Christ > Everything

Hey everyone!

Tuesday we had a lesson with Stacey again! Good lesson, with the Bishop about the word of wisdom. She was basically living it already because of a heart condition, so not a problem. Glad the Bishop was there because he resolved some other concerns for us and helped us make plans to help Stacey in the future. I see a lot of value in working closely with the bishop in the future! We also contacted a funky referral. His apartment was SUPER nice. Very well decorated. But he was stoned out of his gourd. He was telling us all about the "church of the elders" (our church) and how he was going to get  his driver's license but still wanted us to drive him places (we kept telling him we didn't have a car.) Good times.

On Wednesday we did lots of service. We helped a little old lady with her yard, then helped another member move her fridges around. It's not big stuff, but it breaks up the routine. We also had an awesome lesson with Mike! We were just teaching about the restoration and he already knows some of it, plus he  has read some of the Book of Mormon before, but the Spirit was still strong and we still helped answer his questions, so it was a great success.

On Thursday we planned. Didn't get too much else done, until on the way home from trying to find a referral, a girl and her friend pulled over to talk to us. She had  a list of questions she asks missionaries (a bad sign) and proceeded to ask us them. Many are what would be hard questions, ones that lead to bible bashing and the Spirit leaving faster than a little kid after church. It's a fascinating thing, how the Spirit allows us to not be confounded. It all comes down to the simple things about the Gospel, faith and prayer, coming to know what cannot be seen and feel what cannot be touched. And it is wonderful to testify that although signs and wonders follow the faithful, and evidence may abound (or lack) the witness of the Spirit is the only knowledge that can last through anything.

On Friday we went and talked to those same people who wanted to bash with us, with all the questions. We said we'd come back, and we did. Gotta be honest in our dealings, even if it seems unpleasant. But we got to see the fulfillment of prophecy: we were not confounded by the philosophies of men. We did not have to leave because we "lost the argument." We left because we had given the portion to be meted and did as the Spirit directed. How grateful I am to be able to feel the whispering and confirmation of the Spirit of God!

On Saturday we worked. And uh... worked. And worked some more. It wasn't particularly eventful. But hey, not every day is.

Sunday is mother's day! So happy day to all the moms who do great work and all the great girls and women who don't have kids but are still great and do their part. Shout out to my mom, who I got to talk to, who is the best. Some of my fondest memories of home life in high school are just chatting with her all the time. She's raised me from  before I was wearing diapers, so before I was born! Also a lesser but also cool shout out to any female who has ever given me advice because I promise I really do value it a lot and giving counsel is a mom thing to do. But my Mom is my favorite.

We were given a talk about teaching this week on Friday during district meeting. It was partially about the Savior's Atonement itself and how we remember it, but also about the fact that since it is the "root of all Christian doctrine," everything we teach and do should be able to be related back to it. It's given me a lot more perspective on how and what I teach, and why testimony of the Savior and His atonement often gets things back on track. I'm truly grateful for this church, and how everything in it points towards Jesus Christ, like the Law of Moses but less exacting and more complete. I think it's significant that the only symbols in the chapels of our buildings are the sacrament and the altar it is on- one from the beginning of the world and the other chosen and begun by the Lord Himself. It is such a precious experience we can have each week at church.

Thanks everyone! Have a good summer! I mean week, not summer.
Elder Adams