November 23, 2015

11-23-15

Another solid week! So this week started off with a lot of member appointments and a couple meals. 

First I'll share a funny one! So we had correlation and then a meal appointment after, as we were driving to correlation we got a call that it was canceled so we called our appointment and asked if we could come early. He said we could and we headed there. As we walk up to the door we can hear the tv loud on some kind of sports game. As walked In I noticed it was soccer, then realized it was the Barcelona-Real Madrid Classico! He is a huge Barcelona fan and said he wasn't going to turn it off, and we didn't want to be rude so we just enjoyed it. It was funny but also super nice to be able to watch some soccer! It's been forever! Haha. 

At one of them I had a really cool experience! So we have a lady who had been a convert for about a year who invited us over for dinner. She is new but reminds me a lot of my mom! Super nice lady, lots of energy, and has a super strong testimony! You would never guess she is new to the church! We went in to teach her and were actually talking about testimonies. And she said she knew she had a testimony, it was just hard for her to share it cause she felt it wasn't very strong. I shared my first impression of her and how strong her testimony really was and she came to tears and kept thinking my companion and I. I really felt the spirit and knew it guided us to help her see how strong her testimony really is! 

This week we did a lot of service too! We helped at an event that was for a group called the IFC? It's the interfaith corporation or something? Pretty much it is a group that tries to support similarities in all the Faith's instead of fighting. So they had an event where people from different faiths sang and danced and gave speeches and it was pretty cool! We were able to do service by helping out with directing people and helping set up. It was really cool to see the different faiths and their traditional practices. 

We also did service at a soup kitchen! (Reminded me of the movie the other guys and I laughed) but we helped get food ready for homeless people. They do a big thing where they give free food to homeless people for thanksgiving and so we helped prepare a lot of the foods. We opened a ton of cans and cut pies and what not. It was cool to help them cause we burned through everything so fast! 

Lastly one of my favorite parts of the week! We had stake conference which was amazing! We had President Nelson come and speak to us and it was so cool! He came with Elder Hallstrom from the presidency of the 70. They were both powerful and great speakers! The spirit was so strong all the time! They came because it was the 75th anniversary of our stake, and we were getting a new stake presidency. They gave some powerful talks and it was also cool to hear from the old and new stake presidency. As well as our mission president spoke which was cool! 

Some of the highlights were they elder Hallstrom talked a lot about missionary work. For missionaries, but he talked more for members! The members are some of the greatest missionaries we have! It can be hard at times for missionaries to get that close relationship that a member can have! So it's important for members to work hard to be examples and missionaries always. He also talked about reverence and how it doesn't just mean being quiet. But being reverent is something we can do every day. We can show reverence in all our daily actions by choosing to do what God would want us to do, rather than what our natural self wants us to do. We need to think more to our spiritual side than our natural. 

And then President Nelson started off the first session with a crazy cool thing! He told a story of one of the old members of the 12, Elder Brown. They were at a temple dedication and were there with the wife of one of the members of the 12 who had just passed away. He told how Elder brown walked up to the wife and said, "I was with your husband last night and he wanted me to tell you he is doing alright, and that he loves you very much." That was crazy to hear, and then President Nelson went on to say he understands what Elder Brown meant now because he could feel the presence of the past stake presidents there! They had the six living stake presidents there and he said he could feel that the other six were there on the other side of the veil happy about the decision for the new stake president! It was honestly the coolest feeling of the spirit at that point! He continued to talk about how we aren't alone. How there are spirits guiding us now our lives! Guardian angels even who can help us and comfort us. This was super cool to hear from a prophet as I have had some pretty cool feeling about this before! He also talked about the atonement quite a bit! He talked about how it is the center to all our teachings in our church. And how understanding the atonement is the best thing we can do! In plain terms, it makes bad people good, and good people great! It helps strengthen us and guide us when we need it most! Thanks to all Christ did for us we can always have help to be better! I know and have seen that so much here! I am also so thankful for that! 

I also wanted to share Mosiah 4:6-7 which talks about the atonement! If we put our trust in the lord, than through the atonement we can have salvation and be happy forever! We just have to have faith and act on that faith! I'm so for the atonement and all it does! Study it up if you can! I love you all and have a great week! And a happy thanksgiving! 

And lastly congrats to Kayla and TJ on the wedding! So crazy to see pictures and hear about! I hope you guys have a happy marriage and remember God in all things! 

-Elder Jacob Reed Kohler