(Elder Cummings)
大家好朋友！
So just yesterday we were about to start some companionship
study after church and then we were like, "actually let's check the referrals
we got this morning first". So we start sending texts to two of them, and
then Elder Rands, the stud that he his, said, "Hey let's just straight up
call Koolkool". So we did. We gave him a call, turns out his real name is
Brian but his friends call him Koolkool...so we now call him Koolkool. We asked
if he remembered submitting a request for a Book of Mormon and he was like
"Man, you bet I did. With all this craziness going on and seeing where the
world is going I need something like that". The man had only ever heard
the name Book of Mormon and knew nothing about it, but I am sure was guided by
the Spirit to find a copy of the Book of Mormon. We were able to talk to him
and testify of the power that comes from reading the scriptures and learning
more about God and His plan. Turns out he's working in St Louis for the next
1-2 months, but we're getting some missionaries over there and we'll stay in
contact with him. God really is preparing people to hear the Word!
Also, this week our whole teaching pool besides like 3
people have gone off the map so that was kind of crazy. It was really
disheartening for a bit knowing how much they are missing out and wondering if
we could've done anything differently to have helped them accept the Gospel
However, God heard our prayers this week and we found 8 new people! We're back
to business thanks to the Lord! Please keep Dominique, J'nell, Jethro, Luis,
Betty, Reginald, Regina, Jun, and Tasha in your prayers!
I've been thinking about the power of the Book of Mormon but
let me preface it with some thoughts:
For those who struggle to accept anything but the Bible,
good on you. Hold fast to that testimony and trust you have in it, don't let
the whirlwind and the craziness take you away from God and the Word. But think
about what the last verse of the Gospel According to John says and implies,
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they
should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen." (John 21: 25)
The Book of Mormon is a testament of just a few of the
"many other things which Jesus did". It testifies of him, the Living
Christ, and has only brought me closer to the knowledge and understanding that
he is my Savior. It provides solace in times of discouragement and strength in
times of need. Christ invites us, "learn of me". From the Bible I
have learned more than any other book about the ministry and teachings of our
Lord Jesus Christ. From the Book of Mormon I have learned more than any other
book about His Atonement and infinite sacrifice for me and for you. Knowledge
is power. "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"(John
8:32). Please, read from the Book of Mormon. And I'm not just talking to
nonmembers. Please read it if you're not, daily if you can. If you can't, then
make time. "May we ever choose the harder right, instead of the easier
wrong".
I'll just leave y'all with one of my favorite Book of Mormon
scriptures, 2 Nephi 10:23-25
"23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that
ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the
way of eternal life.
24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to
the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember,
after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of
God that ye are saved.
25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of
the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the
atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may
praise him through grace divine. Amen."
Elder Cummings
