Week #56

O fa Fawaka nanga yu?

This week was a really good one. GUESS WHAT I got my ingrown toenail removed. Boy I feel like Alma the Younger. Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea,and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand,there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. Seriously it was the same experience. But the only down side is it's wrapped up in the cast thing and I have a very big big toe right now. I had to cut one of my crocs open to be able to wear a shoe. The work must go on. It's pretty funny. I for sure felt like a real missionary walking around with a shoe with the soul almost falling off and a cut open croc. Anyways my left foot will probably get done here in the near future. But this week was really good. We are really searching for families to be baptized and sealed in the temple someday. That has been a huge goal of mine this last transfer. We were able to reactivate a man named Avien. He hadn't been to church in 3 years and he's been back for two weeks in a row and loves the church and is converted. We are currently looking for some baptismal dates because right now it's a little slow on the investigators but It's about to explode just now. As long as we stay diligent the Lord will provide. My companion in awesome. We barely speak English and it's a blast. It's been a good experience for me to really immerse myself in the language. Anyway Love you all!!-Elder Lewis

P.S.  His new shoes were in the mail before he posted this photo.  I promise I'm taking good care of him!!  His caption to this photo was, "Am I a REAL missionary yet?"

Week #55

Dearest Family and Friends,

I hope that everyone had a good week because we did! This week was awesome. We are just working as hard as we possibly can to try and re-spark this area and we've found a lot of success in talking to everyone and stressing the importance of families. It's something that I am just barely starting to understand and that is the importance of families in salvation. I know that as we have been praying to find families we've been finding them. We had a super awesome success this week with a less active member named Avien. He came to church for the first time in 3 years and loved it. It was such an awesome miracle. Also with our investigators and Mieto and Marchinie we had kind of a drop-in lesson with them and talked about keeping the commandments and committed them to talk together and make plans to be married and baptized. 

  One of the cool spiritual experiences I have been able to have this week is the power of promptings or inspiration we can receive daily from the Holy Ghost. I know that our obedience to promptings from the Holy Ghost are directly related to the amount we receive. I know something I have been trying to apply in my life is 100% obedience to inspiration received from the Holy Ghost and I have seen that as we do that, we find more elect people because we are looking to be inspired to stop or to open our mouths. 

  There is no better work that missionary work! A scripture I would love to share with you all is this one is Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

How powerful of a phrase? Are we doing these exact things? I know that we have all, in one way or another, been hungry, poor, naked and thirsty. These can mean temporal but as well, maybe even especially, spiritual. I know that we have so many people around us who need to be strengthened. And in the fulfillment of your baptismal covenant to mourn with those who mourn and to comfort those who stand in need of comfort I invite you all to reach out and find someone who needs strengthening. Be it a less active member, member, or someone who is not yet a member. I promise is will bless your life exceedingly and you will come to know in a more personal way what the Savior has already done for you. 

-Elder Lewis

Week #54

Hello Everyone!

Well, transfer calls have arrived. I am staying in Koewarasan! WOOOHOOOO I am pretty pumped. My companion is actually a mini missionary here from Suriname so that will be super fun! No English for 6 weeks!!! Our investigators in our area are kinda falling off which is ok because we need some new ones. We have found family that turns out to be really good friends with a family in our branch. I am really excited for that. Elder Hood is going home this week and I am super sad. Such an awesome guy who literally changed my life. This last week in studying I have had a good time reading the New Testament. It's so fun to read about the life of Jesus Christ and all He taught in his earthly ministry. I really enjoyed this verse out of 2 Nephi chapter 18.

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

I really enjoyed this verse because I think a lot of us in when we are in the furnace of trials tend to turn inward and focus only on the bad part but I have found that it is important to look to Him. And wait patiently on Him we will learn much more than just how to grit our teeth through trials. I'm grateful for our Savior and His grace and enabling power to push us through every trial we could ever go through. I love Him. And I love you all! Have a good week and read your scriptures!!

-Elder Lewis

Week #53

Hello!
This week was so amazing. We saw so many miracles that they are almost too much to count. We found our Cayman that is living in out trench and I held a boa constrictor! all in the same day. But we had awesome service and all sorts of wonderful things that have happened (sorry for being so broad)

We had an awesome week in our area. We found a Family!!!! It was so cool how we found them. Elder Hood and I have been fasting for new investigators and we had prayed very diligently to be lead by the spirit because our day had fallen through and we just were not sure why we were where we were. We were on our way to another appointment and we passed a man that was working on his brom. I felt like we needed to stop so we turned around and he invited us in and we taught about the restoration. We had called him Sunday morning to invite him to church and he came... We were so surprised and happy but he brought his wife and two boys as well!!! AND it gets even better! It turns out that a sister in our branch is best friends with his wife?! It was just such an inspired thing! The member has finished the 21 day challenge with not much success from it but then this happens. She wasn't on her list but I know it came from a result of her diligent prayer! It was just such a sweet experience. We are teaching their whole family on Tuesday with the members so we are super excited. The branch just took them in. I have learned this week that the Lord really does work through his missionaries. I know that the Holy Ghost inspires those who ask to be lead. I love this work and all of you! 

-Elder Lewis