Member Lessons

This week has been busy and full of member lessons, this aspen hills ward loves giving us as many lessons as they can with members. For example, we had nine member lessons in one single day!

We had zone conference this week, but the Mission President had Covid so he didn't go so that was pretty disappointing. We did role plays for baptism and learned about personal conversion. With our member lessons, we handed out books of mormon to the members for them to write their testimonies and mark their favorite verses and then prayerfully give them out to their friends. We are hopeful this will be a more effective way to get others interested and receive referrals.

I went on splits and and I finally had the opportunity to meet with the part family, named the Boshards, that my companion has been teaching for a while. They have 2 kids, one that is 6 years old and was raised a catholic, but somehow is an atheist now. Then they have a cute 2 year old named Sophie. So we get there and aren't even able to teach the lesson within the first 30 minutes, because RJ was having one of his daily spaz attacks and didn't want to listen. Yea so then when we do start teaching, he just starts screaming and being very distracting and throwing another fit. So yea we are going to have to figure something out with RJ because he cannot be doing that haha. So then we travel to the next lesson and when we get there, the mom calls down her kids to come first the lesson and one of them yells "Nooooooo!" . Finally he comes down and says WHAT DO THESE CLOWNS WANT TO TEACH US!? So that was a great first impression:) So then we start teaching and I say we're going to watch a video and he then gets up and leaves to go back upstairs haha good times.

One thing we also did is contact all the missionaries who are out serving from the sandy stakes we are serving looking for referrals.  We are actually getting some good responses in regards to people they may want us to teach.

On Sunday, we had like 3 stake/ward coordination meetings so that was nice. Then at night, we had a zoom lesson with this girl named Crystalyn. Going into the lesson, we didn't know if she was a member or not because somehow no one could tell us. Anyways, we meet with her and she is a member, but she has been inactive for a while.  She said that due to negative influences in her life she felt like she wouldn't be supported in her spiritual growth if she chose to try being religious again. She lives with people that aren't very strong in their faith, and so she said at this point in her life she doesn't know if she believes in a God. This was a great opportunity for us and we taught her about hope in Ether 12:4:  Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God

While this is a very simple precept, it is very important, especially for her, in her situation. We learn that those who believe in God actually have hope for a better world. While those that don't believe in God don't have hope, as they just believe that their life will be over when they die, the end. How can they ever have enduring hope?

We also taught her about faith in Alma 32 and that she just needs to desire to believe that there is a God, and that will be enough to plant the seed of the word of god in her heart. And as she nourishes her seed, over time she will be able to know with perfect knowledge that the seed(word of god) is good. That is the ironic part about faith, we can’t obtain it, unless we put forth faith to gain it. So we are really happy for her as she had told us that she used to always read the book of mormon when she was younger, because it would comfort her. And so just reading it, she says, helps her reminisce the times that it comforted her in the past. We invited her to read the book of mormon every day and we could tell she was excited to do this! We plan on meeting with her every Sunday and so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to have front row seats on her journey. We will get to watch and see her growth every week as the book of mormon does its role in strengthening her hope, faith, and conversion in God and in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. We know that the book of mormon has power to do these things, as I have seen it in my own life. It has the power to do so, but we have to be willing to allow it to, and we do this when we read, study, and pray about it!

Have a great week everyone!
Elder Talbot

The pictures are

1 my new favorite meal!

2.  a donkey that has been taped down to the shower head, ever since I got here 

3. The hill that we have to bike down, and up!