Letter from Sept 11, 2017
Hello, Friends :)
This week has been a pretty good one! It's also been super short since we had our last preparation day on Wednesday. It's been a while since I have been able to write a decent and detailed weekly email, so there is a lot of stuff that has happened that I could talk about. Hopefully I will be able to hit the important stuff haha :)
So, this week has been a lot of meetings and preparing for meetings. We had Mission Leadership Council on Friday which ran from 9:30 until around 4:30ish. I always love being able to learn from the leadership of the mission! It helps a lot to be able to see what is happening in other zones and figure out what we can do differently to help the missionaries we are over.
Due to the meetings and planning we have been doing this last week, we haven't had as much time as I would like to get out and find some solid investigators. We have been praying that we would be able to find some time. This week, we have had 2 or 3 solid investigators literally fall into our laps! Just yesterday, we were about to start our morning planning when we get a call from an unrecognized phone number. We answered it, and it was a Jewish man who believes in Christ and has already read up to Alma 42 in the Book of Mormon and LOVES it! We talked with him over the phone for about an hour and a half trying our best to answer his questions. He has some pretty legit questions!!! Due to his busy work schedule, he said he wouldn't be able to meet in person this week. So, we are going to have a video chat or phone call lesson tomorrow morning! Miracles!
Another miracle is that Jacob's mom let him come to church yesterday!!!! That was amazing! But the miracle doesn't end there. So, yesterday the YSA stake we are a part of had a stake conference where President Russell M. Nelson came and spoke. Sadly, we were not able to attend... BUT Happy and Mikee (Jacob's older sisters who are recent converts) were able to make it! They took Jacob with them and guess who tagged along?!?!?!? THEIR MOM!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it when Jacob told us she went with them! Their Mom is super against the church, and the fact that she went to the TEMPLE grounds to listen to an APOSTLE is a miracle!!!!! Looks like Jacob might be able to be baptized sooner than we had thought he could. We are even having a lesson with Jacob AT HIS HOUSE this week! That's HUGE!!!!! Wow, I am so grateful for Heavenly Father helping to soften her heart this week :) Please keep Jacob and his Mom in your prayers!
Another miracle is John. John is one of our new investigators who was also given to us straight from Heavenly Father! So, about a month and a half ago the YSA sisters found him sitting on the front steps of the church building. They talked with him and offered to show him around the inside of the building. He agreed and they showed him the chapel and the baptismal font and some other things. Nothing really came of it until just recently. One day, John just randomly showed up for sacrament meeting saying he wanted to see firsthand what Mormons believe and practice!! One of the members talked with him and introduced him to us. We took him through the rest of church and he said he really enjoyed it and wanted to learn more from us! We have now taught him three times and he LOVES the scriptures! He has very in depth questions which luckily we have been able to answer using the scriptures :) He has been to church two times now, and plans to continue attending! Heavenly Father is definitely taking the reins on our finding!
Well, that's about all I have time for this week! I am so grateful for all the amazing things I am learning on my mission. I can honestly say that my mission has changed my life and continues to shape me every day! I love it and I love this gospel! I hope you all have an incredible week. Love you all!
Elder Snell
