I do not know how many missionaries share the amazing letters they get from president Anderson each week with their family. I do know I look forward to reading the lessons that the president teaches, the scriptures he uses to teach with but above all the amazing missionary experiences he shares. Here are the ones from this week’s letter.

“We went back to the house of this guy we blessed and he wasn’t home. His wife explained that they weren’t interested. We explained we were representatives of Jesus Christ and offered to leave a blessing with her. She rejected, but around the corner of the door was this little Peruvian woman who was her neighbor. She said’ I need one’ and motioned for us to follow her to her house. There we met her husband. The second he saw us he recognized us as the Lord’s representatives.  He explained how he’s been sick and has really needed help. After the blessing, he expressed he knew the lord had sent two angels to come. We testified that the Lord helped us find his house by being at his neighbors to bring him the blessings of Christ through baptism. They accepted and were in church the next day. They were also able to see a baptism. We went to their house last night. We testified what they felt that night and at church was the spirit and how important it is to recognize the Lord is letting them feel this way because they need this in their life. The lesson went really well and they want to be baptized. We explained the way to baptism is repentance and changing our lives to do what God wants will bring us peace.  They were worried that they wouldn’t be able to do what the Lord wants them to do. We testified and shared the scripture 1 Nephi 3:7 that God doesn’t give us any commandment to us that we aren’t able to complete. Although this couple is super prepared and can’t wait to be baptized. I learned the importance of using the book of Mormon to overcome doubts or concerns.”

 

Setting the table is even contagious to the neighbors, and then you’re teaching both:

 

“We knocked on this one woman’s door and after explaining that we were there to live a blessing in her home, she said, ‘Oh, PLEASE come in!’ We left the prayer with her and afterwards she told us that she had just been praying and asking God to send her some strength. She’s a single mom and said she just really needed that prayer. She accepted baptism for the 16^th! Then, before we could even ask if she knew anyone else who might like a prayer, she asked if we would go to the next building over and leave a blessing with one of her friends. So we went and left a blessing with her friend, who ALSO accepted baptism! And then her friend also told us that she’d been praying and asking God to send someone like us! … And then we showed up to do exactly that! After we finished knocking the rest of the doors in her building we went back out to our car and ran into the first woman. We told her that we’d left a blessing with her friend and that it had gone well and she said, ‘I know, she called me afterwards to say thank you for sending you two over to her!’ She also said that they both really want to get baptized so they can have their sins washed away. It was super awesome for us to recognize how God uses us as instruments to answer His children’s prayers!”

 

Setting the table can’t happen without obedience:

 

“I am striving to be my best at 100% obedient and always exercising faith in finding to allow miracles to happen. We had a great experience where we harvested someone named Phillip about 2 weeks ago, they were English speaking, and we invited him to baptism and everything, but he said no. However we testified and invited him to think about baptism and consider the blessings it can bring to his life. We left him with a chapel card and went on our way, letting him know we are here to help him do that and with that invitation to ponder it. Just last Sunday, after our church was out and before the English ward started, someone walked up to me and said, ‘hey, I reconsidered your offer, I want to be baptized!’ It was Phillip! We were very excited for him, and showed him into the chapel.”

Missionaries, we are getting so close to our goal of 150. We set another “do what has not been done” with 1760 blessings. We have three weekends to get at least 92 baptisms, 31 per week. I know we can do this, I know the Lord will bless us as we go forward and “give the greatest gift of Christmas, The Gospel of Jesus Christ”.