Fourth Floor, Last Door!

Hey Everyone!

-Update on Thomas, Jamie and Lorraine. Met with Thomas and Jamie twice, but sadly not with Lorraine :( She had surgery on her mouth and was unable to meet with us.  We taught Thomas and Jamie the plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thomas is SO excited to be baptized!  His enthusiasm just gets to me.  He has a lot of deep questions from studying with the Jehovah's witnesses that I have to tell him, "I'll go and study that and bring you back an answer," which has just helped me to understand the doctrine better.  Unfortunately Thomas was sick this Sunday and couldn't make it to church so his baptismal date will have to be changed :( But I have the faith that it's all going to work out! 

-Diego! I've totally neglected talking about him. He is the nephew of a member in our ward Sister Hernandez. We've met with him for 3 Sundays in a row now and he came to church!  We taught him the Plan of Salvation lesson last night and I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited about it!  He was like "I've always wondered what salvation is and this is it!  I'm going to go home and share this with my family!"  He is 19 though so we will have to be turning him over to the YSA soon :( 

-The Women's Conference!! Did you watch it?? Holy cow I felt the spirit so strongly the tears just flowed. There was such an urgency and power to their messages. A very powerful moment for me was when the choir sang "How Firm a Foundation." The 7th verse states,

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; that soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake, 

I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!"

Can you feel the power of those words? I looked at those girls and wondered if they truly grasped the meaning of those words. That all hell is and is already endeavoring to shake them from their knowledge of the truth, but that they are choosing to never forsake Christ and His gospel. 

Each talk was truly so inspired. Charity. The Atonement. Doctrine. Faith. That is what is important.  We were both inspired by Pres. Uchtdorf's talk and the experience he shared about the missionaries who knocked every door of an apartment complex with no luck until they came to the fourth floor, last door. Which ended up being Pres. Uchtdorf's wife and her mother.  We now have a chant of "Fourth Floor, Last door!"

I've heard recently about some kind of 84 page document running around the church that is using intellect to prove the church and it's doctrine wrong or something to that effect.

I am so grateful that my testimony doesn't stem from how I think Joseph Smith was completely perfect so that any story I hear about him doesn't lead me to believe these things aren't true.  My testimony doesn't have its foundation in people, or procedures, or applications.  It's in Jesus Christ.  That I have felt His comforting arms around me, and the blessing of His Atonement.  I have felt the relief from burdens and guilt.  I have a testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost.  It's a feeling that overcame me when I prayed about the decision to serve a mission.  It is a feeling that literally guides and directs everything that I have done as a missionary.  My testimony is in the Book of Mormon, the way I feel when I read and the "light bulb moments' When something totally clicks and I find my answers.  It comes from the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father that hears and answers my prayers because I have seen that evidence time and time again.  It comes from knowing that God's authority is on the earth today when a patriarch, a man I have never met, can place his hands on my head and speak of exact direction and guidance personally for me from Heavenly Father.  This authority had to be restored and it is by that authority that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is lead and directed.  That is my testimony. 

Watch conference this weekend! I love you all! 

Love, Sister Dearden