This week was really good. Monday and P-Day was fun, our zone just hung out at the stake center and played volleyball or basketball and just relaxed. Later in the evening we got to go to the ward's FHE and we had ice cream right by the beach and I got some cool sunset pictures over the peninsula. This week was kinda crazy with meeting investigators. On Tuesday, Jose M had to cancel on us because his friend's cat was dying, then on Wednesday Jose C had to cancel on us too, which stunk. On Thursday, we got to talk to Omar about faith. He hadn't been reading the Book of Mormon so we committed him to do that again and gave him some good chapters to read and told him to make sure to pray to know the book's truth and he seemed excited to do this. On Friday, we met with Bobby and figured out where he was in relation to baptism. He is so ready, we showed him a Mormon message form Elder Anderson that says you know enough then we challenged him to pick a day and pray about that specific day. He should be baptized in early August so he's almost there. On Sunday, we finally got to meet Cam. He's really close too except we still need to teach him the commandments, especially the Word of Wisdom, but he really wants to be baptized.
On Wednesday, I got to go to a new missionary dinner at President Orgill's house. Sister Orgill is an amazing cook and real food was great for a change. It was so awesome to see all my brothers from the MTC and be able to catch up and share stories from the first week in the field. They are all doing so great. After dinner President shared a story from his mission that was really cool. He served in Tonga and at that time they were allowed to go in the ocean so he was surfing on a log with his companion but then his companion went to shore (can you see the first problem) President then tried to get farther out to catch bigger waves and ended up getting pulled into a rip current. He jumped off the log thinking it would be better on his own and just got pulled farther out. He said that he started running out of energy and so he prayed that his mission president (the same mission president from "The Other Side of Heaven") would know how to tell his family that he had died and immediately he had a feeling that said, "wrong prayer". He was then guided what to pray for and began to get inspiration how to get to safety. He had been carried over a reef and when the waves would pull back he would catch them but then get slammed into the reef and was badly cut up but the second time it happened he realized he needed to grab the reef. Through doing that and kicking off of it he was able to eventually make it back to shore where his companion and the branch president and branch members were waiting for him. He said he was angry that nobody had tried to save him but they all told him lots of people had died in the same place and all they could do was pray that he would find a way. I love President Orgill a ton and it will be sad when he leaves next year. He has such a strong spirit about him and is a great leader.
This story really helped me to feel the prayers of all those who love me and helped me to know that when it gets hard out here I will have people on the "shore" praying that I can find a way as well. Prayer is a huge opportunity that we have been given by our Heavenly Father and we should use it all the time. He wants to hear from us even if its just little things like how our day went. We can also always ask him for help and anything we might need and he promises us he'll answer (just don't ask dumb questions like when Joseph Smith asked when the second coming would be since the Father will answer even if it is with an answer like "if you live to your 80th birthday you'll see Christ come again" even though both God and Joseph knew he wouldn't make it to that point;))
I finished the book of Alma today and can now say that it is my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. The examples of missionary work from Alma and Alma the younger and Ammon the other Sons of Mosiah are so poignant and powerful. They're testimonies are so great and they love the Lord with all their hearts. Captain Moroni's faith is unmatched and I hope I can live my life like him that the very foundation of hell can be shaken just a little and I commit all of you to make that your goal to. And like the Stripling warriors I will not lose hope even in the darkest circumstances because I know that God will help us overcome our personal opposing armies of Lamanites, whatever they may be.
I love being here and serving God to bring his children back to him. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ and I can truly testify that they both live and love us all. I know that the scriptures are their words to us and that they want us to obey. These people are good and I need to be with them
Love,
Elder Cheever
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