He's back!!!

He's back!!!
HE'S BACK!!!!!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Billy Brazelton's Baptism!

Sup Family!  How is everyone doing?? Thanks so much for your emails and letters this week.  I truly appreciate everything you send and say to encourage me.  It is such a blessing to have such great friends and family.  I love you all and miss you very much.  
Sorry I didn't email yesterday, the place we email at was closed so we had to take a little time today to write.

This week has been very good.  We have experienced some miracles that I wish I had time to talk about today, but I will have to share them another time.  This week we were supposed to have 3 baptisms.  Because of the inclement weather 2 of them got moved to this next week.  One is a boy named John. His family lives in Tooele (Toeele? I have no idea how to spell that!) anyway, in Utah! And they got a lot of snow or something so they couldn't make the drive out here last weekend.  So next weekend it will happen!  But one person was still able to get baptized.  His name is Morris William Brazelton Jr.  He is sooo cool.  He goes by Bill or Billy, and he is a great Christian man.  He loves the church and loves how he feels so accepted there and how we follow Christ so fully as members of the LDS church.  He was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday.  I'll attach a picture.  He is 4' 11"!  He is strong though.  He has had to struggle through a lot of things in his life, but through the Lord and his help he has become strong.  I am so grateful that he was open enough to listen to us and that the members referred us to him!   We met him only 2 weeks ago and now he is a member of the church and moving forward very quickly.  The Lord truly is at the head of this work and it is true!

So ya.  We also found a lot more people to teach which was such a blessing.  We hit the Standard of Excellence as a companionship this week.  Which is having 1 baptism, 1 confirmation, 3 on date for baptism, 5 at church, 8 lessons with members present, and 3 new investigators.  
We had been praying all week for a miracle that we would be able to achieve the goal of hitting the SOE as a zone.  Which would mean, 8 baptisms, 8 confirmations, 24 people on date for baptism, 40 people at church, 64 lessons with members present, and 24 new investigators.  Through our prayers and faith we were able to achieve it!!!  Here were the numbers this week.  8 baptized,  8 confirmed, 26 people on date for baptism, 54 people at church, 94 Lessons with members present, and 30 new investigators!  

I am not all about numbers, trust me. I actually hate them because it distracts from the actual people you are finding, teaching, and baptizing.  But they are good to help focus our efforts and help us stretch and grow to be even better missionaries and disciples of Jesus Christ.  
"The Lord always blesses the exercise of Faith"  That is what President Winn always says.  I have come to know this week in particular that this is true.  As we exercise faith, we will be blessed!
Well not much else to say, and I don't have much more time.  Gotta go out and do the work this afternoon and find more people to teach.

One more thing.  Last night we had an amazing lesson with a couple and their child.  The Wright family.  They are so prepared.  It was one of the most spiritual lessons that I have ever had on my mission.  As we shared the message of the restoration and the first vision in particular the father, Jake, was able to feel the spirit so strongly testify to his heart that this was true.  Also when we told him that he could have the opportunity to have the restored priesthood himself to bless his family, he started to cry.  I love the Lord's work.  It has changed me in every single way.  I will never be the same because I know the joy that comes from sharing the gospel with others and helping them in the crucial steps to receiving eternal life and eternal happiness with our Father in Heaven and with their families.

I love you all.  I hope you are feeling the blessings that the Lord has for you as you continue in keeping his commandments and improving yourselves to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
Have a fantastic week.

Godspeed.

-Elder Hansen

Peak the Strategy

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