WEEK 15: Letting Go

January 12, 2015

Every Tuesday we start the week off with a District meeting, where we gather together as 8 Elders and we learn and study specific topics together. Once a month, instead of District meeting, we have Zone meeting, where all 22 missionaries in our Zone are taught by the Zone Leaders (And the Sister equivalent to the Zone Leaders) and usually a couple of the District Leaders. This week was started off with a totally AWESOME Zone meeting.

One of the activities we did was, everybody wrote down a bad habit or something in their life that they wanted to be done with on a slip of paper. Sister Day, the one leading the discussion, then came around and tied all of the papers up into a plastic bag, then attached it to a bunch of balloons. We all ran outside to watch her release the balloons up into the air, to signify us letting go of those bad things we wrote down! It was an awesome idea! Sadly, it was really windy outside, and when she let go of the balloons, they shot straight into a tree and got stuck there. Our bad habits hung tauntingly over our heads, just out of reach for a few days, until some Elders climbed up the tree to get them down, haha. It was fun all the same though ;).  

   

At the end of our Zone meeting, we were issued a challenge that came straight from the Mission President. He challenged every single person in the Zone to talk to 20 people every day about the Gospel for 7 days in a row. That is a very hard thing to get an entire Zone to do. So far we have done it for 6 days straight! Tonight is our 7th day and also our very hardest, so wish us luck!

Along with this challenge came a promise! We were promised that if we would take part in this, then we would be blessed to see countless miracles in the work in our areas. We have seen so many miracles this past week! So many miracles that I can't even remember what they are any more ;). Haha, but I do remember the biggest miracle of probably my entire mission so far.

The miracle started on Wednesday night during our nightly planning. The next day we would be on exchanges with the Zone Leaders, so Elder King and I where planning the day out as well and thoroughly as possible, so he would know what to do the entire day without me there. As we were planning, I had the impression come to me that he should go visit a man named Jesus who Elder Akhmetov and I had met a couple months back. I didn't really understand why, because he wasn't interested at all and we had only talked to him for a few seconds in front of his house, but I figured since I wasn't going to be there that Elder King could try again with him. Well, the next day, when he and Elder Lorimier knocked on the door, a woman answered and let them in without saying anything. When they asked for Jesus, she said that he and she had just divorced and that he didn't live there anymore. She then began to tell them that they had just interrupted her prayer, where she had been asking God if He was really there, and if He was, to send her a sign. She broke down crying and knew that the missionaries where the sign that she was looking for. She accepted an invitation to be baptized, accepted a Book of Mormon and committed to bring a friend to church with her on Sunday.

I woke up yesterday with the Flu and wasn't able to go to Church, so I still haven't met her. I'm really looking forward to seeing her later this week! I was given a Priesthood blessing yesterday and pretty much slept the whole day. I woke up today and am feeling a whole lot better. I know that as we strive to do the Lord's will that He will strengthen us more than we could ever imagine. He will never take away all of our trials, because the defeats the whole purpose of why we are alive, but he will give us more strength than we can even imagine to work through our trials, pains, and weaknesses.

I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who helps me personally, every single day. Modern day revelation is real, and I know that, just like the Bible says, if we have a question, we should first study it out in our minds and heart, then ask God, that he will give us an answer. I know this church is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through him we can be saved. I have come to love and trust him more than ever before in my life, and I wish everyone could feel the comfort and strength He gives me.

I love you all and hope that everything is well with each of you :). Also, if anybody out there is thinking about serving a mission... DO IT. That is all. Have a good week :)

Love,
Elder Butterfield