I got my package on Thursday because the assistants to the President came to Patzicia to take us to a meeting that my companion had to go to. Thank you for all of the goodies that you sent :) I've already put everything to use, especially the candy. Thank you Mack and Zack for sending me letters :) Brooklyn and Kortland should both be getting their letters sometime this week because I sent them about a week and a half ago and fyi it's one envelope with each of their letters inside. Thank you for sending me the CD player that will be very convenient because it reads mp3 discs and so I am putting the 12 CDs that I have on to 2 discs.
Ruth is still on for her baptism next Sunday and they had her interview yesterday and so all is well :) It's so exciting to be a part of the conversion of people. I know how hard it can be although I was born into the gospel to become converted because I had to become converted before I began my mission. I know that it can be difficult but the Lord is on our side. This week we finally got our copies of the General Conference of the Liahona and it has been great to review those talks. I am in love with the talk that Elder Bednar gave about revelation because that is the talk that helped me recognize how I feel the Spirit in my life.
An experience that happened this week also strengthened my testimony of how important the Spirit is in the work. We had a lesson with our eternal investigor who had really begun changing and has been getting close to receiving an answer of the truthfulness of the message. We went there a few days previous to teach and to share about the History and Testimony of Joseph Smith and we had left her the pamphlet of the Testimony of Joseph Smith so the she could read it and pray about it. 2 days later we had a return visit and we had planned to read the talk by Elder Bednar that I mentioned above. My companion asked me if I could carry the Liahona in my backpack because his backpack is super tiny, just a small camelpack, and I agreed. When we got to the cita I had relized that I forgot the Liahona because we hadn't returned home since 1030 that morning. We didn't know what to do, but we just decided to finish reading and talking about Joseph Smith History. We got in and sat down and the husband who is a member had a Liahona and so we thought that we should do as planned. Before we started the lesson I felt that we should read Joseph Smith History. I ignored the feeling. We read the talk by Elder Bednar. The lesson, although nothing bad happened and we in fact read something of great worth, was a waste because the Spirit was not there. As we left the lesson my companion and I both felt empty. We both had felt the prompting of the SpĂrit to read Joseph Smith History, as we had left for our investigator, and we both ignored it. I learned that although you could be doing something good, if you are not following the Spirit it will not be worth it. Let me just tell you that what I felt after that lesson was one of the worst things I have ever felt in my life. I felt as though I was worthless. The Lord trusted in me to teach His daughter and I failed Him by not teaching what he told me. I can't express how important it is to follow with exactness the promptings of the Spirit. We lost the Spirit by such a simple little act of ignorance. We quickly repented and worked hard all the rest of that night to gain the confidence of the Lord so that we could continue to work effectively.
The Lord loves you all and He wants your happiness. True happiness in this life comes by having the Spirit with you always and that is possible as we make the covenant of baptism and as we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Each week through partaking of the Sacrament we renew our covenant and are promised the Spirit always. Be faithful to your covenants and show your love for the Lord through your obedience to Him.
Elder Turner
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