Thats awesome that Ryan (Sowards) got his papers in. He's going to be a great missionary. All missionaries are great, don't you think? I hope he goes foreign. He'd have a fun time going foreign. Then again. Sometimes foreign missions aren't what we need to grow. I've grown lots in Maryland. We had interviews with President Belliston this week. He told me how him and Sister Belliston were talking this week and they both made lots of comments about how they've seen me grow. I hope its noticeable positive growth.
That should be fun. I hope it helps out with some of the youth. Go back and read the Parable of the Talents in the New Testament...Holy Cow I'm turning into Leslie. A year ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you what things from the scriptures or church leaders past and present could help or reference anything going on in the world today. i guess I've grown a little bit. DANG IT!!! I was hoping that I'd be back in time for Trek. Oh well. I'm going to Volunteer for Trek when I get home and it comes up again. I never got to go on Trek back home. I never went to EFY or Youth Conference either. I missed out on some of the best Spiritual Experiences that I could have had as a youth.
I keep the boys from the ward in my prayers all the time. I'll add Sean getting better to them. I'm glad to hear that Shidler is doing well. How's Shon Thomadakis doing? That guy is awesome. I hope he hasn't baptized any Kangaroos or Koala's because that doesn't count as a baptism.
So as for people we're teaching and finding. Marjorie was baptized on Saturday night. It was awesome. From start to finish I've taught and baptized 4 people, but only actually performed the Ordinance of Baptism once. I'm starting to see what Bryce Taylor meant when he said that members doing it was important. If they don't ask for a member to baptize them then I feel like I didn't do a good job finding them a fellowshipper and they're converted to the Missionaries and not the church. We want them converted to the Ward and the Gospel. Not us.
The Columbia ZONE has Seven companionships here, plus the office staff.
Columbia 1st: Elders Christofferson/Dobson
Columbia 2nd: Elders Haycock/VanKammen
Columbia 3rd (Spanish) Elders Pederson/(Father) Tanner (We call him Father Tanner because of Treasure in Heaven: The John Tanner Story)
Hampstead: Elders Fife/Goode
Eldersburg: Sisters Walker/Park
Savage Mill: Elders Bryson/Williamson
Ellicott City: Elders Savage/Cragun (Formerly Elder Heywood of Ephraim. He went home three weeks early to start school at Snow)
Office staff: Sisters McKibben, Adams, and Elder/Sister Gibbons
Transfers is on wednesday. I don't know if I'm getting transferred and President has put a ban on playing The Transfer Game.
Have I found the one person that is looking for me? I don't know. I realized this week that we as missionaries are placed in peoples lives for some reason or another. I've been able to see people enter the church. They found the answers to the questions they didn't know they had and discovered truth and light in their time of darkness and lies and then entered into the waters of Baptism. I've been able to see less active members, lifelong and converts realize what it is that drove them into inactivity and return to the Church. They've developed the confidence to face their fears and problems and push past them. I watched the Spirit bring grown, tough, hardened men to tears. I know that I've been a conduit for that. Have I found the person that has been waiting for me? I dont know. What I do know is that I was able to help them recognize the spirit and feel it and then make decisions to better themselves.
For whatever reason we are where we're supposed to be. Take advantage of it. Prayerfully seek out why and then act on the answer. The Lord is preparing you and someone out there for your interaction with them. Figure it out then do it. Early in the church history if he had followed a prompting from the spirit when he felt it instead of shrugging it off then Wilford Woodruff (One of my favorite Prophets from this Dispensation to study) would have joined the church much sooner than he did. But nonetheless he joined.
I have a testimony of this great work and that the Lord's hand influences everything that goes on in the world. Thats how Marjorie found us. Don't ignore anything that may come your way. Take advantage of it. I bear you this simple testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"Feed my sheep..."
Elder Christofferson
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