Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Rain, Mud & Service with a Cherry on top!

4.20.15
This week Texas had so much rain! Texas storms are really cool, the rain comes down in thick waves and the lightning is so cool! The people here are really happy, because the lakes in Texas really need the water.
   This week I had a really good exchange with elder Cherry. Going into our exchanges we always make a goal, and my goal was to get better at contacting. The first thing we did, after we had lunch, was go to Grapevine main street. There are lots of people her, so it was a perfect place to talk to people. We started talking to people and we meet this really cool lady named Tara. We taught her the Restoration and talked a lot about Joseph Smith. She had lots of questions and really liked what she heard. She even accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon. At the end of our discussion we asked her if we could say a prayer and she asked us if she could say a prayer for us. She put her hands on both of our shoulder and said a really beautiful and sweet prayer. It was funny, because during the prayer she looked at our tags to see what our names were and when she got to elder Cherry's name she said "bless elder Cherry, cherry on top God" It was really funny:) Also during the exchange we had dinner with this really nice family, the Backer family. They had all of this cute little kids that were all over the place during dinner:) Reminded me a lot of our big family gatherings back home. We shared a really powerful Book of Mormon video by elder Holland and committed the family to give a Book of Mormon to one of their friends. We also went trackting in this apartment complex. We talked to a lot of cool people, and even set a return appointment with a really nice man who was walking his dog. We also talked to this recently married lady about temples and eternal marriage. She was really nice, and accepted a Plan of Salvation pamphlet. It was a really fun exchange, and it really helped me be better at talking to people. 
   This week we were also able to teach Pablo again. The lesson was on following the prophets. Towards the end of the lesson we got into a really good discussion about gaining a personal testimony the gospel. It was awesome, and during it we were able to help resolve some of his concerns. We also committed Pablo to personally read and pray about the Book of Mormon daily. He has been reading with his wife, but for some reason hasn't been reading on his own. It was cool, because when we asked him why he wanted to go through with this commitment he said "because I want to know it's true" This simple answer made my spirit leap for joy. He is such a good man, and I can see the spirit changing his life. Also this Sunday in elders quorum we had a really good lesson on Joseph Smith. There were some really cool stories shared as well as testimonies. The spirit was strong, which Pablo really needed,  because last week he didn't have a very good experience in elder's quorum. They are taking us out to eat tomorrow, so we are super excited:)
  Yohanna is also doing great. She is still reading her scriptures, praying and coming to church. The Wade family has also been such a blessing for her. Yohanna calls them multiple times a week to ask questions, have gospel discussions and get comfort. We have also been talking about getting in touch with the ward in Germany near her home town. That way when she goes back to Germany, she can still have contact with the church and continue to learn and grow her testimony. She is such a good example to me of what pure faith looks like.
This Sunday we were also privileged to have elder Robbins of the presidency of the seventy speak at our sacrament meeting. He gave a really good talk on love, and how it is a commandment from God. It was really good, he even talked briefly about the importance of loving your companion and how it is preparing you for marriage:) His talk was just what I needed. He also talked about how the mission field is the Lord's university for life. It was awesome, and really made me realize that all of the things I am learning are preparing me for the rest of eternity. It was a great experience, and I am glad we have such righteous and strong leaders like elder Robbins in the church.
   I wish you all the best, and hope your week is full of happiness and laughter!:)

Love,

Elder Griffin

P.S. Here is a picture of a service project we did for a kind lady, it was so muddy!

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