Well we have seen our fair share of miracles, one of the which Elder Staton mentioned in ZLC, which was truly amazing. We walked into this house for a lesson with a lady named Maria, and when we got in and sat down, her husband came out fairly excited and just told us, (now you have to know that we have never seen, nor talked to, nor met this man before) but he said, "I have been reading in your book, I like it, and we want to go to church with you next Sunday." We had only taught his wife Maria one time, and left her with the Book of Mormon. He, the husband Antonio, found it in his house and had read through the introduction and the testimonies on the witnesses and of Joseph Smith. We taught him the first lesson, which was also a good review for Maria, and as we left he was excited to continue reading. It's amazing to see how many people really do have the question that Joseph Smith had, "Why are there so many churches? and which one should I join?" And it's so comforting to me to know that we have the answers, and that everyone can know for themselves. 

But that was just one of our miracle lessons this past week. 

 

Elder Gleaves 

One of our new elders, Elder Kearn, told us that after he had received his call, he ran into Elder Perry near the SLC temple at conference time. Elder Perry talked with him about his mission and told him to use The Book of Mormon with the words, "The Book of Mormon is still our best missionary". We are seeing that again and again! Tonight, the assistants came by to share some miracles that relate to The Book of Mormon.

They were stopping by a house to follow up on a conversation they had had with a family. They were very kind and respectful, but said they weren't interested. Elder Diaz thanked them and said a few more words and then turned to Elder Coffman. Elder Coffman had been feeling ill and hadn't been able to focus. When Elder Diaz turned to him, all he could think to do was to offer a Book of Mormon. That led to a few more questions and an opportunity to bear a testimony about the restoration and The Book of Mormon. The mother's heart softened and she asked the elders to come back on Tuesday after she had a chance to read more about it.
The elders left feeling good about the visit when they saw a family walking down the street pushing a little cart. It was getting dark and when they called out a hello to the family, the family started crossing the street. They were worried they had frightened the family, so they went a little closer and just said they wanted to share something with them and started talking about the pass along card. The group was a single mother with her 5 young children. The had moved from Chicago and she was doing her best. She had heard a little about the church and was interested in starting up again to learn more. Elder Diaz was able to testify to her about the importance of families and how they could be strengthened. He comes from a family of 5 raised by a single mother. They struck a cord and will be going back to talk to her later this week.
And the last one, they received a phone call from the Kimball zone leaders. While on exchanges, Elder Diaz was out working with the elders there. As Elder Young contacted one investigator outside his apartment building, Elder Harrison started talking with another family across the way. Elder Diaz turned and saw a man and went to go and talk to him. They had a nice conversation, but the man wasn't interested. Before they were finished, a woman approached them and listened for awhile. When they were done talking, she asked Elder Diaz if he was mormon. She then said she knew some things. Elder Diaz talked to her about the restoration and The Book of Mormon. He offered her a copy and she gratefully accepted. She said she would read it in the next week or two. Elder Diaz doubted she would be able to read it that quickly, but still gave her the book and the invitation to learn more. When the zone leaders went back to follow up a week and a half later, she had finished The Book of Mormon and wanted to be baptized, because she knew it was true. She still had some things to learn, so they taught her for a few more weeks and she was just baptized.

After the Trial of Your Faith

This is another account of the story from the post yesterday. Still a great story! If you have quesstions about the lds church and our beliefs-ask me! Or you can talk to missionaries via a live chat at mormon.org 

Dear Sister Basset,
      Let's see... For Elder matsunaga and I, we really had a tremendous week last week due to the tender mercies of our heavenly Father. Last transfer, I waited and waited for such miracles, and they never came... well they way I was expecting. And just this last week, we saw miracle after miracle. Tuesday: We found a great family who had talked to missionaries a while back and wanted their girls in the youth program and wanted comfort in an ever-so changing world. Wednesday: We talked to ANOTHER great family of 5 that had talked to missionaries in the past and is really excited about learing about the gospel. Thursday: We found ANOTHER great family through a random TTI who is searching for guidance amongst their family. That same night we taught ANOTHER family who we had just found who had a neighbor over who was really interested. Friday: We got a referral and went to contact it and right away we were invited in to teach them, and they expressed their desire to find a true church. Saturday: We got a member referral. We taught this lady at the member's house and the Lady (Patricia) is in search for peace in her life. After the lesson she held The Book of Mormon, looked into our eyes as her's filled up with tears and said, "This is the first time I've felt this peace. I NEED this in my life". That same day we tried to contact a referral, and we read it wrong, and in so doing, we found a 16 year old boy who is really confused about all the churches and sincerely wants to know where to go to.
     So for us, it was just a miracle after another... I was very grateful to just be a part of that week for us. There are many dates to be set this week and there's no where else I would rather be but here in the Arizona Mesa Mission.
    Elder Kunz

The Power of Godliness is Manifest

Doctrine and Covenants 84:20 "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest." It is a miracle when the spirit touches someone's heart and confirms to them the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Often this happens when people are present during priesthood ordinances like blessings, baptisms, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and during the blessing and passing of the Sacrament. 


