FAMILY!!!!
Wow I have so much to tell you from this past week. It has been so great!! So to start off, let me explain to you how awesome my mission is! First of all, it is where many apostles have served and whenever someone comes to London to visit, the chapel I am always at is where they go to church. Pretty much great! So.... yesterday guess who came last minute to talk with our whole mission?!!
Elder M. Russell Ballard!! ahh it was so awesome! We got a special meeting with an apostle and then on top of that guess what happened? Elder Tingey found me a violin to use temporarily. He brought it yesterday and last moment they asked me to play the musical number with them during the special conference which means yes, I got to play!! It was really scary at first because I haven't played in a while, it was a new violin, and I only got to run through the song 2 times before hand.... good thing it was super easy! But I just got over being scared and thought about how awesome of an opportunity I was given!! SO COOL!! His talk was all about missionary work and how we should decide now, whether or not we are going to give this time fully to the Lord or not and that this is a special time that will never come again. I just loved every second of it.
Oh and another cool thing that happened yesterday.. so you know how I told you everyone who visits London comes to our chapel? Well on Sunday we had a special visitor and his name is Jimmer Fredette. haha so I got to meet him which was kinda cool but then what was even cooler was that he came to our early morning basketball. As a district we play basketball in the morning and someone invited him and he actually came and played. awesome.
As for the rest of the week and our investigators things have been great. I was a little nervous at first and decided that I honestly could not do this transfer (or any of my mission) with out fully relying on the Lord. I have seen the blessings of doing that just from this past week. To start our investigator Aaron is great. We have extended a baptismal invitation to him before but he said no, even though he knows the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet but he didn't think this was the only true church. Then, this past week we extended the invitation for him to baptised again and this is what he said, "When you asked me this a couple of weeks ago I was not sure and I didn't think I wanted to, but for some reason, this time it feels like God is saying to me, 'Aaron this is your opportunity' so I want to be baptised." How cool is that! Seriously the spirit was and is preparing him!
Then we have this investigator named Jillian. Sister Portillo and I found her one day when we were out finding but she was leaving for America.. I think I told you this last week. Anyway, we met with her this past week and she is a miracle. We taught her the restoration and she said that everything we said made sense. She has been looking for a religion with more and that the Book of Mormon and prophets just made sense. Then we extended a conditional baptismal invitation for her to be baptised when she comes to know that these things are true and she said yes!!! Wow it honestly amazes me how the spirit really is the teacher and how people are already being prepared, even if we haven't met them yet!
It has been just the most amazing, bestest week ever and I love being a missionary. This really is a once in a life time experience and I always have to remember that! Also, I had a cool kinda insight for myself. We keep getting logical investigators who question a lot and like to have knowledge and understanding. At first I was wondering why but then it hit me. That is exactly how I am. I have never had the most overwhelming feeling that the gospel is true, but I know that it is. It does bring me so much comfort and I feel God's love for me but the way I know it is true is by understanding. I have noticed that in my life, when I pray to know about something, the answer comes to me by greater understanding. The gospel just makes sense. It answers those questions of the soul that deep down everyone has. That is the best part about it. Because I am like this, I feel such a connection and love to the people that I am teaching and I understand more how to reach out to them so that the spirit can touch them. This gospel is for everyone and I want everyone to know that. I hope that you all have a great week and know that I love you all very very much!!
LOVE YOU!!!
Love, Sister Ellsworth
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