Sister Sister and Elder Eph
We had a great time. We had some amazing experiences. We got there Wednesday night, did not do much but check in to a .....hotel that Landon and I thought we saw a drug exchange or something like that. The hotel was in a really bad part of town, and the beds were awful, the people around were very scary. It was a bad hotel. ..... I woke up with a sore throat, and a determination to get another hotel. We got on line and found a new one. We were able to get into Red Lion Hotel about 6 blocks off temple square.
We got dressed to go to temple square and to go do baptisms at the Salt Lake City Temple. We were able to get there and had a great experience. Dallin had fasted on the way up to SLC so that he could have a spiritual experience. We finished there and went around temple square again, and looked at the temple on the outside and then went to the museum. We went on a tour of the humanitarium center, they talked a bit about it during conference. We had lunch/dinner at Cheese cake factory and ended the evening visiting with the Pedersen's which was fantastic. I'll try and put together some notes and send them later.
Friday Dallin really wanted to go to the the Bountiful Temple to do baptism there also. So we got up early and went and did that in the pouring rain. When we got done we went back to the hotel and got ready for the day. We ended up going shopping, we went to the Brick Oven pizza palor in Provo, and we stopped by the Provo books and got for each of you Lectures on Faith. We will get that to you soon.
.....
Saturday we got up and got ready to head down to temple square to see if we could get in to conference on Stand by. As we were waiting in the hotel entry for the shuttle to take us to the rail. There was another couple waiting also. Dale felt like he should talk with them and started a conversation. They were going to conference also and needed a ride to the rail. We started talking about where we were from and ...... their son teaches seminary at Chiawania High school in pasco, which Dallin just meet on Friday before spring break. His name is brother P. He is also Chelsie and Paul's bishop and teaches Madisen in seminary. Small Mormon World!!! Get this, they were meeting some friends that happened to have four extra tickets to conference... they called them and were able to get them for us. SO we got into conference. ...... It was a blessing for serving him. Anyhow it was fantastic.
As we were crossing the road to get to the conference center we heard this "Sister DeCoursey's Sisrer
DeCoursey's!!" We turned and we saw Addision Q. I was so surprised to see him. It was like seeing one of you, I mean it was just so good to see one of your friends that I started Shaking and we got a quick picture.
We enjoyed conference so much. Dallin and Landon both had spiritual experience this weekend. We left this morning and came home. It was a great weekend.
I love you both.
MOM.
Emails back and forth with Elder Eph
Mom, that is so awesome. Certainly the Lord was helping you to listen to a Prophet's voice in person. I certainly had a moment with conference that really touched my life. Before the Priesthood session, we went to see a less active member of the branch. It was immediatly apparent that he joined the Church because of the sisters that taught him years ago but we did our best to bring to conference. Actually, Elder R did all of the talking. I sat like a lump on the log and said nothing. After we left, I felt horrible. How can I be serve the Lord if I couldn't even open my mouth to say one little thing. As we sat down to listen to prophets and apostles, I said a prayer in my heart that what is spoken in the session will help me to speak or I would go home .... Almost immediately after I closed my prayer, Elder Robert D. Hales was first to speak. As he opened his address with Ephesians 6 on the Armor of God, tears began to stream down my face. This had been what I was waiting for! Not only was my prayer answered, but every word that was shared that night touched me in such a way that amazes even me. I really did grow 5 feet that night. I am so grateful for prayer.
I have come to realize this in my studies recently. I am studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I want to know everything about it. I feel that was something that I've been slacking on. Now I know more about our Savior's last days on earth more than I have and that has given me great courage to go out and to speak
I feel like I could do better. I feel like I could work harder. Do you believe that each area has it's own personality? Greenville certainly does. It's way to chill for us to come in to a home all business-like and not get to know them. Greenville is deffinetly a difficult area to work with. Our main focus with with the Less Active members. And when we're with investigators, we are mainly getting to know them. I feel like they think that we just want to sell them something. And even when I tell them that salvation is free, they still reject us. I know that there is so much potential to work with here but I don't know how to go about it the best way.
Elder DeCoursey
Elder Eph,
Sometimes an area is about your willingness to bear the rejection, which is so HARD!!!. Just keep on keepin on is all you can do, don’t get discouraged, go find a way to serve at least once a week, maybe contact the community center and see what you can do there. I don’t know if you are suppose to, but I will be praying for you this week much more, I will put your name in the temple and your companion, what is his first name?
This time is your time to grow and become who you are going to begin to be in this life time. We heard from Pres. Pedersen and it was so great. One thing he said over and over is that we were .................... we have beat Satan, we can do it again. So go out and be a warrior, a real warrior one that is willing to open your mouth and let Christ put things into it. Do it Eph, and then report to me on how it went. Will you do that this week?
mom
Yes mother. I will. I think my main problem has been letting go of my own thoughts and stop worrying about what I'm going to say next. I know that I should let it go but it's hard. Too much runs through my mind that it's difficult to bring words together. I'm going to do my best to let my mind go blank and let the Lord fill my mouth instead of my mind with the everlasting gospel
I know that this area will define and refine myself into the missionary and the man that I need to be. Thank you for you're words of advise. They mean so much to me.
I got the Easter package you sent me. I got it on Saturday. Thanks for the chocolate eggs. They made me feel at home during conference. Did you go to all sessions of conference?bye mom your awesome. I love you,Elder Ephraim DeCoursey
Elder Eph, I will call over to the Temple and put your names on the pray roll and do that in a few minutes. Also we did not go to all of the sessions. We were in the morning one, we did not hear the afternoon or the priesthood. We did listen to the Sunday ones on the way home it was so great.
I love you too,
your mom.
No comments:
Post a Comment