"Answered My Question on What Hell Was"

November 21, 2016

Dear Family,

Hallelujah I am still a dork! 

This has been an amazing week! 

I am including some journal stuff. Mom your selfie with the screen printer cracks me up. I don't know what’s happening with transfers. I really feel like I am figuring things out, so more than likely, it is my time to go... 

Dad I love your insights about the Book of Mormon. I have been experiencing the same thing as I have read through strait. I am starting to figure out the Book and how it all comes together and it's something I have never appreciated before. I am shooting to finish it and Preach My Gospel 4 times this last year of my mission. You can do it Dad. It'll help with work and it will seem like God will fill up the time you "sacrifice" with blessings and things will happen that are amazing and out of your control.

This week I listened to the talk by Elder Uchdorf (O How Great the Plan of Our God!) from this last conference and wow, I love it. It set me on the path that almost totally answered my question on what Hell was. It also made me think a lot of that judgment day. He talks about how glorious that day will be and also that there would be sorrow for the opportunities of a greater future missed. Those words struck me with the fear of God. It sounds like a negative thing, but it made me want to be better and do better. It filled me with burning desire, motivation and drive to "wake up and do something more"; I am grateful for that. It was not a fear that discouraged me or made me want to quit; it helped me see that I have so much more to go to be ready to stand confidently before my God.

Our miracle this week was "C". He was invited by a neighbor to come to church. The neighbor introduced him to us after sacrament meeting. On the way to gospel principles, our dinner appointment was talking to us and invited "C" to come to dinner as well. We had a lesson at the end of dinner and at the point of the lesson when we told him that he could pray to confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon and restoration he asked, "Can I do it now?" We said absolutely and taught him how to pray. He prayed and accepted the invitation to be baptized the 17 of December. It was a HUGE miracle and a testament to me that God is in charge of this work. We can plan and practice and prepare but there are certain things that are totally out of our control that have to happen for conversion to take place. I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that showers blessings on our heads as we have faith, be obedient and diligent. I love this work with all my heart, might, mind and strength and I know my Savior is changing me.

Sis.Jimenez, Elder Brothers, Trincado, Bade, Douglass,
Sis. Morgan, Elders Taylor and Moe

Journal entries: 

11-20-16

Yesterday was our investigator's baptism! Wow it was super unreal. We went to chapter 12 in Preach My Gospel, and there is a list 1-10 of what a baptismal service should include; we went through it and got something for each. President Hillier is big on doing baptismal services right; he shared: D&C 84:20 - "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest" and Elder Holland’s quote about baptismal services being the most powerful meeting in the church - Holy cow it totally was. Bro. Ellsworth, our ward mission leader, did the baptizing. We had Megan, an AWESOME recent convert of about 9 months now, give the closing prayer. She had a really powerful conversion and she was super nervous about the prayer. I have no clue why because she has done great at teaching Gospel Principles! When we called her she was like, “Holy cow, I just instantly am nervous; my heart is going a million miles an hour.”  She then was texting us about how she was probably going to drool and speak gibberish. Lol she did great of course. We had Elder Taylor, Elder Bade, Sister Jimenez and Sister Morgan do a musical number and it was awesome! Elders Taylor and Bade and Elders Brothers and Trincado each had an investigator at the baptism! President Hillier showed up out of nowhere. He decided to stop in on his way up to a Stake conference. Elder Douglass and I gave the talks. After the baptism, while we were waiting, we played a video and gave people the opportunity to bear their testimony. Megan got up and it was so sweet!! We asked our newly baptized member as well before hand if she felt comfortable and she got up and bore a powerful testimony that the church was true. She shared her story and talked about how her beliefs have come to where she is now with so much more hope for the future. It was awesome.

I know that she has started to experience conversion. With Preach My Gospel, planning and all that we have learned and become this transfer, I really feel like we taught repentance and baptized a convert and I am so exited and happy for her. 

11-21-16

Yesterday was our newly baptized member's confirmation! It was super cool; we had Bishop confirm her. We invited Bro. Wagstaff to be in the circle because he had taught her on exchanges. Third ward was so awesome! We had an investigator that came for the first time! He has worked with missionaries a few other times and hasn't made it to baptism, but he wants to do it this time and he is on date for Christmas Eve. We had dinner with a family named the Baxters and brother Baxter asked how he could help with this investigator and we told him we were helping the investigator move a couch right after dinner. We had a short lesson with him, and Brother Baxter got his number and invited him to come and sit with the family at church. Bro. Baxter actually happened to be speaking that Sunday based on the conference talk "I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel Into My Home," and it was everything that our investigator needed.  In Gospel Principals, the lesson was the first one in the manual on the nature and attributes of our Heavenly Father. Wow.. 

Love,

Elder Moe

On splits with Elder Her.  His brother served in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission!