Dinkytown week 22

We had quite the eventful week this last week!

I went and taught sister PY this last week with one of my zone leaders, Elder Smith. PY committed to October 27th for baptism and she gave us her coffee and tea. She is quite remarkable. She was telling us during the lesson that she doesn't want to be a hypocrite when it comes to just living her religion sometimes so she has started making small changes in her life that she feels will bring her closer to Christ. none of which we talked about. So cool! True conversion is taking place. She recognizes that healing comes from being converted unto Christ and she desperately wants spiritual healing. The fruits of her actions are definitely showing it.

Super sweet miracle this week. When I first got to Dinkytown I taught a guy named DO. But I thought he had graduated and moved away. Well it turns out he has one more class here at the U and he just straight up walked into the institute the other day! so now we are teaching him again. so sick!

So I am pretty terrified because my companion read the talk "Mountains to Climb" this last week and he decided he wanted to grow a little so he prayed for a big mountain to climb. Now we are both absolutely terrified about what the Lord has in store... oh heavens. President Clements told us to never pray for that because there are enough mountains in life to climb without us praying for them. I told that to elder rudd and five minutes later he was like, "did President really say that??" ha ha. oh man.

Friday night we had a really sweet experience. A brother and sister in the YSA ward had us over for dinner with their parents. Their father is on the verge of leaving the church and they wanted us to share a really inspired message. We went to the temple (my first time on my mission! Woot!), fasted, and that night had the most amazing meal since being in Minnesota. During our lesson we testified strongly of this church teaching plain and precious lost truths about the atonement and the Godhead that are essential to our happiness and progression to becoming more Christ like. Elder Rudd bore testimony of how life in the church is not happiness (he was less active most his life) even when we think it might be. the spirit was thick. Everyone in the room could feel it. it was so powerful. The wife also made super good cookies and I may or may not have eaten 8 of them... he he

We also took our investigator DF, whom I taught last semester and how she is back, to a baptism on Saturday. I will be honest, the service was.. sub par. the speaker (who is supposed to speak for 5-7 minutes about baptism and confirmation) rambled about Christmas for 35 minutes and the elders didn't fill the font up enough so they had to baptize the man a few times to get him under and some little kids were screaming the whole time. But, despite all of this, the moment he came up out of the water after he was correctly baptized the Children grew quiet and the Spirit was super strong. It is amazing how even amidst crazy situations that still small voice can still be there.

well, I read a super cool scripture this morning that is now one of my favorite. Let me introduce you to Mormon chapter 8: 38

 " O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God?Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

I think this sums up the world pretty well. The thing that sets us apart from the world, that makes us a peculiar people is that we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. we aren't ashamed to do it. Well, we aren't supposed to be ashamed. Even amidst the Church members we still have our fears and trepidations. head Moroni's call! avoid the misery which never dies. We should all think of the ways in which we shirk to take Christ's name upon us and change those things.

I love you all! have a great week :)

Elder Damron