We Know Who Wins in the End

This week was awesome. I'll give a few highlights. So, first of all we

had a breakthrough lesson with a few of our investigators. We are

teaching a lady named Priscilla, her son Tevin, and their friend

Shameika. We read Alma chapter 36 with them, which is an amazing

chapter about repentance, forgiveness and the atonement of Jesus

Christ. We absolutely dove into that chapter and they loved it. The

prophet Alma does such a good job of explaining to his son Helaman

what it is like to feel the power of Christ's sacrifice at work in

your life. He says, "And it came to pass that as I was thus racked

with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins,

behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the

people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to

atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this

thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy

on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the

everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I

could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory

of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did

behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite

and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son,

that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as

was my joy" (Alma 36:17-21). That's one of my favorite passages of

scripture. I can remember a time in my life where I was miserable,

distraught, angry, devastated and hopeless over a situation I was in.

My mom gave me the best advice I've ever received. She simply said,

"go get on your knees and give it to God" and I did. I prayed and

pleaded with God for help and peace and I promised that I would do

anything He asked of me. When I did that an actual wave of peace

flooded over me, I could feel it. I learned so many things from that

experience. I learned that God was real. I learned that Jesus Christ

could in reality take away the pain I felt. I learned that He doesn't

hesitate. The moment we reach for Him, He's there, because He's been

there all along. After reading Alma 36 with Priscilla, Tevin and

Shameika we began to teach them about the Plan of Salvation and the

doctrine of the pre existence. As we taught these things and read from

the scriptures, Priscilla stopped us and said, "you know what, I've

been confused about all of this for 40 years and I never understood

until this very moment". My testimony grew that God is preparing

people every day to be taught the full truth of His plan. Priscilla

had been searching and wondering and questioning for years and in a

moment she found what she had been looking for. All three of them have

accepted an invitation to be baptized. Another highlight of this week

was a HUGE service project that we got to be apart of in Memphis. The

missionaries in Tennessee got to be team leaders for a "feeding the

elderly" project on Saturday. It was so fun. There was a girl named

Karie Anne interning for the company that put on the service event and

she was a member. She came up to us and was like "sistaaasss' enjoy

the music you won't hear it again for a while". We were in Memphis so

they had to play some rap and hip hop to get the people going. The

missionaries had a great time. (Makenna, they played Closer by the

Chainsmokers and I felt like God wanted me to hear it. I thought of

you the whole time). Anyways, this week was overall really good. On

Sunday after church satan used a baptist preacher to try to attack me.

I really felt like he was using this man as a vessel to get to me. It

was pretty annoying and I just wanted y'all to know that satan sucks.

He is just as real as God is but he hates us and God loves us. Never

stop fighting him. We know who wins in the end. I love y'all and I

know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lords

kingdom on the Earth. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and life

changing. It is for me. I know that life is hard and it's easy to want

to give up, give in and let go. Don't. Like I said, we know who wins

in the end. "..choose you this day whom ye will serve.. but as for me

and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). "27 Wherefore,

men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them

which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and

eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose

captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the

devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto

himself" (2 Nephi 2:27).

Love y'all! Stay sweet!

The picture of us at MLC with President that didn't send last week

Beautiful temple

The baller district -Elder Ockey

Missionary tan plus a helmet tan that you can't see

Exchanges

Hairnet gang

Just drivin'