So,
I want to be honest with all of you. I have not been able to get up on time for the past two weeks. I have not slept well and have been having a really crappy time. And, as many of you know, the less obedient you are, the less blessings you receive.
But don't worry! It's all better now. And I want to share how it got better.
For the past while I haven't been able to hear the alarm go off in the morning. I didn't know what it was at the time. I had been praying my hardest that I would be able to get up on time. I begged the Lord to help me... but I still couldn't hear the alarm go off. Finally, my mind on the brink of despair, the Lord blessed me Saturday to be able to wake up on time. I got up, got ready, and said a prayer to start my personal study. I asked the Lord to help me find something that would help me. The first thing I turned to in Preach My Gospel, was the Power of the Spirit in Conversion on page 92, I think. I looked at the Personal Study activity on page 93 and read the first part about what an investigator must feel to be converted. The first scripture that was suggested was Nephi's Psalm (2 Nephi 4:16-35). As I was reading, I really felt that Nephi saw me, in particular, and what I was going through. I felt exactly like what he said: "O the wretched man that I am!" I was finishing reading it and somewhere while I was reading, God said, "We need to talk...", and I imagined dad's face with his stern look that kind of said "you're gonna get a talking to."
When I finished the chapter, I got up and went in the other room and prayed out loud for the Lord to help me in specific things, such as waking up on time. When I finished and waited for an answer to the questions I asked, the Spirit told me I needed to be humble. So I prayed again and this time begged for help because I knew I seriously couldn't do this on my own. The Spirit again told me I needed to be more humble. I prayed, and said, Father thy will be done, in everything, I'll do whatever you ask of me and whatever you need me to do, (I'm paraphrasing 'cause I can't remember exactly what I said). Then when I finished, I felt the Lord smile. He then proceeded to tell me I need to work my hardest and to do all I can to spread the gospel. I prayed and thanked the Lord for guiding me and asked him to give me the strength, energy, and courage to do what's necessary and He told me He would.
Then we went to work. We went and tried to see some people and we even left a Book of Mormon and this one house. We had no idea whose house it was, but the Spirit said we needed to do that.
Then we went to the church and got everything ready for the baptism that night. They had had a funeral for Bro. Raymond Dalton, who passed away a week and a half ago. We got it all ready and while the baptismal font was filling up, there were some little hairs and stuff in it. Well, we didn't want them in there for the baptism, so we tried to get them out. Elder Peterson was leaning over the glass in front of the font, with this long thing to try and get them out. Almost all of his pass-a-long cards went into the water.......... Well, of course we can't have pass-a-long cards floating in the font for the baptism, and we had to hurry and get them out before they come apart in the water. So I ripped of my socks and shoes, rolled up my pant legs and got the pass-a-long cards out. I was reaching for the last one....... and my foot slipped off the stair. I was able to grab the pass-a-long card as I was falling toward the other staircase to get out of the font. My pant legs were soaked from the knee down. The Lord had one of his angels watching out for me because I don't remember kicking off the bottom of the font to get out. It was kind of like I bounced off the water so I didn't get as wet. Other than that the baptism went really well. While everyone was getting dressed after they were baptized, I got to give a little presentation on Joseph Smith. I sang "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" for everyone there. The Spirit was definitely helping me because I have been having allergy problems for the past few days. It was pretty powerful.
Then yesterday, Sister Dorothy Tucker was Confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was also fast and testimony meeting and I have never seen one quite like this... A less-active member got up and bore his testimony. It's been thirty-one years since he bore his testimony. Then, a member's husband, they were recently married, got up and talked about how he had been raised Catholic... and now knows that this is the right church! That floored me and the Spirit smacked me in the back of the head and said "You need to set up an appointment with him". I said "Okay", and we did.
So, I think it's safe to say this has been one crazy AWESOME weekend!!!
I love you all,
-Elder Ricky-dude
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P.S. The Church is true!
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