A Miracle Book Entry

 Hello Dear Loved ones!!! How are you? I hope fantastic! You are all an inspiration to me!

  This week has been good! We had MLC. The next day we prepared for Zone Trainign Meeting. My first time training the Penrith Zone! Went alright. Some missionaries said they liked it! So that is good. If it helped 1 of them, then we're all good. We found the Krispy kreme factory out in Penrith! That was fun. haha. We are looking for some fun stuff to do for zone p-day! If any returned missionaries have good activities let me know.. ha. or good training ideas! There was a beautiful sunset earlier this week. Bright orange across the sky! Found a wee little hill to take a picture.. Gotta love that Elder Moore! He's so nice to stop for me to take a picture! Love him.. ha. He is great! An incredible leader and a great missionary! I learn heaps from him! Here is a picture of him in companionship study! So President & Sister Howes make a "Miracle book" each year and get entries from all the missionaries... Here is my entry!
      "My Miracle is simple: Answers to Prayers. Receiving an answer to a prayer is a miracle! Think about it. Anyone in the secular world would say it is an incredible phenomenon! There is a God, or Heavenly Father, who loves us! He sends messages to us through the power of the Holy Ghost. That may come by the Holy spirit working upon you or even flowing through the words and actions of another. I want to share some answers to my prayers with you. 
   1. The 40 Day Fast. There is no way quicker to improve and progress spiritually. Evaluating and forsaking behaviors everyday leads to truly changing. The change is made possible by DAILY prayer. When we plead to the Father for the strength to change and show him where we are struggling (showing him we know where we went wrong), it leads to the purification of motives. We receive the moral and spiritual strength to resist temptation everyday. I was able to let go of many of the things that held me back as a missionary, I was then able to discern prompting more clearly, act on them, and see miracles! We pray everyday for the chance to see miracles and to help others. We pray everyday that we can be the missionaries HE needs us to be. Through the 40 Day Fast and DAILY prayer, he answers that prayer. He helps us to fulfill our righteous desires!
   2. Every time I have struggled with something and prayed for the ability to change and grow, I have received a companion that helped me to build the exact Christ-like attribute prayed for. Coming from their strengths! Companions are inspired, even if you are not the best of friends and struggle at times... they can help you HEAPS! Learn all  you can from each companion, your prayers will be answered! Why do you think he put with them? Maybe for us to help them, but SURELY they are to teach and leave their mark on us. My companions have answered my prayers man times!
   3. I have learned if we pray for something, it will happen! We were teaching a man that was to give up smoking. He prayed every time we were there to give up smoking by February 1st. he expressed he really did want to! But his behavior and appetite seemed to be growing closer to the cigarettes as he got closer to the date. # days before the 1st of Feb no one could find him. No one! ha. Our Elders Quorum president got the police department to break into his house, no one was home. Long story short we found him in the hospital a few days later. Smoke free as of the 1st of February, a Sunday, and with no desire to smoke again (as a result of the 2 emergency visit to the hospital in a week)! God WILL answer our prayers! It is a whole lot easier when we humble our selves and giving to his will, rather than rebelliously fight back!
   4. My first time I went through the temple and received my Endowment I prayed to know the church was true. I didn't receive a huge answer or vision. I was disappointed at my answer. I read in The Book of Mormon a verse that said be meek and submissive like a child. Even though I had received a powerful answer I still had shaky faith... It was not until I had done my part, served the Lord, prayed and studied everyday, that I received my answer. Family, my brothers and sister here on this earth... Let me tell you, I received a spiritual witness that the Book of Mormon was true! That the Church which espouses it is also true! It came when I was humble enough to understand how my God worked, when I had studied it out. Almost 2 years after that Endowment session in the Draper Temple, I stand as a Witness that Jesus is the Christ, and I know this because the Spirit told me so in answering my Prayer.
    The Lord and our God, Heavenly Father, LOVE us! We can and WILL receive answers to our prayers! Please, NEVER doubt this great work you are engaged in or him who you represent! Every answer to a prayer is a MIRACULOUS thing, just as miraculous as the 1st vision or as the Day of Pentecost. Remember, You can know and receive ALL you ever need, from your Father In Heaven who LOVES you! I so testify in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
    
                         -Elder Ford