The Power Of The Spirit

 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.

  I love you ALL! SO much! You know it. I Hope all is well!

   

     Love,

       Elder Ford