It Is Really Important For Investigators to Learn Primarily from the Words in The Book of Mormon, and Not From Our Words

Hello everyone!
 

We had yet another great week! We had a great Easter as well! Earlier in the week we had a really great district meeting. It has been a few weeks since our last district meeting because we have had two zone meeting in a row. We learned about how to use the Book of Mormon more effectively in our teaching. I learned a lot as I prepared for it and everyone else seemed to learn a lot as well! As I talked to the district members thorough out the rest of the week they each told me that they applied what they learned at district meting and that it was working really well! I've found that it is really important for investigators to learn primarily from the words in The Book of Mormon, and not from our words.
 

We had a great lesson with M--! She ordered a Seminary study guide for the Book of Mormon and is now using that in her study. She also ordered a triple combination and is doing a whole lot of studying from the Book of Mormon. She is also doing well with quiting smoking. She is having a hard time with it, but is trying very diligently to quit. Up to this point the only thing from stopping her from coming to church is that her car is broken down but thankfully our second councilor in the branch presidency offered to come and fix her car for her! Hopefully once we get the car all fixed up she will be able to come every week like she wants to!
 

You asked if Sister C-- daughter ever came home. Yes she did! She actually drove up to their home right as we were leaving!
 

Elder Allred and I spoke in church this Sunday. As I have studied the resurrection of Christ the past few weeks, I have come to realize just how much faith He had to have to lay down His life and take it back up again. In 1 Nephi 19:9-10 it talks about how Christ yieldeth himself as a man, into the hands of wicked men. He also suffered himself to be spit upon, scourged and judged to be someone of no importance. Imaging the self control He must have had to submit himself to people who were far inferior to Himself. He could have at any time ended his own suffering and saved Himself, but He didn't, because His Father's will was more important to Him than anything else. He had to have an incredible amount of faith to do that. Because of the faith He had, we can have perfect faith in Him. He yielded Himself to men who did terrible things to Him, and all we have to do is yield ourselves to the enticings of His Spirit which brings us great joy and happiness. I will forever be grateful for Him.
 

We ate dinner with a great family on Easter. They had all of their grandkid's there. It was a lot of fun. We ate some really yummy food and helped hide all of the Easter eggs for the grandkids to find. We had a blast.
 

There are a few other exciting things I want to tell you about! On May 10 we are going to be getting a senior couple in Tabor City! I am soo excited for the Branch! They are from Cedar City. Their names are the McKibbin's or something like that. It is just another sign of the hastening of the work. I love being part of the hastening of the Lord's work here in the mission field. I also am excited to be apart of the hastening when I am not in the mission field! Also, there are a few members of the branch that are going out to Salt Lake City the first week of August. They said that they would like to visit us if we are available! I told them that I don't know exactly what is going on that week but that if we were available, we would love to see them. Mom, I gave them your phone number, but I don't think they are planning to call until it gets closer to August.
 

Overall, everything here is going really well. I don't feel like I've been out as long as I have. I still feel the same urgency that I've felt for the majority of my mission. Thankfully I have a great companion who also likes to work! I've been doing a lot of reflecting on what I've learned over the past few years. There are so many things that I don't even have the words to describe all that I have learned. As I've attempted to put into words all that I've learned, Ive found that the easiest way to tell how I've grown is to see how much my desires have changed. I didn't have any "bad" desires before my mission, but they were a lot less centered on doing what Christ desired me to do. It brings me a lot of joy, when I realize just how much this mission has changed me.
 

I hope you all have a great week! I love you all and hope that you are blessed!
 

Love Elder Mortensen

 

 

Brayden with Brother and Sister D-- and Their Two Girls

Brayden with Brother and Sister S--