MIRACLE!NEW INVESTIGATOR! NEW BAPTISM DATE! EXCITING WEEK!

           what a wonderful week the lord has blessed us with. last week i had a trial of a week as i went through some anniversary's and a death in the family. but also we hit our goal of 20 lessons last week with a 21 lesson total. its a goal the mission has been doing and with it we have been told that if we make that goal and strive for it we will be blessed. well this week we were blessed with a solid investigator.

           so how we met her was we were at a member meal and the daughter had a friend come over and they warned her they weren't setting anything up but warned her we were coming over and she still came. it was cool we had dinner, shared a message, then it lead to the member telling about what we do, then bared her testimony, then  invited her to talk to use and take the lessons. well this week we went over for the first lesson and it was a little shakey but it lead out well and we taught her that. when we came back the next night, cauz they asked us to come again, she had read the first 2 chapters of 1 nephi and read the last chapter of moroni. we were planning on just reading scriptures with her to keep it slow cauz we kinda felt it was going fast. well we read alma 36 which lead to the 2nd lesson of the plan of salvation anyway without us wanting it to but the spirit was so strong with it and we have been teaching strong with the spirit. there was one thing that touched her very much and that was when we told her through the atonement we can have a chance to be together as familys is a great place. he dad is an alcoholic and a youth preacher told her, her sister and dad that they were going to hell as a family cauz of it, but when she found out that wasnt the case she started to tear up and you could tell the spirit was there. she said that she had never felt like anything could be so. it is amazing how it came to be and she was amazed what  the plan of salvation had to offer. and that night we were impressed to ask her to be baptized on February 7th 2015. SHE HAS ACCEPTED THAT DAY WITH SURETY! we are excited for her hoping none of us get transferred this next transfer since it is next week. today we took her to the Washington D.C. temple visitor center and we watched meet the mormons with her and went around to all the exhibits since we were still waiting for our ride. we also explained about the temple and she thought that was cool. we also walked around the temple with her as well it was great! and we taught the 3rd lesson there which i have never taught 3 lessons in a row in one week like that nor have i had a true investigator till now. it is really cool because i will be out here when she has the opportunity to get her endowments done because if my family comes out i will still be around for it, but if they don't make it out i may have to beg to stay a week longer in the mission for it. but if she moves i am going to stay in touch so i can try to make it there to that event! her mom was a member at one time and i am not quite sure what happened fully but. but she was told by her mom she it wasn't because of the church but something else. she is adopted. but yeah she is amazing. she is so energetic and awesome! i am excited for her!

also me and my companion are staying together another transfer!

AT THE TEMPLE!

(left to right) Elder Simons, Elder Jensen, Jocilyn (new investigator friend), Meghan (member friend)

What a week! UPS AND DOWNS!

its been a great week for the most part. we got to have President Henry B Eyring talk to our mission. that was the up. the down was that i found out recently that my Grandma Reva passed away recently along with it was the one year mark of the passing of my great friend Ashlan! they both will be missed but i know that i will get to see them again and also that they are with peace. my grandma Reva was having strength issues, she seemed like she got tired real easy. i haven't told anybody about this but at the last party i was at that i got to see her i had a feeling inside that it was the last time i would ever get to see her. but i know she is in a happier place. but i feel within a year it will be my grandpa Marvin due to separation with her and heart brokenness. but it will all be good!

    so with president Eyring i didn't stand to far from him when i came into the dc temple visitor center. they were looking at the new display they put in the visitor center. its like the one they have at the salt lake visitor center with the temple cut in half where you can see the inside of it. and him and his brother, who is the visitor center director, were standing next to each other. its crazy i got to serve close to an apostles brother. he gave us great guidance about if we put ourselfs in the lords hands he will bless and guide us where we need to go and where we are meant to go teach. you could tell he was an apostle of the lord because as he was talking to us he would look at the mission missionaries and try to decern the needs of us and he would look and think he was to end then he would have the spirit strong and have inspiration to tell us of something we needed help with and i know he was right and he was inspired. no one will get to see what my thoughts about it all till after my mission when i put my journal up on this blog after.

    anyway its been great week! hope all is great with you! Enjoy your day!

President Eyring

President Eyring

Elder Eyring and his wife (President Eyrings Brother)

Elder Eyring and his wife (President Eyrings Brother)

Elder Eyring and his wife (President Eyrings Brother)

President Eyring and president and sister Cooke