunday, January 25, 2015

She Couldn't Wait for the Holy Ghost



From David and Viola Ricks
Teaching in Germany

We had the greatest experience last Sunday.  Claire, the little girl from Taiwan who the Elders have been teaching for a very long time is getting baptized.  [Sad thing though, she will probably have to go back to Taiwan the end of March if she can't find employment, or an internship.  She doesn't speak German, only English and Chinese, so that is hindering her progress.]

 We have been involved in [Claire's] Sunday lessons since we arrived here.  She only has lessons on Sunday.  She was very questioning and not so motivated when we first arrived.  Then she started reading her Book of Mormon. She was praying and coming to church for 17 straight weeks.  When she started reading and got a really good friend in the ward, she started to get stronger.  Anyway, last week she wanted to know how everyone's week was.  After everyone talked, she asked if she could say something, and said she wanted to be baptized in a month.


       After the lesson, as I walked down the hall with her, she said she couldn't wait for the Holy Ghost for that long. She wanted it right away.  Today her baptism date was moved up to February 6.  

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Finding Those Who Are Truly Prepared



From Emri Haynie
Teaching in South Korea

My companion and I had just finished talking to a lady when my companion was putting something in her pocket and a random passalong card fell out of her pocket. It landed in front of this other lady, who was standing by us. She picked it up and was like, “What is this?”


For thirty minutes on the street,  we taught the restoration and then moved to a cafe to teach more. She just accepted everything we taught her. She goes to church, but wanted to learn more about ours. We taught the restoration, gospel of Jesus Christ, and committed her to be baptized all in the first meeting. She is so prepared and so ready to learn everything. It's been amazing to see her progress and watch her act on her faith. There truly are prepared people out there, we've just got to find them. 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

An Incredible Week of Miracles



From Cambree King
Teaching in Honduras

... This week was an incredible week of miracles and I am so happy I got to be here to see all of this happen. First off... I do have transfers. I will leave (Juticalpa, Honduras) in the morning tomorrow but I don’t know to where. I said all my goodbyes Sunday because I was pretty certain I was leaving. I am excited for new things. Something different... a new companion, area, investigators, challenges and successes.


As for the miracles... One of the very first persons that I met here in Honduras is a lady named Johanna. She is living with a member (who was less active) but started to come to church back in August. Johanna always came with her. We tried so many times to put a baptism date with Johanna or teach her or try to talk to her but it was so difficult. The desire really just wasn’t there. On Tuesday, she called us in the morning and said she wanted to be baptized the next day. So we went over the baptism questions and the next day she was baptized. It was absolutely incredible. It made me realize and understand so much more about the Lords timing in all thing here. 

We are also visiting another less active [member] who hasn’t come to church for 10 years. Sunday, she finally came and it was one of the happiest moments here. To see the light in her eyes as she took the sacrament is a moment I will never forget. 

And another... we have been working with a family and they never ever come to church. And this Sunday they finally came. As I said my goodbye... Felipa started to cry and I realized that all the work we had done has really made a difference. I know that one day her and her family will be baptized and will be so happy. 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

The Lord Knows Better Than Us

From Scott Pilling
Teaching in Germany

Germany, as many know, is not the most well known baptizing mission. Nonetheless, we consider ourselves the great baptizing mission...I’m still in wonder as to who came up with that name...but we strive every day, to fulfill that responsibility.

My companion and I were teaching a man by the name of Adam. He had been an investigator for some time, but we were considering dropping him, because of the fact that he had no interest. We had been praying and praying for a miracle. The small city that I work in has not seen much success, let alone any success in a long time. We had been striving to be as obedient as we could, so that we could receive blessings from the Lord. Anyways, we were trying to teach this man, and having little success doing so. This man lived at a foreigner’s house, where many Africans live. During our lesson, Africans filled in and out by the dozens. We, being missionaries, attempted to ask everyone if they believed in God or anything. All of them had no interest. By the end, we were finished and ready to move out, when a man came in by the name of John. He agreed to talk to us, and not five minutes into our lesson,  he asked us if he could be baptized. He proceeded to change his life and is being baptized this coming Sunday. I know that he was a blessing from the Lord. We did't know why we were there teaching [Adam], but we know now.


Trust the Lord. Be obedient. Fight through the hard times. In Germany, missions are started and completed with unsuccess, but never quit and trusted in the Lord. Since then we have made more baptisms and have much more success. I know it was because we have been obedient and diligent and have relied completely on the Lord. Never give up, because the Lord knows better than us.