Week 10: October 23, 2017
Hello family!!!!!!
There have been a lot of miracles this week! I cannot write them all, but it has just been amazing!
There was a day that happened recently that I literally titled in my journal, "Day of Miracles." We were sort of going all over the place that day visiting a bunch of families. We were just biking around going from place to place. We had a few plans set about some people to visit later in the day, but we decided to go around knocking doors and finding people in the street for a while. As we were going to visit one house, I remember feeling like we should visit a certain house that told us to come back later. We did and turned off onto that street. Right when we got there, the wife suddenly pulled up. Wow, perfect timing. We talked and were able to get some contact info to schedule for another visit. Wow, amazing! Then, we were on our way to visit another house. Suddenly, I got another impression to go visit a certain family. We did. It was an elderly couple in the ward. The sister had just been in the hospital and gotten back home. When we got there, we were invited in by the brother. The sister came out from her bedroom led out by her husband and sat down in a chair. She needed a blessing. She said we must have known to come over when we did to give her a blessing because she said she really needed it. She looked like she was in so much pain. She kept apologizing for not having any food or meals for us. We could not believe how selfless she was in a time of pain like that. She just had the sweetest heart. Her husband anointed the oil, and I gave the sealing and the blessing. Right after, she looked up at us with the widest eyes, and it seemed like she was much calmer. It was super neat! We left to go visit one of our non progressing investigator families. Elder Degiuli said that he had never really given a lesson with them before. We sat down and talked to them for a while. They were such a nice family and super funny. At the end, we were able to share a message. It was super neat, and I was able to feel the spirit as I shared a certain experience I had. We left them with a commitment and will see what happens from there later on. It was so neat! Then, we went to a less active family. The dad was not Mormon and, according to Elder Digiuli, never sat down in the lessons. We sat down with the whole family and the dad even sat down with us! It was so neat! We got to share a message with them all, and the dad stayed the whole time! It was super neat, and I really feel like we were able to connect with the family. I think that was the biggest part was connecting with the family that kept them all engaged. It was super neat. Then, as we were biking out to go knock on some more doors, we saw an older single sister in our ward. We stopped to talk to her. Elder Degiuli had recently given her a blessing on an important decision. I actually wrote about her. She is the German lady we talked to. She was super nice and talked a lot to us about some things she was going through. It was Mom's birthday the next day, and she was talking a lot about her as a mom. I decided to share a scripture with her in Alma 56:47-48 which basically talks about the moms' influence on the stripling warriors. I bore my testimony to her about moms and their huge role. It was like my little tribute to mom while on my mission. She then shared more about the experience she had with Elder Degiuli giving her a blessing. She asked us if a certain person sent us over. We didn't even know her. That seemed to make her more surprised. She told us that before we texted her to meet with her, she said, "I felt like I was in Hell." She really said that. She said when she got our text, all of a sudden she thought, the missionaries, and said,"All of my Hell went away." She said before the blessing, she was super nervous and sort of doubting her decision to ask for a blessing. She said that when she got the blessing, Elder Degiuli said the thoughts of her heart exactly! She knew what decision to make. She said it was such a huge answer to her prayers! That night, we had been talking to her out on the street in the cold for almost an hour. She loves to talk to us and tell us what she is feeling. We basically listened to her the whole time. It was super neat! I actually really love just listening to people. It has been changing my point of view on everything, and I have been able to learn so much! As we said goodbye and biked away, I kept thinking how much of a miracle it was that I got to witness a miracle.
Furthering the story, a few nights later after meeting with our ward mission leader at the church, we saw the relief society. One of them told us about the elderly sister we visited and gave a blessing to, the one that just got back from the hospital. She said that that sister told her that she had prayed for someone to come to give her a blessing and that God had answered her prayers right away. She kept going off about how much of a miracle that was. It really touched me! I felt so blessed to have been a part of that and to have been able to have been an instrument in God's hands.
Later in the week, we met with some interesting people. We got to meet the one family where we met them at their house right as the wife pulled in. The husband, John invited us right in and was super nice. He instantly started setting some stuff up on his table. We sat down, and he said that he had met with the missionaries before and wanted to know why we were there. It was interesting because, basically, the whole time, he taught us, and we just listened. When he did ask us a question, he would say he was not trying to trip us up, but he really was. He just dived right in to his reason for a testimony. He believed strongly in the Bible and was very knowledgeable about it. He used a lot of science and logical explanation to back up his testimony. We would say stuff back and try to teach him, but it seemed like it would turn into bashing, and the spirit is not there where there is contention. We left, and we will visit him again, but no more if he will not progress. It would go against our purpose. We then knocked on doors and met this lady that had some crazy ideas about our church and took some things to the extreme. I tried to tell her some things that I thought would help her and clear up her confusion, but she would not accept it. After all that anti stuff, my testimony was strengthened. I knew I was part of the true church and that with out it, things would be very confusing. I feel like I am really accepting and taking on Christ's name. I love it!
I have much more to say about the miracles this week.
Love you all so much!!! Happy Bday Dad!!! Will send you some stuff!!! Hopefully you get the video too!!!'
Love,
Elder Barton
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| Us all emailing at the "Library!" right now |
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| Beautiful fall day in boise |
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| The way right outside of our apartment to the grocery store |
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