So this week has been really fun! Out of the many things that happened this week the two major events were the ward Thanksgiving party that we had Friday night and the following Saturday in the morning/afternoon where we went to the Mesa Temple Visitors Center.
Building up to this week we have been inviting a lot of our investigators and recent converts along with some of the less active members to come to both of the activities, especially to the visitors center. We were getting really excited because we are starting to get a lot of progress with some of the investigators are having. The only thing that is holding some of them back is either getting married or coming to church on Sunday. So we've been sitting in a good position and the progress, even thought it is slow sometimes, is moving in the right direction.
To be at the ward party was quite a blast. We had over 150 people show up (most being members, but there had been some members that had brought some friends that were non members) The investigators that I had mentioned earlier (marriage and Church with a testimony of the Book of Mormon) both came!! Not only that, Sergio, the one who we have on date for December, went around and said hi to all the people he knew! Even though it was a bit, it was comforting to see that he would be welcomed in well once he is baptized. (Even the bishop gave him an amazing welcome.) So with our focus people, and one or two not mentioned, coming, we were getting really excited for the Visitors Center.
The following day we had a fun set up to meet at the church building at 10:45 and leave to get there by 12pm. However, we had some plan changes that really surprised me. As we got there, only one of the investigators had shown up. So we were a few families short of what we had planned for. Not getting to worried we made a few calls and some weren't answering and others had a car problem. So we offered help, left addresses to get to the Center, and gave a few prayers in our heart. As we were getting ready to go, a less active that Elder Thurber and I had ran into not even 36hrs ago, said she was on her way! This was exciting because she hasn't gone to church in almost a calendar year. So when she got there we left and began on our trek to the temple.
When we arrived we began the presentation with the Cristus statue and began moving through the other latest features that had been just opened to the public not even 4 days ago. The Spirit was super strong. As we made our way into the back section we were going through some of the new interactive booths. As we waited for a movie we were going to see on eternal families, all the sudden another less active and his investigator friend came in! Turns out they had made the decision to go, but missed us on meeting at the church, so they went anyways!! Now we had double of what we started with for people we want to come to church. We went through and had a great spiritual time and went to the chapel, that is found on the other side, for some sandwiches. They were so good! (I even enjoyed the mayo and tomatoes! I must be an adult now or something)
Going to Sunday we had an even greater surprise. The group that showed up late to the center, ended up being the group that came to a three hours of church! For them it had been a great deal of time and also a first for the investigator. After talking to him his once hopeless mindset had been replaced to seem one more of hope and peace. no doubt that it had been the Spirit that he has felt the past two days.
When we were wrapping up our day at church I got talking with one of the other recent converts that said he was going, but we ended up not seeing him there with us. Turns out, he had gone too! Not only that, but just as we had gone to the back to eat at the church, is when they went through the center as well!! So we started with only one investigator and a recent convert. But ended with two less actives, two investigators, and 2 recent converts. What can be noted as a small miracle in the gravity of the success yielded. All thanks to the will of God.
🌅 Elder Nathan Benson 🌅
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| Mesa Temple Visit |
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