Hey family!
That is crazy to think about that Aunt Leah's house is no longer in the family. What a change! I bet that they just adore the iPad though. Dingle continues to become more and more of a theme park! Now internet access?! Geez... Tell the family I feel their prayers and I'm so grateful for all they do. I continue to pray for them as well. I know that the Lord works in mysterious ways but whatever that way may be, "come what may and love it." I can't believe it was the 4th of July yesterday! Happy Independence Day! I thought the whole day I would be thinking about what we've done as a family for previous 4th of Julys but it wasn't that way at all! Don't take offense to that because like you said before as soon as Satan gets you unfocused on something that you should be focused on, he wins. It's the whole good, better, best concept and like you said he can even take something good and remove your focus from something "best."
This week hasn't been the most interesting but still the work moves forward. We had interviews with President Beck who is normally a very low key, straight to the point, down to earth, strict kind of guy but when I walked in for my interview he was like all jolly and happy! Just screamin' and hollerin' and asking how I'm doing and how the work is! It was great! I think it was because our zone just baptized a new all time record in a month! The previous record was 24 and had been held for 34 months and we baptized 26! He was so happy and even sent out letters in the mail to each missionary telling them how happy he is and what not. We had a goal of baptizing 4 more in the month of July but it could only end up being one now because one guy (Chris Baird) set his date for the second week in August because the guy he wants to baptize him is going out of town for like two weeks in July. He's amazing though and will be baptized. The other day he called us and I answered. He said, "Mouritsen have you guys been praying for me?!" "Of course Chris! What's up!?" "I'm smoking my last cigarette as we speak and I can tell that you guys have cause I've felt them! I've gone five days without a smoke and now I'm having my last one so that I will be done for good! Have a good day now! Love you guys!" And that was it. We were so thrilled and I hope you will have the chance to meet him someday because he is awesome.
Tuesday night a girl named Charlotte Hurley came over to our Ward Mission Leader's (WML) house and we had a lesson with her. We were on splits that night so Cichy was off at someone else's house and I was with Charlotte. She has been investigating the church since she was 13 years old and was about to be baptized but as soon as she wanted to, her dad said no way. She is amazing, and I think she knows more about the gospel than me. Her dad's girlfriend bought her a Quad (scriptures) and she marks them up and reads them all the time. We watched the restoration DVD and the WML, his wife, and Charlotte all bore their testimonies on how the Book of Mormon is true. After the movie I gave a short ten minute lesson on the restoration. Then I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon and how it is the foundation of my testimony. I shared the experience that I shared at my farewell and of course got emotional. She said she felt the spirit extremely strong that night and that now we are going to make it a habit of having lessons over there every Tuesday. Sunday came along and it was fast and testimony meeting. She got up and bore a powerful testimony and she's not even a member! In the other ward during testimony meeting, Brother Reid got up to bear his testimony. Now, Brother Reid had a stroke about a year ago and he's in a wheel chair and lost the ability to speak but his mind is 100% there. He speaks through a box that has a keyboard on it and he types out what he wants to say and then a computer animated voice sounds it out. He wheeled up to the side of the chapel and since he couldn't get up to the pulpit he just stayed over near the sacrament table. He pushed play on the box and said something to the effect of, "What a special day. I am so blessed to have the freedoms I do. I know the church is true. I'm grateful for the sacrifices people made in this country's behalf. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." As he ended, he began to cry very hard. It was more moans and groans and sobs but as he wheeled away down the aisle of the chapel everybody was extremely touched by it. He's probably in his 70's. It's amazing how far people will go to bear their testimony. I know there is nothing more powerful than Pure Testimony and that if you EVER get the chance to share what you know to be true to not be bashful. Just read the 6th verse of A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief. I love that verse so much... he asked if I for him would die. ..... He asked if I for him would bear testimony to his children.... "I WILL!!!"
Well time is short. I'll write some letters if I get the time but it's crazy how insane p-days can be. One thing I've learned this week is just how important effective studies of the gospel are. In preach my gospel we learn that if Joseph Smith would not have performed an effective study of the gospel, the gospel may not have been restored at that time and many generations would have been lost without it. It makes me realize just how important effective studies are in my life and just how much it could affect the future generations of my own family.
Love you all so much.
Elder Mouritsen
I tell myself to "suck it up, we all have problems" all the time I love it!
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