This is a letter from Elder Chance Pebley about one of these types of miracles:
    So this last Tuesday, a lady was baptized. She is the sister of Melinda Powell who used  to be heavily involved with the Calvary Baptist Church. She even started the Awana program for those guys. I am pretty sure that is like a mutual thing-only for all ages. Anyways, she met with Elder Johnson and I when I first came here in June. She had always taught about Christ, but she told us she always also taught to stay away from the Mormons and their church. 
   So after we taught her she felt bad, because she knew she was leading people away from the truth and didn't feel she could be forgiven of doing those things. So we bore testimony to her about the atonement and left her with Alma 36 to read. She came back the next week on fire and willing to do whatever it took to get baptized. She knew that The Book of Mormon was true. There are more miracles in that story that I could talk about, too!   Anyways she was baptized and her sister who attended Calvary with her attended her baptism. She hadn't yet read from The Book of Mormon or met with missionaries. Anyways, she was present for her baptism and felt the spirit there. Then this Tuesday she was baptized. From the single experience of being present at Melinda's baptism, she felt the spirit so powerfully that she couldn't deny that what her sister was doing was true and right. At her baptism, I asked her what her experience was like meeting with the missionaries and reading The Book of Mormon. She related back to Melinda's baptism and said, "I knew it was true before I even opened The Book of Mormon." She has two daughters that she wants the missionaries to start teaching in Taylor and to get baptized when they know it is true. 
They too, go to Calvary just like their mom and aunt did. 
  Here are some pics of Melinda and her sister Kristine. Melinda is the one with Elder Coffman and I. 

The other is Kristine and her two daughters. 

    The onyl time I had seen Kristine was at Melinda's baptism, and I didn't have a chance to talk to her because she was surrounded by members, but she asked me to baptize her. It was an INCREDIBLE experience! Have a great week!

'the Lamanites... are the principal ancestors of the American Indians'

Dear Sister Bassett,

I wanted to let you know of some of the miracles that we've seen as we have been using The Book of Mormon more. My goal has been to have a give-a-way copy of the Book of Mormon in my hands at all times. Through doing this, I've been able to use it in TTIs and see peoples' hearts soften and agree to meet with us.

Two days ago, we had dinner with a recent convert from another area who just moved into our area. During dinner, her son's fiancee said she was Navajo. For our after dinner message we read the introduction to The Book of Mormon. I asked her to read the second paragraph in which it says, "...the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians."

She was visibly touched and had a great sense of urgency in learning more about this book. She said she had grown up in a small, primarily LDS town in Southern Utah and no one had ever told her that. We invited her to learn more and to attend a Stake Missionary Fireside with Signa (the recent convert) that evening. She came to the fireside, and we taught her the first lesson yesterday. When she gave the closing prayer, she prayed that her fiancee and Signa's husband would "open themselves to this, because she was really into it."

The Book of Mormon truly is God's chosen tool for us to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the Restoration.

Thank you for your message and testimony at last Zone Conference.

Love,

Sister Tomoser

I can read this!

Two of our elders were teaching a woman at a member's home. They passed their scriptures to her and asked her to read a passage. She looked down at the scriptures and then looked up at them and said, "I can read this!" The elders didn't quite understand the significance of her exclamation until she explained. Earlier that day she had broken her glasses. Her eyesight is very poor. She was unable to see anything clearly. When they handed her the scriptures to read, she was going to give them back and explain, but when she looked down the words were clear to her. She was very moved by this experience and felt it was confirmation that the things she was learning and feeling were of God.

I can relate to this experience on a different level. Though in English, the wording of the scriptures is different from the way we use English today. When I first began reading, I felt I wouldn't be able to understand what was being expressed in a way that would have meaning for my life. Experience has changed that assumption. I have found that every time I read, I can glean something from these prophets that applies to me and strengthens my faith in Jesus Christ.

Why is that? Moroni, the last Book of Mormon prophet to record his witness of Jesus Christ, explained the reason. He said that he and his father, Mormon, had 'seen our day'.
Mormon was chosen by God to compile and abridge all the records of their prophets into one record in order to persuade everyone who would read it to come unto Christ. The accounts that would best help us with the obstacles and challenges from their day that would apply to us in ours were selected and included in the record. After Mormon's death, Moroni finished the task his father began and hid that record until God prepared and chose another prophet for our day. That prophet was Joseph Smith, and his first task was to translate and publish this record now known as The Book of Mormon.

This book and its testimony of Christ seconds the magnificent witness of the Bible. Moroni tells us how we can know if the record we're reading is true. He said,

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

That last line, "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things," is so important to me. These words have clearly testified to me that Jesus Christ is real. That He is the Savior of the world. Not only is He able, but willing to be a part of my life. He wants to guide me and my family back to our Father in Heaven. When my reading is regular (daily) and prayerful, the Holy Ghost gives me insight and inspiration-helping me apply the doctrines of the prophets in my life; doctrines such as faith, obedience, integrity, repentance, prayer, prophets, baptism, salvation. This book helps me to see clearly, to see the hand of God working in my life and bringing me ever closer to Him.