Hi Family,
I hope that you all got home safe and settled down after Thanksgiving and are ready for the Christmas season. It has been fun to see people putting lights up on their trees and houses. What a wonderful time of the year to focus our thoughts on our Savior.
We have had a wonderful week. Crismon bore his testimony in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and it made me so happy! He will receive the Aaronic Priesthood next week. We have already began talking to him about missionary service. He is the best.
Yesterday was one of the most incredible days of my mission. After Zone Conference a week or so ago, I have been thinking a lot about bad days. President Ashton made a strong point that we need to be grateful for the hard days on our missions and throughout our lives because it makes the good days so much better and helps us to rely on and remember the Lord. We haven't really been having bad days recently but yesterday was amazing and it made me grateful for the hard days I have had. We had a regular Sunday with meetings and such, dinner with la familia Carrillo, and appointments falling through. We decided to stop by a man we met on the street and haven't been able to get in and teach yet. He was outside smoking and we asked how his day was. He then told us that yesterday morning he found his neighbor and best friend dead. He said that this man was 78, had 5 children, and that his wife had died a year ago. The man wasn't answering the phone so he went to check on him and looked under the partially opened garage and could tell he wasn't moving. He called the cops and they later told him that his neighbor had shot himself.
We were shocked by this. He spent the day with the cops and calling his neighbors family and such. He explained all this to us for about 20 minutes and then explained that he was busy but thanked us for stopping by. I was turning around when Elder Evertsen asked if the man would have a few minutes to learn about the purpose of this life. He readily agreed and we finally were able to teach him. We taught him the truths that his heart was aching to know. He readily accepted the Plan of Salvation and it was evident that his soul was calmed. It really made me ponder on how the Lord works. Because we were able to be there just at the right moment and Elder Evertsen followed a prompting, this man was able to begin his spiritual journey even though his dear friend had just ended his mortal life.
After that we had a miracle happen. We taught a lady that we have been trying to teach for a month. She is a golden investigator. She told us that she wants to get baptized and as she said the closing prayer, she began sobbing as she pleaded with God to help her change and to put her life in harmony with His will. It was incredible and by far the best lesson I have taught on my mission.
Another experience this week was we were visiting another golden investigator but she wasn't home yet. We saw her neighbor working on his car outside. We engaged him in a conversation and as it became evident that he was a busy man, I felt prompted to teach him right then. I asked if we could go inside and talk more. He agreed. After we explained who we are better and what we do, we asked why he let us in. He said, "I don't know. I never talk religion with anyone and I have never let anyone in my home to teach me about it. When you asked if you could come in, I felt something different. It was like I had to say yes. I have never felt that before."
I know that this work is true and just as Alma 13:24 says:
24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.
I love you! Please pray for Larue,Wilma and Denise.
Elder Case
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