Bike Odometer: 71.05
So I wrongfully assumed that my first few weeks in the mission field would go slow, boy was I wrong. The odd time warp that existed in the MTC has seemed to carry out into the field. This last week has just flown by. Its amazing how out of the loop you are once you enter the mission field. For example, I didn't remember the super bowl until somebody mentioned something like 2 days before, and I didn't even know who was playing until the day before. Congratulations Saints on your first Super Bowl appearance and win.
Anyhow, onto more spiritual things. I really wish I had known how much the Book of Mormon means to me sometime before I left on my mission and only had less than an hour a day to read it. If you're not reading it READ IT NOW! I have tried to maximize my time, and have gotten through most of it in the last two weeks, but I've been sacrificing my study time to do so. So that won't be going on much longer. I attended a baptism last week. Not for one of my investigators, but for another companionship's investigators. They had asked us to speak after the baptism, so we taught most of the 1st lesson. I cannot recall another time in my life when I have been able to teach by the power of the spirit as well as I did then. It was truly a remarkable experience. After that baptism, I was more eager to teach than ever. For all of my Non Member friends reading this, you better be wary for my return, cause I'm going to be a baptizing machine.
Speaking of, I have my first Baptism coming up this Sunday. I'm super excited for it. The spirit is so strong at Convert Baptisms. Oh that reminds me! I had my first dog chase me yesterday evening, It was so exciting! Elder Asay and I were on our bikes riding down the road, and we passed this farm, and as we were riding by, these Dogs started barking at us, and one of them took off after us. There was no fence on this farm. The dog quickly fell in step behind our bikes while continuing to bark. I barked back (anybody who knows me should not be surprised by this fact). It was an exciting moment in my mission.
I'll tell you one thing I'm not used to seeing, and that's palm trees and fruit trees everywhere! I had Oranges straight from a tree the other day, and I threw a lemon straight from a tree down my disposal (apparently that's supposed to make it smell better, though I'm not sure that's possible for our disposal). So, the exciting work continues!
I am truly glad to be here in Turlock, California, and the members here are great. And so is my companion! Elder Asay is just a huge goof. I hope when he gets home he gets online and reads this. You hear that Elder Asay? You're a freaking goof! He is a great teacher though, but he doesn't think so.
So as of February 6th I've been on my mission for one month. I bought sparkling cider to celebrate. Only 1 year and 11 months left to do the Lords work. I better make it count. One thing I didn't touch on last week was Church Tours. Its a program that was piloted by the Washington Tacoma mission, and has since spread forth to select few other missions. California Fresno is one of them, and as of right now we're going through training and plan on taking non members through as of March 1st.
Here is what a Church Tour consists of: First, we meet the participant of the church tour outside the church building and tell them about how the world is a noisy place, and as they go in the building they may notice a change, because the building is a place that has been dedicated to Christ. Then we take them in, and we talk to them about how Jesus Christ is the center of our church, and how he is in almost every single painting you'll see in one of our church buildings. Then we take them to a picture of the robed Christ, and we ask them what comes to their mind when they look into the eyes of the savior. Then we teach them about Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end. Then we take them into the chapel, we tell them about the different size benches and the importance of bringing your whole family to the service, small children and all, then we tell them about the Bishop, about how he's not paid, and we tell them about how all the talks are done by members of the congregation called upon in advance, and not just the Bishop. Then we take them to the sacrament table, and explain to them about the importance of it. About how Jesus did it with his apostles, and about how take it to remember him, and to remember and renew our baptismal covenants. Then we take them into the hall and show them a picture of Jesus and his Apostles, then We show them a picture of Jesus coming to the Americas, then we show them a picture of Jesus being baptized, then we show them the baptismal font. Then we sit down and teach them the rest of the first lesson. Through out the whole thing we commit them to come to church, come to a baptism, pray to know that the Book of Mormon is true (it is), and then we wrap it all up by committing them to be baptized. And now you know more about church tours then you ever cared to know. But yeah, that's what we'll be doing in a few weeks. Sorry to go into so much detail, but they said that in areas where they started church tours, baptisms tripled, so you can see why I might be exciting.
The Church is true. I can now say that without a shadow of a doubt. The words I teach are true, the book I read is true, the prophet I follow is true. The work I am doing is ordained of God. For those of you who question the sincerity of my message, or the religion that I preach, I exhort you to find out for yourselves. Read the Book of Mormon, talk to missionaries, and most importantly, pray to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, and ask him if it is true. I can promise each and everyone of you, that if you are sincere in your desire to know, if you truly want to know, then God will testify to you of the truthfulness of this Gospel, through the power of the Holy Ghost. What could you possibly have to lose? I bear to you my testimony, In the name of our savior, Jesus Christ, amen.
I am a Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I love you all.
Elder Keenan Monnett
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