What an amazing week! We had a chance to meet with a lot of new people
who were interested in the gospel. I also had probably the best lesson
with an investigator so far. Arella (friend of a less active member)
started meeting with us a few weeks ago. She is super curious and asks
lots of questions, but explicitly said our first time meeting that she
only wants to learn about, not join our church, since she is a strong
Buddhist. However, she has recently begun to recognize the Spirit in her
life, and on Thursday we met with her and she brought her Mormon
classmate to the lesson too (who we didn't know). As we taught the Plan
of Salvation, I could feel the Holy Ghost present, guiding the lesson.
Arella loved it, especially the focus on family, and asked tons of
questions throughout. At the end of the lesson, Arella asked a
hypothetical question, "what if I were to like, do those things and
repent and be baptized... how do I know if I should do that and if I'm
ready?" James, her classmate, asks, "Arella, have you been thinking
about getting baptized?" She answered, "Yes! I have, I just don't know
how to get ready for baptism." We had been hesitant to invite her to
baptism since she had already told us she wasn't going to change, and
now here she was asking how she can prepare herself for baptism! We
helped her set a baptismal date on April 26th, and she is super excited!
We couldn't believe what had happened, even after we walked out of the
door of the lesson. It testified to me that the Spirit truly does change
people. God had been working and preparing Arella through the Spirit,
and because of it, she found a new desire in herself to follow and live
what we have been teaching her. She asked us the other week why Mormons
don't drink coffee, so we gave her a mini Word of Wisdom lesson. Then
when we met with her, she said that she went to Tim Hortons to buy her
morning coffee, but felt really guilty! She said, "I'm not even Mormon,
and I felt guilty! I almost didn't buy the coffee. So I ordered the
smallest size instead of a large like normal." It was funny, but amazing
to me how the Lord has been preparing her to receive the gospel.
Well,
now for the sad part of this week... we got transfer calls, and Elder
Ikeda is leaving the Bayview area :( He has been such a great example of
genuine love and care towards everyone, and I'll really miss him. He
only had two more transfers before he goes back home to Japan, so
tomorrow might be the last time I see him before then. I'll really miss
him. But the cool thing is that he'll be serving in Hamilton with my MTC
companion, Elder Scott. But Elder Womack and I are getting a new
companion, Elder Cheng. He is a native Chinese speaker from Hong Kong,
and I'm excited to serve with him. I think I am destined to serve in
tri-panionships, haha. Oh, and Elder Womack is going district leader
this transfer. He'll do fantastic.
Well, I think that's all for this week.
Elder Holt
Hóng Zhǎnglǎo
洪長老
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| At the temple |
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| Bayview missionaries |
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District
|
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| Got myself a fan! |
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| Last P day with Elder Ikeda |
Photo credit for all of the above companion pictures: Elder Ikeda
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