Hayyyyyyy! How yar doin?? It's been a super super good week! Tuesday was our zone Meeting and we feel like that was a success. Everyone wanted to be there and had done some preparation, which in turn made it possible for the Holy Ghost to be present. I had the opportunity to teach on prayer. I had compiled a list on 10 things (from various conference talks, things I've heard over the years, hymns, other people, etc.) I thought I'd share what I put together.
Elder Joyner's List of 10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Prayers
- Believe that God hears and can answer prayers.
- Prayer is the key that unlocks the day and it is the lock that guards the night.
- Let the spirit guide your prayers.
- Make sure you're being exactly obedient.
- Preparation is essential in prayer.
- Don't be too conversational in your prayers. Remember who you're talking to.
- Our level of gratitude reflects how much we acknowledge the Lord and our dependence on Him.
- Use the appropriate language.
- "Humbly ask for thee for things that I need."
- Always remember you are approaching the throne of God.
Tuesday we went on exchanges with Elder Harris and Elder Siebach. I was really impressed by Elder Harris. He's such an awesome missionary. It was just a fun time. We worked hard and enjoyed ourselves, which is how missionary work should be. We had miracles happen but one in particular that I was impressed with. We were working hard to contact the 10 that day. (That's something President is having us focus on, contacting 10 people aside from tracting. It's also a huge part of our Zone Vision that we have for the Zone) We had gotten quite a few earlier in that day. It was about 7 o clock and we had decided to park our car at the church and walk to go do some more tracting. It was raining really hard for about the first 2 minutes until it let up and completely stopped. We were able to find a couple people and even set up a return appointment with this lady that was on her porch. We had gotten a couple more contacts just walking around and were at 9. It was getting late and dark and we were deciding to go back to the church to finish the night off with comp study, but just needed one more contact. We were determined to find someone on the walk back. We were walking down the sidewalk and had walked by a street. I looked down it thinking that could be the where the one is. I started to ignore the prompting (how bad of me right) and then decided at the last second to say to Elder Harris, "Hey lets just go down this one more." We started down the street and just as we get there we see a man outside talking to someone in a truck. As we get closer, the truck drives away leaving the man in the most opportune position to talk to us. He had said he just got back from feeding some homeless people with his church organization and actually a friend (in the truck) was bringing back his sweater he left at the church event. We talked for a bit and set a return appointment to meet with him. I thought it was really cool how the man had to leave his sweater so that his friend would bring it to him so that he'd be outside when we were right there. Then right when we got back to the church, the rain started pouring again. Crazy, huh? I can honestly testify that we also need to follow the spiritual prompting that we get! God is good.
We also set that baptismal date on Sunday, the which we had nothing to do with. Carlos has been taught by missionaries for the longest time and has really wanted to be baptized. He had just been waiting for his wife to come from South America somewhere to be baptized. She finally got here last week! We have been trying to get in contact with him to set up an appointment all transfer. It's hard for him because part of his brain is paralyzed and he forgets that we set up appointments and such. And then yesterday he just showed up to church. He said that he has an open brain surgery scheduled for the 18th of April and wants to be baptized before then. We said, "How bout next Sunday?" He said, "Oh ya that's perfect." So this week will be spent helping him get ready and such for his baptism next Sunday. Should be fun!
The zone is well. We are going on exchanges with Elder Julander/Hardin and Elder Brown/Sorenson this week, and will let you know how that goes.
I'm so so so excited to watch General Conference, seeing as this is my last one on the mission. It's really something different, to be able to experience it on the mish. You know I'll just be soaking in every moment of it. I'd invite you all to go with questions and really pay attention to the spirit whilst listening. Also, I'd invite you to do something Elder Bednar exhorted us to do when he came to the mission last year. He told us that it's kinda silly when members of the church write down word for word what the speakers say from Conference. Those Conference talk will literally be out a couple days later. Instead, we should write down the impressions or spiritual things that we feel, kinda like the small plates that Nephi writes on. So go and write on your small plates :)
I love y'all! Have an awesome week!
Con Amor,
Elder Joyner
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