Monday
We had a good p-day. We went shopping, played basketball, emailed, and had a lot of fun. Then we went and had FHE with ward members and had a good time. After that, we visited some people and tried to get some new investigators but no luck really...
Tuesday
We visited a lot of people and were able to pick up one new investigator. His name is Liam. He's 14, and we were going to a less active's house when we saw that a potential lived in the rental above the house. Liam is a cool kid, and he believes in a lot of things. I think he is going to be a solid investigator. We really want to get the rest of his family involved. Otherwise he may not be able to be baptized. Plus, he can be baptized with his whole family if they get involved! It would be great because the church is true!
Wednesday
We had the mission training broadcast, and we learned about the new schedule that has already started in this mission. Now we will only report on 4 key indicators instead of 9: baptism and confirmation, investigators on date, investigators in sacrament meeting, and new investigators. If you have questions about those other key indicators, ask Justin. Then we had a lesson with the Kurtzers, and our goal with them is to get them to the temple in about a month. That's what our lesson was about with them. We will be having another with them later this week. Hopefully it all works out.
Thursday
I went on an exchange with Elder Poulson, and we went to Darrington. We visited a lot of investigators and tried to have lessons with them, but we couldn't have any lessons with Lydia or Jayson. That was sad, but it's ok. We visited a lot of people down in Darrington and then had a lesson with a former investigator named Ann Blake. She was an investigator when the elders were in Darrington, and the sisters were in Arlington. The elders told her that the new elders would teach her more when they got there, but that info never got to us when they left...so we got to pick her up again as an investigator. She is an interesting one. She doesn't want to get baptized because she was already baptized into a different church so she doesn't see the need to be baptized again. It's funny how the situation worked with her because the other missionaries didn't work it out so she understood why she needed to be baptized into this church, but I'm glad that we were able to help her now. We gave her a reading assignment to read Mosiah 18 and to pray about it. That should help her understand why she needs it as well. That's all for that day.
Friday
We served at the food bank. Then we had a lot of service, and we had to do a lot of walking because we are over on miles for the jeep, but we survived this week so we will be good.
Saturday
We did a lot of service, moved lights, helped at the old folks place, and did some service for our members and barely had to drive so it all worked out. We also helped set up a reception for the bishop's daughter which was fun. That was that.
Sunday
We went on a car fast, went to church, and did a lot of weekly planning and preparing for the week. We got rides for everywhere we went, which was great! Then at the end of the day, Elder Soelberg got a call from President telling him that his grandma passed away. It was a sad moment for both of us, but he seems to be doing alright about it. I hope it's all ok with him. I would feel the same way if I lost one of my grandparents.
Here is my spiritual thought for the week:
In the past two days, I've been thinking about something that seemed really interesting to me. We had ward conference yesterday and President Williams gave a very good talk. He talked about each of our conversion points and how we can come to understand Christ even better. He talked about the woman at the well and how her conversion came really quickly. This is the story:
" 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
This story is very interesting to me because she calls him many things before she realizes she is talking to the Savior. She calls him a Jew, then a sir, then a prophet, then the Messiah. As well, she seeks counsel from someone who she feels is a prophet, a holy one, about where to worship, and what I love is that she has faith that better things are to come when the Messiah comes. She just didn't know when that would be, but Jesus was able to tell her that time was now, and He was doing so at that time. He also teachers her a lot of things about how we can have the gospel with us and never need to look again, and this is if we look to Him. The part I really want to focus on is how she was converted really quickly. When she met the man, she didn't know what expect of him, but when she left, she went and told everyone else and their conversion came in a different way.
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
She left what she came for and went to tell others, "Look what I found. Is this not the truth?" In many ways, that is like us. We are sharing what we have found to be true. We know it's true, and we, like the woman, left everything behind to tell people of the things we saw and hear, and others are blessed because of it.
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
39 ¶And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
She left what she came for and went to tell others, "Look what I found. Is this not the truth?" In many ways, that is like us. We are sharing what we have found to be true. We know it's true, and we, like the woman, left everything behind to tell people of the things we saw and hear, and others are blessed because of it.
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
39 ¶And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
They told the woman, "when you told us of Him, we only believed a little bit, but once we saw it for ourselves, then we believed it fully." This principle is something we can all learn and have. Before, the Samaritans only were convinced of the gospel a little bit, but once they heard and saw the things the woman was talking about, they were converted to all of it. The best part about this story is that Jesus inspires all of us to be converted to him in this life. All we have to do is listen, and He will help us to do the rest. In the past two days, I've been wondering, is this a characteristic of Christ, and as I thought about it and studied it, the more I realize that yes, it is because of that very statement I just made. "Jesus inspires all of us to be converted to Him in this life." I love learning things like this, and I hope that you have the same chance to learn stuff like this at your homes. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Hammond
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