Christmas was great! Thanks for the
packages and stuff! It was great to see your friendly faces on Skype
(those who were there, that is) Christmas for us here in Idaho was what
they call a no first-contact day, so no tracting, etc. So we had a
great time visiting members of our ward here and there.
However, as good as Christmas was, my favorite day was on Saturday.
Why? Because I attended two baptisms! Hooray!!!! Both of them were
very great. The younger guy is James, and for that baptism I got to
sing a special musical number. And then the WML invited me to play
piano for the changing time, so I was glad to oblige. The older guy is
Jim. The member on the left baptized him, but they asked me to be in
there to help him up out of the water, just in case, since his back
isn't the best. Both were great.
I do have to say, though, that after teaching Jim
for so long, I was so glad to see him follow the example of Jesus Christ
in this way! I was really touched by how impacted he was by the
experience. I have seen so many miracles over the course of teaching
him, and saw more miracles at the baptism, so overall it has been an
incredible experience. Jim bore his testimony of his whole experience,
and it was something I'll never forget! He told of how God had been
calling him and of the experiences that led him to be introduced to the
church and then to know that this really is Christ's church on the
earth. It was amazing. I love that man so much!
That experience definitely is going to be a
motivation for me to continue serving the Lord with all my might, mind,
and strength! I love seeing others change their lives for the better
through accepting the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! The
transformation is amazing. Absolutely amazing. Not only does it change
them, but it is changing me, as well!
In other news, I just love the other little things
that are interspersed throughout each day that keep me going. One was
going to one family for help in fellowshipping another family we are
teaching who has three children, and them just taking initiative and
saying "Yeah we'll totally invite them over, get their son involved in
Mutual, and take care of everything." So cool! Another was teaching
Hans, the Swedish husband of a member in one of our wards. We taught
him about prayer, and he said "Ok, well let's pray then! I'll say it!"
Haha by all means!
Hmmm... other than that, Happy New Year, everyone!
I am excited to see more growth in myself over the course of this next
year. I know that the only way I'll really be able to realize that
growth is through making goals for myself. So that is what I'll be
doing this next week!
Love you all! I pray that each of you have the best
2014 that you can! I know that as you seek Heavenly Father's help in
improving yourself, He will help you, support you, and give you the
experiences you need to be able to become who He wants you to become.
--Elder Usevitch
No comments:
Post a Comment