Chicken Coops And Crashing Prom

Well, I'm going to leave you guessing about the title for a little bit because all of that happened at the end of the week and there is stuff to talk about beforehand.

We were able to meet with C again this week. Stopped by and caught him at home on Wednesday, and set up a lesson for the next Saturday. On Saturday went by and had a really good lesson about how following the teachings of the Gospel, specifically reading the scriptures everyday, praying every morning and night, and going to church each week help us feel more uplifted and positive as we bring the Spirit more fully into our lives. We talked about this because C has been feeling pretty negative recently due to their living situations which aren't the best, and also because he had been having trouble finding work and is now facing some health problems. But during the lesson he was very uplifted and at the end we gave him a blessing which he was very appreciative of.

This week we were also able to start teaching a person named J and his friend A. We contacted them on the street a few weeks ago, and this last week we were able to meet with them. It was a really good conversation and lesson, and though they said that they are very devout Orthodox Christian and aren't sure about some of our unique beliefs, they did say that if our message was true then they would want to find out and know it.

Now, to the part all of you are wondering about. My title for this email.

Also on Saturday, before and after our visit with C, we had some fun things that we got to do. In the morning we got to go over to S's and help her work on her chicken coop. That was a lot of fun! Elder Whipple spent most of the time painting it with rubber roofing, and I carried stuff from her patio where she had the chickens before, down to where the chicken coop is now. Don't worry, Elder Whipple and I could see and hear each other the whole time, from the patio you can look down to where the coop is, so we were all good there as far as staying together. After a bit Susie, who is a retired teacher, had us use our problem solving skills to work on building the frame for the doors of the coop to go on from a bunch of boards she had. Overall it was a really fun time.

Then Saturday night we got invited to Mormon Prom...well, at least the dinner beforehand. Mormon Prom, like Prom, is a dance, but this one is put on by a member in Murrieta with a large property that is meant to be a fun and clean environment for everyone there. Before the dance some of the youth in our ward and their dates had dinner at one of the members houses. We got invited to help set up for the dinner: putting up decorations, helping with food preparation, giving it to the Bishopric as they served everyone. And then we also got served by the Bishopric, but we were sitting inside so that all the youth could sit outside and have their own quality date time. It was a lot of fun! And very delicious food! A three course meal obviously.

That was my week! For my spiritual thought this week, due to Elder L. Tom Perry's passing away, I wanted to share a few quotes from him:

“We must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ. We want others to know that we believe He is the central figure in all human history. His life and teachings are the heart of the Bible and the other books we consider to be holy scripture...Only through Jesus Christ is salvation possible. This is why we believe He is the central figure in all human history. Our eternal destiny is always in His hands. It is a glorious thing to believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master." (Dec. 2012 Ensign, "The Tradition of Light and Testimony")

"The entire theology of our restored gospel centers on families and on the new and everlasting covenant of marriage...Let me close by bearing witness (and my nine decades on this earth fully qualify me to say this) that the older I get, the more I realize that family is the center of life and is the key to eternal happiness." (April 2015 General Conference, "Why Marriage and Family Matter—Everywhere in the World")

"God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes. Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging. Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws." (April 2013 General Conference, "Obedience to Law is Liberty")

I hope you all have a good week!

Love,

Elder Wixom