Hey all!
This week was tons of fun! Unfortunately, nearly all of our
appointments we had scheduled were all REscheduled and we weren't able to meet
very many people this week, but we saw tons of small miracles as we patiently
pressed forward!
For example, after an appointment was canceled rather
unexpectedly, Elder Burns and I filled up the vacant time by going downtown to
talk to people on the street. While we were there, we ran into a girl Elder
Harris and I had talked to over a month ago who was very interested in learning
more but that we couldn't get in contact with. After a short conversation with
her, she expressed her strong desire to learn more about the Book of Mormon and
we set up a lesson with her for this week! We rescheduled with the person we
were going to meet and now we will have lessons with both! It's incredible how
the Lord leads us to where we need to be even if we thought something or
someone else was more important as long as we patiently follow His plan and His
timing.
This week, I chose the scripture where Ammon teaches the
King about the nature of God by first helping him realize that he already
believed in God. I chose this because of an experience Elder Burns and I had
last night while we were tracting. We talked to this man and after a short,
casual conversation, we asked him if he believed in God.
He responded that didn't, but that he might believe in some
impersonal higher power (classic Swede). We then--following the direction of
our mission president to ask inspired, probing questions--asked him if he
believed there is a life after death, if the higher power he believes in is
directly involved in that life after death, if he believes the higher power can
actively make choices, if the higher power cares about him personally, and if
the higher power is all knowing and knows what is best for him, and if he would
trust the higher power if it commanded him to do something. To all of these
questions, he answered affirmatively.
I then felt prompted by the Spirit to be a little bolder
than I usually would be comfortable with and, with this scripture in mind, said
to him: "This higher power you believe in sounds a lot like the god we
believe in. My friend, you believe in God." We then invited him to learn
more about the things that God has commanded him to do to be happy in this life
and he graciously accepted.
This experience was evidence to me that most--if not
all--people have an innate knowledge that God is there and that He loves them.
Sometimes that knowledge is hidden in a dark corner of the heart that is
intentionally ignored or overlooked; but it's there nonetheless.
I witness that God lives and loves us. He waits for us to
turn to Him and is never turned away from us.
Have a great week!
Love,
Äldste Cummings
1. Majestic.
2. Your boys.
3. That's right. I live here.
4.That's right. I live here part 2.
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