Week 80 - New Investigators, Lessons on Fasting and Prayer, and Comfort in Sacrament

Dear Mary,

It sounds like that party was such a great time! :D I always love doing surprise parties! They are so much fun! [Mary's note: it was a surprise joint birthday party for me and another young lady from church. We share a birthday. And she leaves on her mission in a few short weeks.]

I'm not sure if I told you, but I got released as a District Leader this transfer, and they combined our district with the YSA district, so it's a little bigger now. But it's going well I believe! Norberto has not been baptized yet, sadly. He hadn't been responding to our texts or phone calls until yesterday. So we'll be working with him this week about getting ready for his baptism.

We picked up 3 new investigators this week!! :D the granddaughter of a member in our ward mentioned how she wanted to get baptized, so we went by and started teaching her, her brother, and her mom. They have a lot of potential! I can't wait to see what happens with them!

I finished Mosiah this week! :D I was reading in the chapter where Alma the younger was persecuting the church, and after the visit of the angel didn't move for several days. I thought it was interesting that it doesn't just that say that the priests just fasted and prayed for Alma in a general sense, but they were specific in what they fasted and prayed for: That his mouth would be opened, that his limbs would receive strength, so that the eyes of the people would be opened to see the glory of God at work. That reminded me how our personal prayers and fasts should be specific as well. That there should always be a purpose and that we should state that purpose clearly in prayer as well. If we ask or tell God something in a general sense, He's gonna give us a general answer. That's what I learned this week! :)

Yesterday, I was struggling a bit since it's been a month of Mom's passing. But there was a wonderful talk in church yesterday about the Plan of Salvation and how our loved ones help us! The speaker told of how her mother had passed away while she was in her first year of college, and how it was hard for her as well. I believe she said that her mother had written her a note telling her she was always going to be there now to help her, that she won't leave her alone, and that she still had a responsibility as a mother towards her. I can't remember everything that was said in the talk, but it helped me feel so much better! The spirit was very strong and said that talk was for me. Everything about the talk applied to us, and made me feel good. I even felt Mom sitting next to me, so it was a good sacrament meeting :)

Write when you can, I love hearing from ya!

With mucho love,

Elder Patrick Wockenfuss