It's a Beautiful Day...

April 22, 2013

Hello Friends and Family,

What a beautiful day it is. And what an awesome week we had. I hope everyone has been doing well, has been staying safe and being an example. I had an awesome week this week and am 100% recovered from the accident.

This week I have been applying in great extent the teachings that I received in the Temple to the lessons we are teaching. As I said last week, I had a strong impression that I needed to show others more love and they NEED to be reading the Book of Mormon. So I set out this week with the determination to fulfill with these promptings. I have found it really easy to show more love to the investigators. It takes little or no effort just to tell them that we care about them a lot, desire for them to go to the temple one day, and let them know we will always be a part of their lives. I think that once they realize that we desire to keep in contact with them not just till we get transferred but until and through the next life, which they seem to take things more seriously and desire to have us over more often. I in particular saw drastic changes in 4 of our investigators this week to the point where we will be seeing each of their families 3-4 times a week. Which I have found that if you can see the people you teach 3+ times a week, their chances of baptism go a lot higher.

We also have changed our focus for the time being from trying to teach all the lessons quickly, to just going over to the investigator's house for 30 mins and reading a chapter in the BOM. We have found that when we do that, that the BOM chapter teaches a lot better than we do, and when we start out the lesson with reading, the spirit comes in and prompts them to ask questions or doubts that they have, even when it has had nothing to do with the chapter we read. As we get members out with us, it makes reading so much better. Not only because when a member is there, that there are more people to take turns reading, but more like they are able to expound on scriptures so much better in their native language. It also gives members that don’t have normal study habits the chance to read during the week. We have had 3 of those lessons that instead of being 30 mins like we planned they have turned into 1 hour due to all the questions they bring up. Yesterday we were able to set 2 more Baptism dates and see some real progression.

Life is good, God is merciful, I am so weak, but Christ has redeemed me, and in him, I can do all things.

Love you,

Elder Daniel Stewart