This week FLEW by! I cannot even believe how fast time is going. Well, I have a lot of stories so I guess I will just jump right into it! Last Tuesday I believe we were on our way to contact a potential investigator and I said a prayer that he would be there that day because every other time we go to see him, he is not. Well, getting out of the car, we didn't see his truck and were slightly discouraged. But! A few kids in a nearby park yelled at us to come play basketball with them! We accepted and I told them that if we won, they were coming to church. :) Well, we lost... But they still said they would come! Anyways, while we were playing, our potential investigator got home so we were able to stop by and talk to him! The Lord answers prayers in very mysterious ways! Even if it does require losing a basketball game.. We had FHE last Monday at a member's home and we taught the lesson. We talked about the importance of member missionaries and challenged them all to be missionaries and gave them each a specific assignment. It was a very powerful lesson. Apparently a few members of the branch told our President that we are getting the branch excited again for missionary work! Woohoo! They also said that we are the purest examples of Christ they've ever seen! I don't know about that, but we are definitely trying to do God's will in all things. Oh, by the by, I guess Clinton is the pig capitol of the world! Fun fact. We had exchanges this past week with the Zone Leaders and afterwards, we met up in a small town by the name of Autryville and we played pool and ate breakfast. It was fun. We ran into the ice cream man too so I got a picture of me and my ice cream. :) My companion didn't understand why I was buying anything, but I told him "It's the ice cream man! You can't just not buy anything from the ice cream man!" Mmm, that was a delicious decision. We play Volleyball and Basketball every Saturday to try and mingle with our investigators/less-actives/members/pretty much anyone and it is a really fun time! I mean, just look at the attached picture and you will understand how awesome it is. ;) I have really noticed this past week that the more you forget yourself and focus on the people, the happier you become! I love the people so much and really have felt the mantle of their salvation resting on my shoulders. Missionary work is not easy, but it is sooo worth it! I just want to quickly share two really special experiences I had this past week. We went to visit a woman in our ward the other night by the name of Sister Gaona. She is remarkable. She is a burn victim and is pretty mangled. It actually is quite a miracle that she is still alive. I believe she was about 90% burned. Anyways, we went and gave her the Sacrament. It was one of the most impacting moments of my life. Watching her hold the Sacrament cup with her stubs and slowly bringing the love of Christ to her lips, I was in tears. I have such a strong testimony about the power of the Sacrament and how much it really means. Too many of us take it for granted. It is a blessing to be able to be renewed each week through the Sacrament. I challenge you this next week to truly reflect on the importance and the meaning of the Sacrament. Alright, one last experience. Last night, we were eating dinner at a member's home and they had invited one of their colleagues from Medical school to join us. We taught him and his girlfriend the message of the Restoration focusing on the gospel's ability to bless families. Well, let me just tell you that the spirit was stronger than I have ever felt in my life, apart from the Temple. I could tell that our message was really impacting him so after we committed him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, I invited him to be baptized. I was so nervous. It was my first time actually invited someone myself! I wanted so badly for him to say yes. I had no idea what to say, but I knew it needed to be said. I opened my mouth and the Lord filled it with His words. Immediately after I challenged him to follow the example of our Savior and be baptized, he replied "Yes." I broke down. I bore a strong testimony to him of the power of this gospel and of the blessings he would receive as a result of his decision. I just want to close by saying the I know my Savior lives! I know that I am not doing anything save it be by the grace of His hands. I love this Gospel with all of my heart. I continue to pray for each of you and wish all of you a great week! Thanks for reading. :)
Simply humbled by the Power of God,
Elder Shearer
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