Happy New Year 2018

I really enjoy being here in the Lauderhill Ward. The members are great, Elder Flake is great, the area has some challenges, but nothing that’s impossible. We are working with some cool progressing investigators, and the companion study we received from the APs is exactly what we needed, and the mission needs. We have seen some awesome miracles through sanctification, some people that have come up through the woodwork as we’ve been diligent.

Repentance is something that we don’t really understand as deep enough as we should. My companion and another Elder in the house are reading “The Miracle of Forgiveness” right now, and we decided to hold a house companionship study on repentance based on page 24 of the book, where it goes through and lists sins. Boy, are there a whole lot of ways to sin. Such as, speaking evil of dignitaries, double-tongued talk, even not meeting inspired goals. Not being focused on prayers, on scripture study, on other people while talking to them. We break our baptismal covenant every week when we forget Jesus Christ, when we get angry, when we even have an unholy thought. Any and every one of these would keep us out of the Celestial Kingdom if it weren’t for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the possibility of repentance. Repentance, as described through Preach My Gospel, involves not just restitution with God, but with all men that may be afflicted due to the sin, and forsaking the sin entirely. As the Lord reveals in Doctrine and Covenants 58: 42-43=>
42 Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.
43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

If the Lord doesn’t remember them, then we shouldn’t either. We need to confess our sins,to God, and if necessary, our Priesthood Leaders, and then forget them, move on, don’t think about them anymore. Much harder to say than to do. But possible, only through the Loving Sacrifice of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

Repenting of course leads to sanctification, we can be purified through the Holy Spirit, it can reside and dwell with us. Last night even, we saw just the first little blessings through sanctification. We decided it would be good to drive way out of the way to visit a referral that we had tried to contact 2 weeks ago, Jose. Well, he was home, he received the message of the Restoration, and has agreed to be baptized. Then, we went to try again with a different referral, but the weren’t home, so we OYMed this lady letting her dog do the business, and she wanted a Book of Mormon, and she actually rents a room from Jose, so we’re seeing her as well!! Back to back lessons, combined lessons, all in one home!!

Missionary work is fun!!
Love,
Elder Webster

Hace frio

 

Hey World!

I gained a testimony this morning of people always watching and being aware of you. We were at IHOP for unlimited pancakes, and we started talking to the waitress, she’s from Hawaii, and turns out, she has about 1/2 her family are members. She became a potential for the Coral Springs Elders, and her cousin sat down across the aisle from us, and we talked with him for a good minute, and he has a lot of family in Utah that are members, and then, out of the back of IHOP came this lady that had her umbrella in her hand and she came up to us and said “I just want to thank you boys, I have never sat next to a group a young men like you. I have not heard any profanity, so thank you.” So that was cool!

I studied Alma’s conversion story this week in Mosiah 27 and Alma 36. Something I never realized about Alma was that he was a man; the Living Scriptures videos make him seem like, 17ish but the scriptures say that he was a man. I believe this is important, because he wasn’t just a punk kid, but he had some actual sway and influence on all the people around him. I really like what the angel says in Mosiah 27:15, because, to the angel, it didn’t matter who Alma was, just that he was wicked. He said:
15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God.
The angel was sure of his calling, which, I feel too often is we forget is our same calling. Our job is to “declare nothing but repentance unto this generation.” We need to understand who gave us this charge. It wasn’t some guy in Utah, but the Only True and Living God, and He called me specifically to do His work.

I had an awesome opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Boss in his area. He is doing great, he is really led by the Spirit. I witness the Spirit that he brings when he prays. I feel it. His spirituality is way up there, it’s really inspiring.

We also had accidental fire exchanges last night with Elder Petersen and Schoen in Coconut Creek. They were biking, and so we gave them a ride, actually to the same spot that we were going to go. Elder Flake and Elder Schoen went and taught a lesson with our investigator Jose Luis, and Elder Petersen and I knocked a lot of doors. We found a many potentials. Elder Petersen is great!!!
Love,
Elder Webster