Bike Nonsense

Hey friends and family!

Not a super busy week this week. But that's okay! Life is not always meant to be busy. We just had to spend more time than I'd like fixing bike problems. After 5 months biking, I finally got a flat tire. Which took much longer to fix than it should have, because there were multiple holes.

We do have an investigator who is looking pretty good. Her son is a member of the church, and she's been taught before. She was raised Catholic, but admits she was never all that into it. We've had two lessons with her since I've been here, and I've been really impressed by her feelings towards the church and the Book of Mormon. When she reads, she reads a lot of it, because she likes it a lot, and she knows that what we teach makes her feel good. She's open to being baptized, but wants to understand more first. We'll be working on that, and on helping her make it out to church and make friends there!

We also got to go on exchanges this week. I was with Elder Parsons, our district leader. Still on bike :P It wasn't too bad though, I'm fairly used to it. Well, it wasn't bad until I bumped into his wheel at the end of the day. Now mine has a nice S shape in it. We borrowed a spoke wrench from a member, and have pulled it back into a (mostly) round shape, but now the spoke tension isn't even, and I'll probably just have to buy a new wheel eventually. Darn.

I was reading John 16 this week, and was struck by the verse about "joy no man taketh from you" in relation to the Apostles learning of Christ's resurrection. It reminds me of Moroni 9:25, where Mormon tells his son to not be sorrowful forever because of the sins of his brethren. These are some of the most fallen, vile sinners, who Mormon and his son have been working with for years to convince to repent, and Mormon says there's a reason to be joyful? That reason is Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. His role as Creator, Redeemer, and Friend. His part in the Plan of Salvation and in our individual lives. His prophets, in the past and the future. We are to be joyful because He loves us, loves us enough that we can be joint-heirs with Him, and that no person besides ourselves can take that from us. I'm so grateful to know that there is a purpose in life because of my Savior. I'm honored to be able to follow Him.

Thank you for your support!
Elder Adams

Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs

Hey everyone!

It's so weird to be in a new apartment. I'm not used to having different stuff yet, or being in a different place. Bakersfield doesn't have a grid system, how does anyone know where they live?? Also our area is really flat and dense with development, so seeing anything but city doesn't seem to happen, haha.

Olive knolls is a swell place though! It's real wealthy, but the people are pretty polite. Also the members of our church are really cool. We get fed a lot and they come out with us half the nights in a week, even if we don't have lessons set up.

We don't have a lot of investigators right now, but there are some part member families that are good potentials and lots of people who past missionaries just seem to have lost track of. It'll take a lot of prayer and work, but this place is gonna be hopping!

Not much to say about individual days this week. They're all pretty much the same, haha. That's alright though, it's good to get in a little bit of a routine so I can get a feel for how to get around. We're still on bike, after all :P

A lot of what we've been doing is working with less-active families. Several times this week I've gotten to be with and teach families who have had loved ones pass on recently. I don't have much experience with that, so I worried what I would say. But the words came, and I learned something important. I don't understand, but the Savior does. I've felt His love, and know that kind of feeling can't be from someone who doesn't understand. As the scriptures say, He truly has "borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." He knows us, and mourns with us. He rejoices with us and shares our burdens. I know that Christ lives and loves us with an undimmable love, even when we stray.

Thanks for everything!
Elder Adams