Hello friends and family from the misty Spencer, Iowa. I hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day and are enjoying summer. Well this last week was an amazing week for me to be a missionary. We had five people baptized this weekend. The first was on Saturday and his name is Ron Thompson. Ron is awesome. He is the husband of a member, and they have four kids together. He has always wanted to join the Church, at least to a point, but he had a Word of Wisdom problem that he has been trying to overcome for 15 years. Well we worked with Ron a lot, and it was amazing to see the progress he made in his life. Even though he can't read super well, we gave him a few verses to read everyday, and he started praying with his wife as well. As he did this and came to church, Heavenly Father gave him the strength to change his life, and he became a lot happier. Saturday was amazing. He asked me to baptize him, and I was very honored to do so. Ron is truly a witness in my life that the Atonement is real and that the Gospel is for everyone. The next day his father-in-law confirmed him, who is actually the stake patriarch. It was an amazing confirmation and blessing, and I am excited to eventually see their family be sealed in the temple. After church on Sunday we had four kids from a family get baptized. Their names are Tiffany, Colten, Jasmine, and Chance, and they are ages 14 to 8. Their mom and grandma are members, but are less active, so we've been working with them for a while. They started coming to church regularly, and have really been preparing as a family for this to happen. They've had a ton of challenges in their family, including lots of medical problems, but they have been able to make it through with amazing faith. It was awesome to see them all in white, and to see a family come together unto Christ. Truly an amazing weekend, and a great experience to have near the end of my mission.
So my spiritual thought this week is about miracles. I echo the words in the Book of Mormon and ask, "Have miracles ceased?" I testify that they have not. I see miracles everyday on my mission. It is a miracle that people can and do change their lives through the Atonement. It's a miracle that we can find these people. It is a miracle that despite challenges and trials and weaknesses that somehow we are still given grace so that we can continue to press forward in our lives. The Restoration and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a miracle. It is a miracle that the Church is still here, and that it continues to grow. It is a miracle that Heavenly Father sends out young men and women to preach His Gospel, and that it actually works. Our families are miracles. Happiness and goodness despite the woes of the world are miracles. Christ Atonement and Resurrection are miracles. There are miracles all around us. If we are truly to have the faith to continue to spread this Gospel across the earth we must believe in miracles, and have the faith that miracles will attend us as we press forward in the work of the Lord. I hope we can all have the faith to seek miracles in our lives and in the lives of those around us. I love you all so much, and hope you have an amazing week.
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