Tuesday was the 4th of July - best day ever - and we got to have another lesson with K and T. We taught them the plan of salvation and it was SO GOOD. The Spirit was so strong and they soaked everything up. It was amazing to watch them learn - He literally said "wow" about 100 times. They were so in awe at the precious truths of God's plan for His children. They both kept saying, "We've never even heard this before" or "I've always wondered about that" and "that makes so much more sense than what I'd been taught". It was such a cool lesson because we got to read from the Book of Mormon SO MUCH. Just like it says in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, the plan of salvation really is outlined in that book. T has had a sister and 2 uncles die in the past few months - it was so joyous to teach them about the resurrection of all men and of how their family members are being taught in the Spirit world and how they can all be a family ETERNALLY in the Celestial Kingdom. Sister O and I marveled as we left that lesson - we have both known the truths of the restored gospel all our lives - loved them, but taken for granted at times - they have simply always been there. I thought on the words of Alma - Have ye felt to sing the song of redeeming love? Can ye feel so now? Also - they are reading the Book of Mormon and loving it. How could they not? :)
Bonus - we saw fire works as we drove home!!
Wednesday we had a lesson with A, who has been out of town for a while. She diligently reads and prays about the Book of Mormon - she wants to be baptized but is uncertain because she feels she needs to know and understand more. When we met we read in the Book of Mormon with her- she happened to be in 2 Nephi 3 where Lehi recounts Joseph of Egypt's prophesy about Joseph Smith. In 2 Nephi 3: it says that the restoration would bring people out of darkness and into light. She said that that is exactly how she felt as she began meeting with us - that we had brought her out of darkness and into light. we met with her on Friday as well. On Sunday, she came to church!! Just as she had promised to do about 3 weeks ago! She loved it - and will be back next week. :)
We weren't able to meet with R this week but we did meet her daughter on a different occasion? So they both want to learn so that's really cool and they both work a ton a ton a ton but I know that if it is God's will we will be able to get into their home and teach them.
I have had the coolest experiences in my personal study this week!! In the past.. 2 years or so my testimony of and conversion to the Book of Mormon as the word of God has deepened exponentially. I remember sitting at work in the drive through lanes of the credit union - in those quiet moments I would pour over the Book of Mormon for literally hours at a time. I hungered after that book - it changed me - it helped me to know of a surety that Jesus Christ lives and loves me. I could speak volumes about the wonders that are contained in the Book of Mormon and still feel that I had not done it any kind of justice. (I guess you'll have to go and read and pray about it yourself, huh?) However, I never have had a similar love and hungering for the Bible. I believed it to be God's word and to be true but I never had a real connection with that Book. Well, I've repented. I'm not really sure when the change happened but I guess there's just something about being in the "bible belt". All day long I hear people profess their love for the Bible and quote from it and the Lord has been creating in me this desire to understand that zeal that I see here. This week I began to study the New Testament from the beginning, using the other standard works and Talmage's Jesus the Christ as references. The exact same desperation and excitement that I felt when reading the Book of Mormon has filled me as I read the Bible!I have to tear myself away from it to study anything else - I cannot get enough - it is how I spend almost any of my free time. I am learning so much about Jesus Christ and how He lived and taught and about the organization of the Church and I LOVE the Bible. The Holy Ghost has blessed me with a sure testimony that it has power, just as the Book of Mormon does, to change hearts and minds and bring us to salvation.
I love Georgia. I sometimes want to buy a UGA shirt and then I remember very clearly my father's voice: Don't come home a bulldogs fan! which I just think is funny that I always remember.
Yours,
Sister Emma Caroline Gore
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| Happy fourth!! |
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| Sisters and their car |
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