4 months already?!?!?!

Oi familia!

I seriously cannot believe that it's been four months.  At times, I definitely can see how I feel like I've been out here forever.  But, in the grand scheme of time, I feel like my time as a missionary has been so short.  

So transfers are this Wednesday, but we don't really need to worry.  Elder Weaver and I are staying together in Wellington (transfer number 3!) and we're super excited to be here.  We're getting another visa-waiter moved to our district (Sister Beus from Tremonton) and beyond that our whole district is staying the exact same.  We're super pumped for that.  Elder Weaver and I were discussing the other day how close our district was and how thrilled we are that we got to serve with them, and now it gets to continue!

So, our cool experience of the week didn't really have anything to do with an investigator, though we had a number of cool teaching experiences this week.  Elder Weaver and I had to share a miracle story during our conference call this week and we were discussing what to share last night.  The whole time we were talking about it we said "We've definitely seen miracles this transfer, but none of them feel like we should share them."  Then we pondered for a bit and we both said, "we need to share about our class", so the story goes like this.  Last transfer, nearer to the end, I was frustrated that we were seeing less member missionary work than I wanted to see, so Elder Sutherland and I sought for some inspiration about how we could get more member involvement.  Elder Sutherland and I came up with ideas of sharing Preach My Gospel and The District (training videos we watch) with the ward.  We presented the idea to something of a lukewarm response from the Ward Council. Then I brought the idea to Elder Motes and he thought it would be cool and we should present it, to which we got a slightly better response. Then Elder Weaver and I presented it a third time to the Ward Council and they started to catch the vision.  Elder Weaver and I had companion study the next day and said, "It's probably going to be a lot better if we actually show up with a plan and an idea of something we want to do, rather than just say 'oh, we have an idea of something...'" so we went to work.  We watched videos, we examined Preach My Gospel, and after about a week of planning and prayer we presented the idea to the Ward Council.  They loved it and asked us to show it to the Bishop when he returned from vacation.  We went back home and for companion study every day until then, we reviewed it.  We refined it.  We pruned some pieces while letting other pieces grow and develop.  We wanted to make sure that everything we said, presented, testified, and did, was 100% the will of the Lord.  We presented it to the Bishop in it's finalized format and he said "Absolutely.  Do it for the 5th Sundaymeeting in two weeks."  During this time, the Stake and the Ward have really began pushing member missionary work and President Willams (stake president) said, "Delete the old way of doing missionary work from your minds.  It's time for a new vision."  We went into class yesterday with the Spirit bearing powerful witness to us that this lesson was in the Lord's hands.  We went to and taught and testified with the Spirit.  After the lesson was over Elder Weaver and I both agreed, that everything we said was exactly what the Lord wanted the people of the ward to hear so they could catch this new vision of missionary work.  Our emphasis was on inviting.  Simply inviting people to partake of this glorious thing we call the gospel.  If we don't invite, they can't see what we have.  So, go and invite!  Invite people to church! Invite people to read the Book of Mormon! Invite people to come unto Christ! Invite people everywhere to be a part of the gospel of peace and joy!

The gospel is true.  I'm spending two years of my life proclaiming the most glorious message the world has known, second to the coming of Jesus Christ Himself.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the kingdom of God once again established on the earth.  We have modern prophets and we have the opportunity to hear from them this weekend.  What a blessing!  

Eu vos amo!

Elder Evans