Happy 2017!

January 2, 2017

This has been a week of finding for us! So many people were not home or told us to come back this week! That left us with a lot of time and no set appointments! So we did a lot of tracting. This week we hope to use our "extra" time with member visits. It truly is the work of the members and we are here to assist them. I would encourage you all back home to do your best to assist the missionaries in the work of salvation. There are people who need the gospel! I remember when our family would set a date and try to have someone we could introduce to the missionaries by then. I was so worried that we needed to find the perfect prepared person. I would encourage all of you to look at every person you meet as though they are the ones who need to be taught by the missionaries. Help everyone to come closer to Jesus Christ! It is such a blessing to help someone have a better life, especially because of the Restored Gospel!

We had lots of great plans for this past week, but it seems as though Satan got in the works and told everyone to not be home this week. :P Hopefully we will be able to see each of our investigators this week! I am so excited to teach J. and his family. I know that this gospel can help him. I feel so blessed these past two weeks! I have felt God's hand in helping me to improve! I have been working on just loving and serving people. My heart has grown so much, and I feel so much more joy out here in the mission field! It is AWESOME!

We were able to have a wonderful lesson with L., who is a member but is less-active and doesn't feel like he has a testimony of the church. We were previously just reading the scriptures with him, but we decided that he wasn't really progressing that way. He needed more. So we set him up with daily scripture study. We got him to think of some questions that he wants answered; he is going to study each day with those questions in mind. I know that his scripture reading will help him to progress!

We taught A. the Plan of Salvation again and during the lesson, out of the blue she just says "I don't believe that your church is the only church that has authority to baptize." We were like what?!? We had taught her this twice just a few weeks previous. We told her to pray and ask God because He is the one who really has the answer. She agreed to do that. I pray that she has a desire to progress!

Elder Dickson was sick on Saturday, so we were at home all day. :) But he is now feeling better! Blessings are for real!

Have a wonderful beginning of 2017!

Love,

Elder Petrie