Hello again! Another week in the service of our God, A good one at that!
All
is going swimmingly Down Unda! All Good in S'tray'uh! We are having
fun. Doing the work as usual. We had zone Conference up in Charlestown
(NewCastle) about an hour north. That was way fun! It was a combined ZC
with Coffs Harbour, NewCastle, and the currently greatest zone in the
mission the Central Coast! haha. I am completely unbiased too...
totally. (Tuggerah is in the central coast BTW). It was fun to see old companions and friends from Coffs Harbour that are still there and
missionaries I came in with that are serving in Newcastle! We learned a
lot. It was a BIG zone conference. I included a picture of The District
leader training I went to a few weeks ago and am hoping to add in one of
Tugger lake, and a nice sun rise early before ZC on Friday!
I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from the recent Zone
Conference, and from my first few weeks as a District Leader! However,
my Core experience with God this week has come from working with the
members, Less-actives, and investigators. What some would call the usual
and mundayne missionary work. Sometimes we have to go "back to the
basics," as they would say during the first week of football practice in
High School. For whatever reason, Elder Orr and myself have found a new
way to go about working, particularly with the members and
less-actives. It's called "The Spirit!" We have experienced some REALLY
good lessons this week , some of which came out of members who we
usually struggle to get into spiritual or sacred space. As we listened,
truly listened, to these people questions would pop into our head. We
couldn't always ask them right at that very moment, but whenever we
asked them in the next moment or two it always brought the conversation
to a higher level. It brought more spirit. We would let them talk and
since the spirit was there they received personal revelation. In one
case it was for a less-active son who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood.
As we were leaving this mother said "I think I know What I need to do
now, I think I need to get the ball rolling." It was a very happy and fulfilling moment as a missionary. It is not only my core experience
with God for the week but also how I, or more we (My companion and my
flat-mates), have been trying to teach more as Jesus taught.
Going along with this improved understanding of the spirit, I was really trying to focus yesterday on the meaning of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I looked at the Water as if it were a small cup filled with blood. It really helped me to visualize and take more seriously what it meant. It represented my Savior love for ME. He had provided a way for me individually. A small cup just for ME. He made sure he could help ME to be clean. It was interesting. It was a small, but meaningful lesson to learn as my Companion and I strive to deepen our testimony of the the Great Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Going along with this improved understanding of the spirit, I was really trying to focus yesterday on the meaning of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I looked at the Water as if it were a small cup filled with blood. It really helped me to visualize and take more seriously what it meant. It represented my Savior love for ME. He had provided a way for me individually. A small cup just for ME. He made sure he could help ME to be clean. It was interesting. It was a small, but meaningful lesson to learn as my Companion and I strive to deepen our testimony of the the Great Mediator, Jesus Christ.
I love you ALL! SO much! You know it. I Hope all is well!
Love,
Elder Ford