We worked hard this last week! 1-21-2019

Elder Eliason said, "Let's put on these glasses and take a funny picture to send home!" Oh man I am going to miss this goofy guy, ha ha!

This last week we were waiting for transfer news to come because President told us my companion will be leaving but we didn't know where he was going to yet. SO we decided to really put in everything we had to this work this week to let him leave this area better than when he came. 

Let us first start with a funny story. We were teaching a new man on Saturday named Vitchrisdel. While we were teaching him a man that we knew came up behind me and tapped me on the back. I looked back to see that man. We had met him a few times. I asked how he was doing and he looked at me and said, "Shh... I'm in disguise.." I was like "What...?" Then he said, "I am secretly rich. I am in disguise." I said okay so we will see you at church tomorrow right? He said, "I can't run from God, I will be there in my car, I am in disguise." He then walked off! I am guessing he was drunk or something but it was just quite funny to run into him when he was like that, ha ha!

Now let's talk about some cool lessons. This story happened on Saturday. We didn't' know who to go to see. We decided to just go pass by a member who was living with some investigators who didn't really have any interest in the church. When we got there we found out she was watching two kids named Leone age 13 and Leondra age 7. They had actually came to church a few weeks ago and they had some questions for us. 

We decided to sit down and teach the two of them about Joseph Smith and the first vision. I can tell you it was a wonderful lesson. Leondra was a normal seven year old girl, so she didn't really understand what we were talking about, but Leone really surprised me with his maturity and willingness to learn. When we finished talking about the first vision he asked this question, "So that means, if Joseph Smith is a true prophet, this is the true church. How can I know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet?" Then we explained a little about the Book of Mormon to him and invited him to read and pray about it. We asked him to say a prayer to close. In the prayer he said, "Heavenly Father, please help me to read the BOM, to know if it is true and whether or not Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and if this is your church." When he finished the prayer I felt the Spirit there so strongly because of his faith and willingness to learn and wanting to receive his answers. 

We visited a member and he asked us to help make lunch so I was put on peeling duty. We were peeling their version of a yam which is super similar to  potato, ha ha! 

Now let's talk about Samuel. We taught him right before we taught Leone, ha ha. We went there to talk about the BOM with him and to follow up on whether he had read it and prayed or not. Well he did! He said he read the first ten chapters of the book and loves it! SO we continued to have a lesson about where the BOM comes from and how we got it and so forth. 

At one point my companion said, "...and we hope you will continue to pray and ask if..." Before he could finish the phrase Samuel cut in and said "Oh I already received my answer, twice actually!" I was like what??? We had only met him  a week before! He said that the first answer that he received was the first night that he had started to read it. He felt inspired to read a chapter before bed, so he did. He said that the next thing he knew he was awake. He had been having troubles sleeping due to dreams and what not. When he woke up he just saw the BOM next to him and felt the presence of the Spirit testify that the book was indeed true. Then a few days after, he was in a car going to a meeting for work, and he decided to listen to the book a little bit from the app. He looked out the window at one point and said a silent prayer asking if it really was true. HE said he felt a feeling of cold wash over him and he felt chills run through his body. But he said, right after that he felt a feeling of peace. He realized, that it was the Spirit sitting with him, testifying that yes, it is true. After he told us all of that, he asked to move his baptism closer because he knows it's all true, ha ha.

All three of those stories happened on Saturday. SO let me explain what we did on Saturday. Elder Eliason found out that he was getting transferred so he wanted to end his last full proselytizing day with a bang. We were out at ten. We planned for a lesson every hour, and we had a baptismal interview in a different area. We didn't take our lunch, we didn't take our dinner, and we walked into the apartment at 10 P.M. We were out proselytizing for 12 hours. I want to tell you all right now that the Spirit was guiding us the entire day. We dedicated our time and energy to just serving the Lord for an entire day. We had so many cool opportunities that I didn't tell you guys. I want to testify to you all that the Lord will reward us for our devotion and diligence in His work. Are you all doing your Come Follow Me books? If not, start doing it. If you devote your time to it the Lord, He will do miracles in your life.

Sincerely,

Elder Baird 

Mom's notes:

1. Elder Eliason is going to a village called Asutuare. Elder Baird will be training again. :)

2. He will meet his new companion on Wednesday.

3. I told him that I got choked up reading about Leone. He said, "Ha ha, I do to!"

4. I told him that I am glad that I made him get his tetanus shot (he hates shots) before he left. Holding that knife looks precarious.