The time is short and list of blessings from God is long, so I will do my best to keep it brief so that you can all go back to enjoying your day. This week we had zone Conference from our mission president, and we learned what our new Book of Mormon challenge is. I'm not allowed to say what we are focusing on yet, since some zones haven't had their conference yet, but I'm excited for the topic and for the chance to read the Book of Mormon again.
After zone conference, we went to Sennan and worked with the other Elders in our district. I was with Elder Campbell, and we had some great discussions about what we learned the previous day. We also got a chance to talk to a lot of people on the street, and one family in particular that we ran into seemed to have a lot of interest in our message. As we explained what we do as missionaries, how we try to help everyone learn about Jesus Christ and receive the blessings of stronger families, she told us to come back again when we were in the area.
Then, returning home, I spent the day with Elder McEwan. He is also a great missionary with solid teaching skills, he taught me a thing or two about teaching people with enthusiasm and boldness! We also met with a member that hasn't been coming to church lately, Itani kyodai, and had a great meeting. He was happy to see us, and we talked about following God's guidance and God's plan for us even when we have a hard time seeing past our own imperfections and the imperfections of others. He understood what we taught really well, and we hope that he will be at church next Sunday.
Finally, a miracle to wrap up the week, as we were going out contacting people in our missionary records and going from house to house, we got a call from a young man that said he was close to the church and could meet us that night if we had time. Without hesitation, we took off for the church as fast as we could, telling him we would be there as soon as possible. We introduced ourselves, and went inside the church to talk together. The young man, Tooru, had met with missionaries before and wanted to follow Jesus, but hadn't been able to meet lately because he had been in the hospital. We talked about the doctrine and teachings of Jesus Christ, and invited him to be baptized if he learned that what we were teaching was true. He said yes! We are working now towards helping him make the first steps to following Jesus Christ and strengthening his relationship with God. He is a little busy with work, so we will have to work around that, but we are so excited for him! He told us that he wants the feeling of relief that he knows only can come from Jesus Christ, knowing that all of his past mistakes and guilt have been washed away, and that he is accepted by God.
This week being Easter Sunday also gave me some time to reflect on the joy that I have felt from knowing that Jesus Christ is willing to forgive me of my sins and help me to be more than I could on my own, even when I can't see that value in myself. I know that I want to follow Him and His teachings forever, because of the peace and relief I have felt. I am thankful to know that He has overcome both sin and death, having been resurrected and now has the power to help each one of us if we just look to Him for assistance. I am so grateful to be a missionary for Him, and to teach others of this grace and mercy. I hope all of you take some time to reflect upon the joy and peace you have felt, the happiness in your family, and give thanks to God and Jesus Christ for the abundant blessings we have all been given. Have a lovely Easter!
Love from,
Elder Winegar
Elder Winegar
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