Andover week 17

So Elder Foggin and I fry up some fish filets, rice, and vegetables every day for lunch. I never thought I would eat a lot of fish but I must admit, it is quite good! I bet this will be quite the surprise to my parents, ha ha.

So Brother Z is coming along quite well! we had a lesson with him this week where he said he felt that he had an emptiness inside him he cant fill and he basically keeps doing crazy things to try and fill that void. We read the bread of life scripture with him and testified that if he partakes of the bread of life he will never be hungry. that space in him will be filled. it was pretty sweet! he has also read the first 14 chapters in the first book of nephi in only a week, which is VERY impressive. I have never had an investigator do that before. He LOVES the tree of life vision and he called nephi a gangster for slaying laban, ha ha. we committed him to pray with his wife every night before bed and they have been absolutely loving it. their countenances are already beginning to change a little bit :)

We had a lesson with Brother S. this week again. He is less active and trying to get to the temple with his wife. We have been going over for 5 month and he still hasn't come to church. He is doing everything he needs to do to be able to go to the temple but attend church so we basically called him out on it and said, "brother S., how will not coming to church affect you getting to the temple to be sealed to your wife?" he basically had a melt down. he just kept saying, " I know ok! I know! I need to go! no bishop in their right mind would give me a recommend if I don't come to church." it was so awesome! as missionaries we love when people have melt downs. it is kind of sad really... but then they become so teachable and receptive to the spirit. then the member with us testified of how church attendance helps his temple attendance. so powerful. he committed to church! brother s. asked me to say the closing prayer so I opened up and then was silent. I prayed in my head (so I guess a prayer within a prayer.. prayer-caption!) to know the Lord's will for what I should pray. then words just flowed from my mouth. I don't remember all that was said but I will never forget the feeling that was in the room. it was absolutely powerful. I looked up at the end and brother S was crying.

sunday morning we were waiting in the foyer and HE CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!! not only that, but without his wife! she comes almost every week but was sick and he came without her! an absolute miracle.

we also had a lesson with Brother E. he is struggling with accepting the reality of the priesthood. we watched the Mormon Message "Sanctify Yourselves" which is about a boy who got hit by lightning getting a blessing. then I felt inspired to ask brother E if he wanted a blessing. he looked a tad shocked when I asked him and he sat there with his thinking face on. he told us he was scared. he was scared it might not work. we testified of the power of blessings and then gave him one to help him quit smoking. After he said, "WOW. just wow. I feel... charged right now." The Spirit was thick. so great!

So I was want to talk about the absolute miracle of brother G for awhile. his baptism was this weekend and it was a beautiful service. A lot of people came, including the stake president and president ehlert, our acting mission president. as I reflect on his conversion I marvel at the miracles. when I first met him he was a broken man. his spirit and mind was in a dark place. the previous missionaries thought he was crazy and almost didn't go back to teach him. But I told my last companion that this man needed the gospel and we were going to teach him. the absolute miraculous change I have seen from him in the last 3 months is something I will never forget. he went from a rambling, sometimes incoherent and very depressed man to a vibrant, lucid, and absolutely joy filled man. and it all came from him reading the book of Mormon every day. the Spirit of God literally started to heal this man in so many different ways. I have such a strong testimony on the ability for the Book of Mormon to change lives.

 He is so humble and full of love for the Savior. when he prays I know he is talking to a dear friend. Another miracle was the fact he got baptized in the first place due to his unique living situation. mission rules said he had to move, which he could not due to money, to be get baptized. we fasted and told brother G to ask the Lord for His help. As I listened to him plead with the Lord to help him I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that he would be baptized. his prayers are so full of faith and the Lord answers those prayers. a few weeks later a clarification was made in mission rules and he got baptized. the Lord can do His own work!

 As I watched him come out of the water and hug the member that baptized him I was filled with an absolute pure joy. I was a tool in the hand of the Lord in bringing this man more fully unto Christ. I will never forget that moment. He is a rockstar now! he was telling us he was at the grocery store and saw this man who looked quite sad. he started talking about Jesus with him and told him he needs to read the book of Mormon. he is so awesome!

We also had a cool miracle happen while at the food shelf this week. We were signing people in at the front desk when a woman walked in and said, "it's the Mormon boys!" We started talking to her and found out that she is actually an inactive member! She told us she stopped going when she moved out of Brooklyn Park because she was afraid of going to a new building. She also said she doesn't want to drive all the way to Shingle Creek for church, which was like 30 minutes away. We asked where she lived and she told us Coon Rapids. We then informed her she was in the Anoka ward, which is like 7 minutes from her house! The same ward she was baptized into at the age of 17! We got her information and the Anoka elders will be seeing her this week!

President Toronto also came out with us again this week!!! He is the man. Seriously so humble and full of love. We have been trying to get in contact with a less active for about 3 months now and we went over there with president Toronto and the husband pulled up right as we arrived. President Toronto then got a return appointment for us when we have been trying to do that for forever... yep. he is awesome. ha ha.

so... I GOT MY iPAD THIS WEEK! Woot! So now every sunday I have to run around the church building tracking missionaries down to get them to sync their pedometers with an app I have and some other stuff. muy bien :)

We also had a cool experience on Sunday that was definitely not expected. We went to a gas station to use the restroom. We hadn't plan on going to that gas station but just kinda said whatever and went. then we ran into an investigator we haven't been able to contact in like 7 weeks! he doesn't live anywhere near that gas station so we don't know why he was there but we didn't mind. now we are going to see him! yay!

alma 41:9

 9 And now behold, my son, do not risk ^aone more offense against yourGod upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked tocommit sin.

This hit me pretty hard this morning. We all do little things here and there, and sometimes even big things, that we know we should not do. Things that displease God. I know that sometimes I get overwhelmed and don't work as hard as I should at changing, but we cannot risk waiting to change! repent now!

well, I love all of you. have a fantastic week!

love, Elder Damron