Hey everyone! So I have some sad news and... ya, just some sad news. But I am transferring from South Whidbey 😢😢😢😢😢 It was a great ward, and I enjoyed it a lot, but the Lord wants me somewhere else. But enough about the sad news. Let's get to what happened this week.
Thursday
Monday
We went emailing and then got on the ferry to Everett to go with the other elders to go "shopping". It was more like 2 elders followed 2 other elders around while they shopped. That was us following them because we were their ride. Then we had dinner with the stake president and went back home to the island after.
Tuesday
We did a lot of service. We served at one of the thrift stores on the island, and we helped the organize some things in the store. After doing service for someone in the ward, we had mormon.org time, went to dinner, and then came home for the rest of the day.
Wednesday
We had our last district meeting of the transfer, and it went really well. We talked about prayers and things like that, and Elder Kubal gave us a challenge. We have to put a penny in our shoes, and when we feel that penny then we have to remember to pray. It works out really well. I've been doing it for a week, and I've liked it a lot. After district meeting, I went on an exchange with the zone leaders and got to see their area. I had a great time with Elder Black, and we taught two young single adults at a juice place. They really liked what we taught, but they weren't going to start taking the lessons any time soon so it was pretty sad. Then I exchanged back and went and had dinner with the Hochs. This is really cool. They are related to Sister Haley Hoch who is serving in Mount Vernon. She and I went to school together, so if you know her, there's something interesting about her.
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| The district |
Thursday
Elder Addington had to catch up on his sleep for a little while, then we had service with a new investigator named Johan. He's a way cool guy who has a PHD in theology and says he already is a Mormon. He believes it's true and knows that Joseph Smith is a prophet, but he doesn't want to get baptized because he has already been baptized in a different church, and he feels that God has accepted his service there. He understands the authority and everything, but that's just how he feels. After we helped him, we went to an investigator's house named Deb. We helped her move. After, we had dinner and met with the ward mission leader for the night.
Friday
We did service for Jake. I'm going to get some pics with some of these people so you know what they look like. But ya, that's what we did. We helped him get over his dog's passing and lifted his spirit.
Saturday
We are way over miles, so we did some more service for Jake and helped him with his stereo system because it's hard for him to do it by himself. But that lasted a good amount of the day.
Sunday
I had my last church meeting with this ward. It was a great meeting. We had a lot of talks that talked about Jesus Christ. After church we had dinner with a family named the Curry's. They invited their daughter and the Millers over. We had an amazing dinner, sandwiches from Costco with really good salads and fruit with some really good whip cream/cream cheese/yogurt sort of spread. I love going over to their house for dinner. Sister Curry is an amazing cook! Then we went to Johan's to confirm our plans for today and to help him move some stuff. After we went home, I had an allergic reaction to one of his cats, so I took some meds, and it knocked me out until time for accounting.
Well, that is it for this week. My spiritual message is below. I hope you all have a great week, and I'll write again soon. Bye for now!!
I was reading something in the Bible last week, and it really caught my attention. This is in Acts 26. It says :
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Verse 18 really stood out to me because that is the same call/reason that God sends us out into the field to open the eyes of the Lord's lost children and to bring them back on the straight and narrow path they started on. After Paul talked about his vision to the king, he proclaims this which is a powerful statement, and it testifies of Jesus Christ:
22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Like Paul, we have many other prophets who are great missionaries who show us how to preach and teach these generations that live on the earth today. The prophet Ammon taught us that we must serve our fellow men to soften the hearts of those who are led astray. Alma testified of his conversion story, and it allowed many to understand the Savior and be baptized. Many more I could mention, but Paul was one who stands with them. Now in his final remarks, he asks King Agrippa if he believes the things which he spoke, and the next two verses state this:
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
Because he testified with the spirit, the king released him and saw that he was an innocent man. He also explained something very important as well, that he would like everyone to almost and altogether, to believe in Christ. That is what we do as missionaries. If one does not believe in Christ, then we try our hardest to help them understand that He lives and that He suffered for us so that we could live with God again. I know these things are true, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Hammond
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Verse 18 really stood out to me because that is the same call/reason that God sends us out into the field to open the eyes of the Lord's lost children and to bring them back on the straight and narrow path they started on. After Paul talked about his vision to the king, he proclaims this which is a powerful statement, and it testifies of Jesus Christ:
22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Like Paul, we have many other prophets who are great missionaries who show us how to preach and teach these generations that live on the earth today. The prophet Ammon taught us that we must serve our fellow men to soften the hearts of those who are led astray. Alma testified of his conversion story, and it allowed many to understand the Savior and be baptized. Many more I could mention, but Paul was one who stands with them. Now in his final remarks, he asks King Agrippa if he believes the things which he spoke, and the next two verses state this:
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
Because he testified with the spirit, the king released him and saw that he was an innocent man. He also explained something very important as well, that he would like everyone to almost and altogether, to believe in Christ. That is what we do as missionaries. If one does not believe in Christ, then we try our hardest to help them understand that He lives and that He suffered for us so that we could live with God again. I know these things are true, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Hammond
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