The Still, Small Promptings

Dear Family, This has been another week full of blessings and miracles. It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord has an infinite supply of miracles and blessings waiting for us. On Monday night, we went over to la familia Martinez (the less-active family that we sang the hymn for a few weeks ago) and taught them the Restoration. We told them that we were in the process of teaching all the members and that it was their turn. Before the lesson el hermano was holding his Book of Mormon flipping through the pages and he told us that he had read through the whole book one time. We asked how that experience was and he just said, "increible". We then proceeded through the lesson bearing as much testimony as possible and as we recited the words us Joseph Smith the Spirit came (as always) and they felt it. El hermano then looked at me square in the eyes and said, "Lo se. Yo se que es verdadero" (I know it. I know that it is true). It was a sweet moment as him and his wife remembered the testimonies that they once had 15 years ago before choosing to be offended and leaving the church. Tuesday through Friday, while President Ashton is doing quarterly interviews with the missionaries, Elder Johnson and I have been doing individualized companionship trainings with every single companionship in the mission (105). We are about halfway done. What we do is make a list of the investigators that they think and feel will be baptized in their areas before the end of the year and then we kneel down and pray about each one. We have prayed now about hundreds of investigators and with the exception of two companionships that just didn't want to participate in receiving revelation, we have received an answer for every single one. It has been extremely exhausting to spend literally hours kneeling in prayer with these missionaries and then trying ever so hard to discern the still, small promptings of the Holy Ghost. Most missionaries struggle with the training because they have either never tried or have never recognized the Holy Ghost in this way. We then have the sacred opportunity to help teach them about the Holy Ghost and what they will feel. Most of them walk away amazed that they have received revelation simply by asking for it and extremely excited for the spiritual confirmations they have received that certain of their investigators will be baptized this year! I love the description of the Holy Ghost in Helaman 5:30: 30 And it came to pass when they heard this avoice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a bstill voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul— Since we began this training three weeks ago, we have been applying it to all aspects of missionary work. As we are out and about and our lessons fall through, instead of just praying and asking where to go we now study it out in our mind and then go to the Lord with options. We just simply ask, "Do you want us to visit this person?" and the answer comes. D&C 9:8 says: 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must astudy it out in your bmind; then you must cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your dbosom shall eburn within you; therefore, you shall ffeel that it is right. This has brought great miracles in our area. What has happened is that almost everyone we visit after we pray and receive an answer is home and ready for us to come over in that moment. Last Monday night we had a particularly powerful experience. We had set lessons at 6, 7, and 8. We were excited for the night but when we showed up to our first appointment, they weren't home. We then got back in the car and said a prayer. After the prayer the phone rang and our next appointment cancelled. After we hung up, our last appointment called and cancelled. We decided that we were not going to lose the faith but that we would just pray. We said another prayer, asked if we were to visit a specific person went there and they weren't home. We repeated this process four or five times until finally we just said, "Heavenly Father, we want to do Thy will. We are trying to be good. We had a great night planned but everything fell through and we just don't know where to go. Please bless us to know where to go." After the prayer one of us said, la familia Barajas (a less-active family that we have been working with forever). The other two agreed. We showed up and as we were praying outside their house, el hermano Barajas pulled in to the driveway. He gladly invited us in and after we sat down, he spent the next 30 minutes telling us how he had had a change of heart, how he was ready to come back to church and how nothing in the whole world could prevent him from coming to church this next Sunday. It was powerful and an answer to many many prayers. I am so grateful for the still, small promptings. I have learned that they come all the time and if we have "eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel, [we] can reach out and rescue others" (President Monson). The Lord truly does lead us, guide us, and walk beside us as He helps us find the way. I know that He is the way. The only way to return to our Heavenly Father is through His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. As we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost we will always be lead to Him. Thank you for your prayers. I love you. Please continue to pray for Saul and Sofia and also Johnny. Love, Elder Case