Another awesome week!

Hi guys!

So my new companion. His name is Elder Dickson and he is from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It's near Cape Town. There are actually two returned missionaries in our ward who served their mission's in the Cape town mission, and our ward mission leader, Brother Mayer actually served in his ward. Elder Dickson is a convert, and he is 27 years old. He was baptized when he was 20. He found the church just after his father died and what the missionaries taught him about the plan of salvation and how families can be together forever touched him deeply and drove him to come to church and read and study the scriptures and eventually be baptized. He spent four years before his mission studying computer Science at university and then decided to come out and serve a mission at the age of 26. His whole family apart from his twin brother are fully active Roman Catholic's. His twin brother was baptized just after he was.  

Also! Yesterday for Elders Quorum we also learned about the Prophet Joseph Smith. And one question was posed, the teacher said ''what do people not from our faith ask us about Joseph Smith?'' and in all honesty - the first/most commonly, only thing that people know about Joseph Smith is that he practiced polygamy, and that one of his wives wrote a book about how she felt badly treated. So the next step to discuss, and something that I've explained to countless people on the doorstep and on the street, was to discuss how we would respond. 

It's simple. We believe that God has always, and will always forevermore reveal his will for His children here on Earth through inspired men, who hold the Priesthood authority from God, called Prophets. Just like there were prophets in ancient times, there is a prophet on the earth today. And Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the Priesthood authority back to the earth and re-established Christ's church. All questions about the divinity of the prophet Joseph Smith and the legitimacy of God's commandments and instructions to him come back to the question; ''Does God love his children enough to restore the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth in these the last days?''

And the answer is of course, yes. God loves his children. He wouldn't leave us in darkness! And the way to find out if it is true for yourself is contained in a prophetic promise in the book of mormon. It tells you - actually it almost dares you to go to the source of all truth and goodness, and ask him for yourself. 

If you ask God, the Eternal Father, with a sincere heart and real intent, if the book is true, and therefore if Joseph Smith was a prophet, then he will reveal the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

It is a promise, and it will happen, I promise and testify. If there is anything that you need guidance about. If there is anything in your mind that you are unsure about, and if you are an honest seeker of truth; I implore you to read the book of mormon and ponder about it's teaching and then ask your Eternal Father about it's divinity. It will bring a purpose and a joy to your life that you have never experienced before. 

And okay mama - yeah I got the hoodies and the cookies and they were delicious! Thank you! They reminded me of home.

 

Also last p-day Elder McBride and I went with Elder Larsen and Elder Wilkins to Five Guys in Leeds, and it was so weird because it's exactly the same as it is at home and it was like I was in the summer again with me and 3 friends just chilling out at Five Guys it was so fun. 

 

We met some new people to teach this week. One is this woman who's door we knocked on a few weeks ago who is going to school again (she's like 53) to study religious studies, but it's making her lose faith in God, and her daughter who were both really interested in learning about our religion, so we should be seeing them again soon and they said they want to come to church this next Sunday.

Also one day we were walking down a street (Thursday maybe) and there were 3 ladies sitting around a patio table smoking, and I was like ''Hi! Enjoying the sunshine?'' and they were like ''Yeah! Hey are you Mormons?'' and it went from there are we sat around with them and they gave us juice and one of them really wants to know more about our church and is meeting us this week at the church to learn more about it. Her name is Abi. 

Love you guys!