It. Was. HOT!

So this week was a good week.

Monday we played scatterball with everyone in the zone for Preparation Day (for recap, that's the free for all dodge ball where you can only take three steps when you have a ball, and it's last-man-standing). And it was a lot of fun! I've realized the most fun activities are the ones that everyone involves themselves and makes the most of it, and this was one of those times. We were all super sore from it for the next day or two though. It was pretty great.


The reason I know we were all really sore is that on Wednesday we had a zone training meeting, and at one point the Sister Training Leaders gave a discussion on managing stress, where we all took cookies (that Elder Groesbeck and I made for the meeting...from a mix...but we still made them!) and hot chocolate, and went and sat in a circle and talked about what stresses us and how people deal with stress. But as everyone went to sit down in the circle, almost every missionary starting groaning and moaning as our sore muscles fought against sitting on the floor. President and Sister Kendrick (who were at the meeting) found it really amusing. The rest of the meeting was good as well, we talked about how important the Spirit is in everything that we do, and practiced asking inspired questions to help our investigators and using How to Begin Teaching to also help them open up and feel comfortable.


Got to go on exchanges this week. I went with Elder Mardesich into the Santa Fe Hills ward. And it brought back many many good memories of that ward. Dinner that night was with Elder Norton (who I have seen quite a bit since he and his wife are in charge of checking apartments in the stake, but she was ill so couldn't come to dinner), but I also got to see the Smithson family! As a reminder, Sister Smithson is the Norton's daughter, and they were super happy and surprised to see me! And I was really happy to see them as well! And then that night I got to see Bro. Wright again, as he was going with us to a lesson with a recent convert. That was funny though, because we got in the car with him, me in the back, and he gives Elder Mardesich a handshake, and leans back just like normal and gives me a handshake...then does a double take when he realized who it was and said excitedly, "Wixom!" It made me happy. It was a really good exchange that took me back to the days in that ward.

And then this weekend was hot! Especially when you are walking and biking around all day! I'm so glad for water and air conditioning. But it was still a really good weekend. Despite the heat Elder Groesbeck and I really enjoyed going around and working. Despite rain, heat, or snow (which I never have to worry about), serving a mission is awesome! And don't worry, we both stayed well hydrated, thanks in part to the wonderful members I get to serve with here.

Well, as far as my spiritual thought goes. I finished reading the Book of Mormon again this last week, and I wanted to share one of my favorite verses from Moroni chapter 10, and it probably isn't the one you are expecting, "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." (verse 32). I love this verse, because this is really the last invitation of Moroni, and it made me think that in the end, that is what we should always be inviting people to do. To "come unto Christ" and feel of His love. I love that that is the invitation at the end of this marvelous book of scripture.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and I know this through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. As I kneeled this last week and prayed to know again if the Book of Mormon is God's word, I got the undeniable impression, as if someone just whispered to me, "You already know it's true." And I smiled and thought, "Yes, yes I do." I love the Book of Mormon and the gospel. And most importantly, I love my Savior. Jesus Christ.

Love,

Elder Wixom