April 19, 2010

From: Ryan Jay Allred
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 12:19 PM
To: Allred, Kevin
Subject: The Power of Pass Along Cards

 

Hey There!

      How is everyone doing this week?  I hope you are all still enjoying snow and cooler weather because it is getting pretty hot out here.  The people out here keep telling us that winter isn't over yet but I realized it has been warm enough to run every morning at six for the past four months.  So to me it doesn't seem like we ever did have a winter!   But yup, it's hot! Luckily it isn't too hot yet, we can still wear our suit coats most of the time; we'll see how long that lasts.  So enjoy the weather!  It's always better then somewhere else!

      Hot dog!  We had a great week!  Almost everyday we found ourselves just running from one appointment to another.  Even the investigator we were planning on dropping turned around and showed up at church.  But I can't really think of too many exciting stories to share with you.  It was all pretty much just missionary work.  Teaching lessons, tracting, studying, praying, meetings, and lots of fun!  We did have a really neat lesson with Randy this week though.  He is one we had taught for quite a while then his wife made him stop taking the lessons.  Well we showed up again a couple of weeks ago and found out he had been through a lot of life changing experiences so he let us in again.  He still wasn't letting us teach him though but at least we were getting in to his home and sharing our testimonies.  Well we set up a lesson for this Friday and went over to his house just to "talk."  When we got their though he was in the middle of writing a talk for his friends funeral and was struggling with what to say.  So we were thinking "Perfect!  Plan of Salvation!"   And that is just what we did.  I Told him we were curious and wanted to see what his beliefs where of what happens after this life and he told us briefly he believed in Heaven and Hell, and that's it.   But he had a feeling we didn't go there right away but he didn't know why.  Then he said he was curious an wanted to know if his ideas were correct.   Exactly what we wanted to here.  So finally we opened the scriptures with him and explained our Heavenly Fathers plan for us and he LOVED it. 

     One of the cool parts was while Elder Groberg was talking I had the thought that I really needed to pray for him specifically.   That isn't unusual but I definitely felt a stronger prompting to do so than normal.  So really quick I offered up a short prayer asking for the Holy Ghost to direct Elder Grobergs words and help him to say exactly what Randy needed.  Right After I finished my prayer Randy stopped him and said he was just trying to say the same thing in his talk!  It really connected with him and it was great for me too to see a prayer answered soo quickly.  At the end of our lesson he said he wasn't quite ready to come to church but he really liked the lesson and we could always come back for another one!  Alright!

      Well Paulette is still doing well.  I can't remember if I already told you or not but she tells everyone about the church.  Last week while she was at the store the cashier asked her why she was buying soo many groceries.  Paulette told her they were for a party at the church.   After the cashier told her she was looking for a Church Paulette told her everything she new and set up another time to meet again!  Then when she found out one of her neighbors was meeting with missionaries before but then stopped, she went over and convinced her to let the missionaries in again.  There is definitely power in sincere testimony and Paulette absolutely has that. 

     We were in meeting with President Chapman yesterday and he told us an area authority who gives out 35 pass along cards a day!  And he doesn't even have a name badge to hide behind, he just does it because he knows it's true.  Last month he met a lady in the temple who he had simply handed a card to while they were waiting in a line a year and a half ago.  She had gone home and called for a free book of Mormon and let the missionaries in.  Last month she went through the temple for the first time and he just happened to be there.  Crazy!  There is a lot of great things that can happen from simple things.   Sister Pendleton, our mission presidents wife, never takes a receipt until the cashier takes a pass along card.  I've seen her do it, and last week a whole family got baptised because of it.

     Well  I really hope you all now I love you and I am glad you are doing well.  I just got a letter from some of the cousins in Wyoming and it was nice to know they really do still exist.  I loved it!  And I hope you also now I have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints as well.  And that is only because I now it is the Savior’s church just as he had it 2000 years ago.  Please continue to draw nearer to it, it will bring you nearer to Him and that is the ultimate goal.  Good luck everyone.  The future is as bright as your faith.

Love YA

   Elder Allred
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HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!

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