Week 26 Stripling Warriors

Hey everyone. I don't have a lot to say and not a lot of time, but I will try to do it as quickly as I can.  So here it goes.

Monday

We had a good p-day. We emailed, went shopping, and enjoyed some basketball time. I also wrote letters to people. I'm getting close to my six months, so I wanted to send out thank yous to everyone that has really inspired me in my life. I couldn't write a whole lot, but I do want to thank everyone that reads this because you all mean the world to me. You really do. Then after that, we had dinner and tried to visit some people, but no one would let us in.

Tuesday

We visited some people that got referred to us, had lunch, did progressing, and went and saw some more referrals. No one would open to us. Then we saw some members and did some tracting. We also did some area book work so that we could save miles, however, we got the whole thing wrong. We didn't need to save miles because we were under the whole time... Sad day. We had dinner with the Leglers, and then we took them with us to lessons with Kelly and Cameron, a recent convert, and they did a good job. They shared their testimonies and helped us to teach them, but what I really love is that we gave Kelly a commitment to pray and fast about Feb 11th to be her baptism date. She said she would do it, and that made me happy.

Wednesday 

We had district meetings and went up to the highest part of our area and tried to visit some people. We did some tracting and had dinner. Then we had a lesson with the Kurtzers, well, actually Barbara, the mom, and we taught about temples and what they are, what they look like, and how they help us and others. Then we talked about getting a temple recommend. The problem is they aren't coming to our church every week. They are going to the Granet Falls Ward in Marrysville as well as ours, and we told them they need to come to our ward more if they want a temple recommend and to have Mike get the priesthood. They understood it and are willing to come more, hopefully.

Thursday

We went to Darrington and had no success. Every lesson fell through, and no one really wanted to talk to us...

Friday

We did service at the food bank and did weekly planning.

Saturday

We had a lesson with Liam, a new investigator, and taught the plan of salvation. He is doing a really good job and is on date too. We did some service in the pouring rain... not fun, and then we visited a lot of people and went home.

Sunday 

We fasted for Kelly to receive her answer to her prayer. We also had church and visited some people but had to be in by 8 cause the Patriots won the Superbowl. Our dinner appointment had the game on, and it was so weird because you don't see people with the TV on a lot during dinner. So ya...

That's this week, and here is my spiritual message I sent to President Wilding:

Yesterday we taught a family the story of the Stripling Warriors, and I just really like this story because it helps not only kids understand the lesson because they can relate to it, but it also helps all of us see and understand a commandment that we are give. Let me give you the scriptures:

44 Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?

45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

What I love is how much courage they had to go against the enemy and yet they didn't doubt anything. Their fathers could not fight because that would break their covenants with God, but because the sons had so much respect for their fathers, they went to war to help their fathers so that they didn't break their covenant with the Lord. But what I really like is this:

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Their mothers helped them. They taught them everything they needed to be the warriors that would not doubt their God and what he could do for them. Now it doesn't say they were taught by their fathers or by their school teachers, but their mothers. I love that because they were valiant and courageous, and they respected their parents, but most importantly, their moms. I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for my parents, but most importantly my mom.

I know this is true and that Helaman put that in there to help us in our day. I hope you can learn and adore more things like this everyday, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Hammond

My own little Stripling Warrior having some fun on Pday