Happy Holidays from the north shores of Louisville!! Not a whole lot of time to write, but I will include some highlights. It turned out to be a really great week! This week is transfer week and so things have been a bit moved around, but received word yesterday of the news.
Turns out I will be training a new missionary here in Mandeville!! I am sooo excited! It is going to be awesome! It was a great transfer with Elder Holdaway and it flew by. Just can't wait to meet this guy and start rolling out the hotcakes right off the griddle over here. I am sincerely humble by this opportunity to "try a little harder, to be a little better." I am truly grateful for the things I have learned even just this last transfer, but am so excited to keep going and with the help of the Savior overcome the different obstacles that await. I am so grateful for the trust the Lord has extended, and can't wait to meet this elder!
Updates: So unfortunately some bad news with Alvin. We went over there to see him and ended up running into 2 undercover FBI agents looking for a black guy with dread locks. He had been praying on a baptismal date, but of course his past came back up as soon as he was close to changing everything around. I guess restitution is a step in the repentance process though! Not sure full details, but should give him some time to read the Book of Mormon too. He told us to keep working with his family and so that will be good still. His 9 year old son will hopefully be in the same trailer park with his extended family.
Miracle: This week I wanted to share a miracle that happened while studying. It has been an incredible experience for me to try to look for the tender mercies that the Lord sends us each and everyday. However, sometimes I forget that miracles can come in ALL ways. I know that when we look for them, we will see them. I was studying in Preach My Gospel about the "Light of Christ" because Alvin was having a hard time grasping the difference between it and the Holy Ghost. I continued to find interesting things about it, but nothing was fully answering the question I had. I decided to get on my knees and pray. Knowing that answers to prayers usually come after continued diligence, I kept reading. As I read the thought kept coming to my mind: "Brighter and brighter until the perfect day." I wasn't sure what it meant at first but went to the topical guide and ended up finding the scripture in D+C 50:24 in which that line is an excerpt of the scripture. It perfectly answered my sincere question. This life allows us the opportunity to gain more light and knowledge and become more like the Savior until the perfect day. I know that Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers, and that in and of itself is a miracle to me.
We were teaching a new investigator, and it was seriously one of the funniest lessons I have ever been in and that is saying something haha. We were just reading from the B.o.M in Mosiah 4 and he kept saying how he was feeling the spirit and "it was too strong." I was like so what does the good feeling make you want to do? And he replied with something totally unexpected something along the lines of: "I just feel like going to one of those baptist churches and running up to the altar screaming and praising the Lord and then get knocked over and have the priest pour all the oil on me to be blessed." I literally couldn't keep composure. It was sooo funny. And then on the way out he was like, "brothas I was feeling the holy spirit so much I need to change my clothes." hahaha it was hysterical. I love Louisiana.
Well, that's it for this week! I love y'all and hope everyone is doing fantastic!
Love,
Elder Wilson
