On the Road Again

   We have had another week on the road as we've spent this week in Laredo training missionaries. It's so much fun to work with all these missionaries... they are a great blessing to us. I keep growing in my testimony of missionary work. One evening, I went out contacting with some sister missionaries.  It was hot, but they worked and worked.  I was also able to sit in on two lessons that the sister missionaries were giving. We all felt the Holy Ghost with us as we taught. One investigator was very prepared to receive the message. She had prayed to find direction in her life and the sister missionaries contacted her that very day during her lunch hour. At first she put them off and told them that she would call them, but she realized that it was more than a coincidence that they had found her and that she needed to DO something more about it, not just pray. A month passed by and the missionaries didn't even remember anything about the contact when she finally called them and asked if she could meet them at the church to be taught.  I sat in on her first lesson and the investigator is so humble and prepared by the Lord.  I hope to follow up and see how it turns out for her.

  One important lesson that I've learned already is that the investigator needs to feel the desire to DO -- to act on the promptings of the spirit.  The missionaries may teach, but they cannot act in behalf of the investigator. If a sincere investigator is being taught by the Holy Ghost (through the missionaries), that investigator will want to do things like read the Book of Mormon, pray, attend church, obey the Word of Wisdom, etc. in order to continue to grow and learn. This requires faith.

  Today we attended a branch in Raymondville (about a 50 minute drive from here).  After the meetings, we stayed for a baptism. The convert was full of such joy and happiness. Later in the day, we attended the baptism of a young woman and her boyfriend. Apparently, the boyfriend has a very bad past. He made many changes in his life when he started meeting with the missionaries. There were non-member family members attending the baptism who had worried about him and they could hardly believe his new outlook and the many changes he has made. The Gospel of Jesus Christ really does change lives.  Hopefully, his example will make a difference and influence others to investigate the church.

Here are some pictures from the Laredo Zone Training and of today's baptisms: