Howdy,
How y'all doing? Just fine I hope. How's your week been? Will you do something for me? Will you just take a moment to look back through your week... and see if you can identify all the blessings that our Heavenly Father blessed you with.... Now, write those down and read them each morning for the next 3 days. We are SO blessed... and often times we overlook those blessings. I know I'm guilty of that. What a wonderful time to be alive....
Alrighty... there have been so many experiences this week... I honestly don't know which one to share... both experiences of great joy and happiness and ones not so much so :) I've learned much from all of them though... and I'm grateful that I was able to experience each of them.
So.... we're teaching an amazing family. They have been through so much in life... and still are... but they've made so many great changes. It's been amazing to see how much the Gospel and the Atonement has blessed their lives. Elder Webster and I went to teach them the other night with one of their good friends in the ward... and just to give you a back drop for this scene... the first time I went over there with my previous companion, he said to me before exiting the car "take off your suit jacket..." I asked why, to which he responded "so you don't take any critters home with you tonight. Last time I came here I took a few back with me"... now, the place has really been improved since that first time... however, this night when Elder Webster and I went in to teach, only a few minutes into the lesson and I was swatting a cockroach off of Elder Websters back and we could feel some unseen friends crawling through our hair.... but that's really not what I want to talk about, what I want to talk about is this....
During the lesson, we discussed some challenges that this family was facing in regards to the commandments... but as we went along discussing these things and how we could overcome them.... the member that came with us decided to simply bear testimony of eternal families and the power of the Atonement. Despite the not so ideal living situation they are living in and we were sitting and teaching in... the power of the spirit that came into the room was so strong. It was amazing. This brother shared his testimony with every bit of love and energy that he had in him... and I promise you, despite the surrondings, you could feel the cleansing power of the spirit in the room. It became so clear to me that the power of God, the power of the Atonement and the power of the Spirit in our lives transcends ANY mortal obsctacle we face. Whether that be a poor living situation, a struggle with keeping the commandments, struggles with our family, struggles with our own thoughts... no matter what it is, the Gospel can and will help ANYONE to rise above the world and become who they truly are... a child of God.
The next day, the man we taught came to church dressed up and cleaned up... he looked so good and was so happy. I know that it was the power that he felt in that testimony that was shared... he felt within himself for a moment, despite his surrondings who he truly was and who God knew he could and will become... and it changed him.
I invite each of you to continue to pray for and look for opportunites to share your testimony with someone... I know that as you pray for those opportunities that they will come... and as you act in faith, God will give you power from on high to change someones life for forever. I love you. I testify that Christ lives and that God loves each and every one of us. I love you, they love you... and we always will. Have a blessed week!
-Elder Wahlen
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