I'm Sorry that I haven't been in recent correspondence with the majority of you all. This past few weeks have been kinda hard. Elder frost and I decided to start this new transfer we'd take all of our investigators who aren't really progressing and we'd sideline them, so basically we have 3 investigators lmao. So we have been focused on expanding our teaching pool, what this means is that we have been going finding and tracting for hours on end. Most days we spend two or three hours finding. The weather has been warming up and we were excited and so we decided we'd devote the second half of yesterday to finding. We woke up to rain clouds and the clatter of rain. What went from Sunny skies and scorching heat turned into rain and wind. Unphazed we went out into the rain to go finding. We spent a few hours in pouring rain walking the length of the city trying to find anyone to teach, no one would listen to us or even stop for us. The wind cut like daggers of ice and the chill seeped to your bones. After a few hours we were both soaked. To add to all this a man started yelling at us profanely. To be honest we felt cold, tired, defeated, and admittedly a little discouraged. As we started to head home we had the oddest prompting. God knew exactly where we were. It felt like God was looking at us right at that moment and told us to push on in his name. Immediately the hymn forward Christian soldier came into my head. With a little more inspiration we pushed on. The rain slowed and we kept finding until we had to go back for curfew. To be honest we didn't find anyone that day, or any of the previous days this week. I wish this story had a happier ending. I wish we had found someone last minute like all those other amazing mission stories people share. But we didn't. I won't forget that night where the wind cut like ice and where the rain pounded against us because I knew that God knew where I was and more importantly he knew what I was doing in his name. It doesn't matter that no one wanted to listen to us because at the end of the day im doing this for my savior Jesus christ. After we Got back inside I threw down my keys and my book of Mormon and I took a picture. It reminded me that at the end of the day that's all we have left. The keys and guidance of the priesthood, and the book of Mormon. Those are our two tools out here but I'll take those odds because these two things have the power to Change lives.
This reminds me of another story. We have been teaching this man named Andreas. Andreas is a millionaire chemist who's life is based on the natural world and what he can see, but since his youth he's wanted to find more. He wants to know if the book of Mormon is the word of God. We taught him a lesson a few weeks ago and he said he'd read but praying was something else for him. He didn't want to pray because he couldn't see who he was talking to. But he read. This week when we came over he had a long list of all his questions and concerns about the book. Line by line we went through all his concerns and answered his questions but he still was unconvinced. He said "this is great and all but I still don't know if it is true, I haven't felt it the holy ghost ever in my life how could I ever feel it now" and then he turned to me and asked "how do you know elder Miner that the book of Mormon is true?" I took a pause and reflected internally, what is my "proof?" then dozens of things rushed to my mind. As many of You know I haven't always been the picture perfect Christian. At one point I felt like it was hopeless. It was the words of the book of Mormon that brought me hope. It was that book that brought me comfort. I shared with him a powerful testimony of my conversion through that book and the redemptive power of christ's atonement. I bore testimony of how He changed my life from The husk of hopelessness it was to the beautiful and amazing life he had built for me. Afterwards he looked at me and said "well that's quite nice isn't it" and we sat for a second in this room where the spirit was so strong. We then decided to show him a video called "hope of God's light" or the German title "Gottes Licht schenkt Hoffnung" it is probably my favorite church video of all time and I'll add the link below but I love it so much and it always brings the spirit. We share it with him and afterwards we stood there. The spirit was one of the strongest I've felt. His whole demeanor had changed. He offered to say the closing prayer. He wouldn't pray before. His prayer in his simple elegant German was one of the most sincere and humble prayers I've ever heard, from a man who doesn't know if there is a God or if he is listening. I testify that He is there and He is listening. Andreas has a long way to go before he finds all his answers but he is taking some crucial and beautiful first steps in faith. I promise that if we pray to God he is listening and he will answer our prayers. We are never alone and there is more than just what we can see. Especially when things seem bleak hold on to hope and find faith to push forward.
I want to promise you all that if you hold out through the storms of life he will be there. He will fight for you and he will carry you home. Jesus is the christ. You are a son or daughter of God. The storms may be huge and intense and might seem as though they shall swallow you up but I promise you that they too shall pass. General conference is coming up and this is an amazing opportunity to recieve personal inspiration. If you come with questions I promise you as a servant of the lord that you will receive answers if you have an open and humble heart and a desire to act.
Find faith in the storm,
Elder Miner
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