Sounds like your week was pretty sweet and normal:) It's fun to have an easy week of the norm that is full of exciting things:) First tell the Vance's I'm so happy for them and their new baby girl! It's funny to think that when I left there wasn't even a whisper of them having another child:) LOl kind of cool to think about:) I also I'm so excited that Tyler has gotten the call of calls:) I never thought the world could handle two First ward boys in the same mission? I got a feeling that the mission is need of some serious power from heaven, that's why they come knocking at our wards door:) All of us were taught, tested, and supported for mission, a lot more than the missionaries I see out here today. I testify the words of mom, " It does take a ward to raise a child."
Testifying is really what I feel I've been doing the most:) Our week has been a huge blessing and seen miracles. It's funny how last week I likened it to Job in the bible. If that was the case, then this week the Lord poured out a blessing twice as big as before. For example, we were blessed with teaching 20 lessons this week, where the area record is 15. We also have two people on date for baptism and three others we are challenging this week. On top of it all was the amount of the spirit I felt this week and the power I felt by using my priesthood.
Let me start from the "least" to the best to me, even though all these blessings are great. We tracted about a week ago into a Father Lead family with the surname Sothoani. The first time the husband opened the door right away and let us in, first shock to me. We met his wife and little boy and began to give our message of the restoration. Afterward, through different miscommunication, didn't see them for many days, this got us worried we had lost them. We then chose to go back around the time we found them, they were so happy to reach us. They had told us that we had brought the most "unusual" spirit last time and they knew we were men from God. Through the week we taught again the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. My favorite was teaching the Plan of Salvation. They are a very smart young couple that as we taught kept saying things like, "Oh, that makes sense", "Interesting", and " I never knew how it all fit together". Probably my favorite thing in that lesson is when Vuci, the father who has studied religion, put together how the Book of Mormon helps the bible to fill in the gaps. The spirit was strong and we are now excited to go back and teach about Baptisms.
The last two major miracles happened to my beloved family the Ackermanns. We pulled up on Tuesday this week to have a lesson to find on their gate a "For Sale" sign. My heart sank immediately at the sign and thoughts swamped my head that I might loose this family. Inside I said a prayer that we might continue to teach them and not loose them. As we went in we were told the the man who they were renting from needs to sell the house and that the first person with the money can buy the place. We also found from Oma, which is grandma in Afrikaans, the Brother and Sister Ackermann were talking to the people now and would be back soon. When they got back, we had a long talk with them about what was happening. We taught them that this was the first major test since they've started to change their life. We also poured over the scriptures to teach them to continue in faith and show courage in their tithe. It was very powerful to listen to how they would continue to go forward with faith. They expressed a great hope in even if they have to move again, It maybe that Heavenly Father has something better for them. I was on the verge of tears at the family I love so so so so much. I then began to teach about how great blessings come from "burying the weapons of our own rebellion". That was mainly to Sis Ackermann and her smoking habit that we were working on, because she is the last one in the family that was struggling to give it up.
Needless to say the blessings have sense began to pour out. We just stopped by the next day to check on them, to have Sis Ackermann very excited to tell us that Saturday was the day she's giving up smoking, I was shocked! Here was the woman that never said she would give it up. The woman who needed a list of things to happen first before giving it up. Yet, she told us that day we left her with a new sense to change and talked with her husband. We then planned on fasting together and that we would give out blessings after. It wasn't long until they told us of blessings. They said that a ward member just showed up with two huge black bags full of clothes for the twins! And how that day they were worried how they would buy the twins new clothes on top of everything! Then this Sunday we got the news we were waiting for, Bishop told Brother Ackermann that 2 more weeks until he could get the priesthood! I could've died at that news! So I can testify that blessings are coming to this family, I'm very excited what the Lord has instore next.
So that was just the first side of the Major blessings. The second also involves the Ackermann family. Brother Ackermann on the way from a far away job picked up his friend to come and stay with them. The two have been friends for ages and his friend was going through a very hard time. His wife had left him for another man, his job had fallen through, and the people he was staying with where horrible abusers. So as a result we met brother Albetus, a 52 white Afrikaans broken man. That's just the kind of person missionaries help! The Ackermanns had told him a lot about the church and how they were changing. He had also noticed the change of heart in Brother Ackermann ( Who just for the sense is only 42), from party man to calm church goer. Our first lesson was on Christ and the atonement, but it quickly changed to a power house of the spirit and tears as we talked to Albetus. He told us that the words we were speaking to him were hitting home. WE then invited him to church with the Ackermanns the next day. After church, when we went to break our fast with the Ackermanns and give blessings he was sitting with Brother Ackermann watching a Restoration video to understand the church. It was cool to see the Ackermanns testifying of their religion again and to see how far they have come. But before giving a lesson we needed to give oma and Sister Ackermann blessings. I'll tell you these blessings that I had the right to give where a powerful testimony to these women that god loved them. It also answered the questions of their hearts as they told us after. We then gave a blessing to Albetus.
Later, as our lesson went on Albetus asked us where this power came from? He told us as soon as I placed my hands on his head all of his worry left him and he felt a comfort never before known, and he wanted more of it. We would go on for the next two and a half hours teaching. He had questions about the temple, why there where so many churches, Joseph Smith, what God expected of him, and (my favorite) how do I join your church? It was a missionary dream to have someone really asking us questions of life and then accepting them on the spot. After it all he was so determined that it was time to change everything and listen to everything we would give him. What a humbling experience to see someone broken notice the prompting of the spirit and answer the call to change! It was Freak'n SWEET!
So needless to say we've been rocking it and the Lord has been blessing us for it:) I'm happy and excited to see all of the change Rynfeild is making from when I first got here. It has turned upside down and moving at a powerful rate, especially for a town area!
Have a great week and know I love you so much:)
Love your Son and Brother,
Elder Jack F Dalton
P.S. Oh I almost forgot, I've already made solid plans to Skype you on mother's day! So Woot Woot!
ALWAYS FORWARD SOUTH AFRICA!
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