May 6, 2008

Subject: Learning on the Mission.

Hello Everybody!

Last Friday we taught Jorge for the first time. We met him on the train a few weeks ago and got his address. He came to church on Sunday all by himself, and he has a goal to be baptized on the 18th!
Last Friday we also taught Mercia for the first time. She also came to church and has the same goal. We´ll need a few miracles because she needs to get married to her "husband" of three years within the next two week. When we went back to her house yesterday, she had read the parts of the Book of Mormon we marked and prayed and got an answer! She said that she felt a different feeling that she had never felt before - a wonderful sensation that feeled her heart with a lot of peace and gave her goosebumps. We quickly explained to her that this was the Holy Ghost answering her prayer and testifying of the things we had taught. As soon as we left her house my companion just said, "Golden!"
José and Karina also came to church. It was their second time. They´re working on giving up coffee. They´re also preparing for baptism the weekend after this.
Sunday morning we ran into an old investigator (Eliane) that told us that she finally read the Book of Mormon. I asked if she prayed. She said yes! (RM). I asked if she got an answer. She said, "Yes. It was really good."


Quick disclaimer for people to whom sarcasm is a foreign language: the following is sarcasm.

<sarcasm>
Things I didn´t know before the mission, but learned from my investigators:
-The correct title of the Book of Mormon is the Book of the Mormons or the Mormon Bible.
-The correct name of the church is the Church of the Mormons or Church of the Latter-day Saints.
-Mary, the mother of Jesus, was perfect. Eve, on the other hand was the most sinful woman on earth.
-In order for someone to be a prophet, his name has to be in the Bible.
-We can each be a prophet if we read the Bible enough.
-You can get the priesthood by taking a theology class.
-We should all strive to be our own apostles.
-You shouldn´t pray with your arms folded.
-Women have to pray with a viel.
-We really can beleive everything we see on TV (as long as it says something bad about the Mormons or displays rehearsed miracles for other church).
-It doesn´t matter which church you go to as long as you believe in Christ.
-It´s not important to be married even after living together for 30 years.
-Coffee is really healthy.
-If we already have faith, we don´t have to continue to develop it.
-When we tell people that we have a free DVD for them, we actually are after their money.
-The Mormon church only lets white, rich foreigners go to church.
-The Book of Mormon is rascist.
-It´s a sign of pride to say that our church is the only true church.
-The Catholic church has 12 living apostles.
-The more tithing your church requires the more true you church is. (We never really have a problem teaching tithing. Other church around here charge up to 50%.)
-If you get baptized a second time, you deny the Holy Ghost and commit the unpardonable sin.
-Efesions says that there is only one baptism, so any baptism counts. (Does that mean you can also baptize with milk or even bricks? -That´s an inside joke my companion and I have).

</sarcasm>
If you recognized that that is html coding, give yourself five points.

That list is just to show how confusing the gospel can get without living prophets receiving modern-day revelation. How grateful I am for a living prophet and the restored truths of the gospel!

--
Elder Jason Morgan Allred.