First off, major shoutouts to the homie DRECK on his mission call to
Oregon! And a major happy birthday to one of my fav homies Ben Edwards!
I'll add a little "memory Monday" throwback pic with these homies!!!!
This week flew by so fast, the weeks keep getting faster and faster and
faster and I can't help but to feel a sense of urgency and how we don't
have a lot of time out here so we need to use it to the max!!! I actually
gave a training on that during district meeting last week! It was a solid
week!! We took things to the next level this week through district finding
in Pontypridd and holding a district fast and more!!
There's a few cool experiences I wanna share from this week:
- while in Pontypridd I was with elder Haynes and we got to this door
where three of the most worldly university students you'll ever meet lived,
they weren't interested in the slightest until they decided to ask us why
bad things happen to good people-good question-I bore my testimony and
testified to them of the plan of Salvation and why we are here and the
spirit was so strong, it literally smacked them because they had nothing to
say after and it was cool because I knew that they knew they felt
something, the ponty sisters are gonna go back and see them this week!
- We met a young mom while knocking doors on Thursday who said to come
back on Sunday and we went back yesterday, to be honest I really didn't
think she was gonna let us in or talk more but to our surprise she let us
right in and we taught her the restoration. It was perfect for her because
she used to be catholic but isn't very active in church anymore and she
wants her kids to be raised in a church, she was more than happy to read
the Book of Mormon and pray about it! Rack up another tender mercy!!!
There was a ton of stuff that happened this week including basketball,
dinner with the homie Lxeon, two exchanges with the zone leaders, and more!
We knocked one door and this girl and her mom opened up and the mom was
pretty rude to us and as we walked away the daughter straight up rebuked
her mom for being rude! What a homie! Also in church yesterday a girl who
just got back from Spain on her mission gave her homecoming talk and she
knew Claire gentry, who is finishing up her mission there, which was crazy,
such a small world!!
I felt overwhelmed at a few points this week due to health issues, harsh
rejection, being bashed a ton, bad weather, and multiple people I know
choosing to let doubts get at them and if there was one thing I learned
this week it was a principle taught in the last general conference from
elder choi who said "Do not lose your faith because of the people around
you, but build a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t look around,
look up!” and he went on with some advice he gave to his missionaries when
he served as a mission president saying "I used to tell them, “Go out in
the rain, look up to heaven, open your mouth, and drink it! When you look
up, you will be strengthened to open your mouth to everyone without any
fear.” It was a symbolic lesson for them to look up when they faced
challenges even after their mission." Whenever I turn to God with all my
problems, doubts, whatever it may be, he strengthens me and gives me what I
need to endure. When I left I chose Alma 36:27 as my missionary plaque
scripture and I can testify that I am seeing that scripture come to
fulfilment in my own life. Build your foundation on Jesus Christ and you
will never fall. He has made some of my hardest times the happiest times.
Next time it "rains" in your life look up and DRINK IT!
Conference is this weekend and you can listen to a prophet of god THIS
Saturday and Sunday!!! Check it out at LDS.org. I'm so grateful that god
loves us enough to bless us with a modern prophet. His love is truly
perfect and unfailing. He loves each of you and I do as well!
Elder Varner
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