Hello friends and family,
We had a powerful week as a companionship and made some serious progress here. Over the holidays a lot of our investigators were gone so we had the chance to do a lot of finding and now that everyone is back our teaching pool is huge. We have some legitimate new investigators who have the potential to make a lot of progress. I'll tell you about one of these new investigators, probably one of my most spiritual experiences so far on mission. We had the chance to go and meet with this girl named J___ for the first time. We met her while street contacting, she told us that she had heard of our church before and the Book of Mormon so she agreed to have us come back and meet with her. Well we met her on Thursday and started by teaching her the restoration. All she had heard was that Joseph Smith was a prophet and about some of the things he had said, she really didn't know much. As we started to teach her the restoration we could just see the light coming into her eyes. As we got to Joseph Smith, she said: "This is exactly what I've been searching for, we need a restoration." She just kept saying "Wow, wow, this isn't what I was expecting." She told us she thought we were coming with our new Bible and that she really wasn't expecting the message we had to share. She told us that for years she has been searching through hundreds of different churches seeking for the truth but she hasn't found it. We testified to her that this is the truth she is searching for and the spirit was so strong. I can't wait to see how she progresses. The Lord is truly preparing people, I've never seen someone more prepared to hear the message of the restoration, it was a pretty neat experience.
The branch here has been struggling with member missionary work and fellowshipping, so the 4 of us Elders here decided to do a devotional on missionary work. We took up the 2 hours after sacrament meeting yesterday and shared a nice program. We talked about the importance of the members and shared with them how they can help us. It went really well and we were able to help the branch understand a lot more clearly. We shared some videos from President Hinckley when he talks about member missionary work and the importance of retaining the fruits of our efforts. I had the chance to share about the blessings that come from missionary work and I also shared a short video that shows the growth of the church over the past 180 years. I also quoted Isaiah 29:14 where he talks about a marvellous work and a wonder. It's amazing how the spirit confirms what I testify of each time I teach, no matter where I'm teaching. We really are apart of the marvellous work and a wonder that Isaiah prophesied about. I have confidence the branch will eventually blossom here and the church will continue to grow and grow.
The Lord is preparing the hearts of His children to receive this message. I've seen it manifest time and time again since I've been serving here. The people of Africa are ready to receive this message and the church will continue its exponential growth as we move forward. Keep the faith and keep trusting in the Lord, as Nephi says, the Lord will always provide the way if we follow His commandments.
I found out today that the investigator named F____ who we were teaching in Margate is going to be baptized next week. It's cool to see the fruits that come from our labors, Fred is just another example of someone the Lord was preparing. He is going to be a powerful member.
Elder Summers
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