Week Nineteen

Birthday Cake made by Manisha

Manisha's Family

Birthday Card from Manisha

Inside of Birthday Card

Birthday Cards from Family Members

Namaste Family and Friends,

I just got done with a really good week here in India, but aren't they all good weeks? I think so. I think you can always find an excuse to have a good day.

This week was full of spiritual moments and assurances that our Heavenly Father is there for us. I know that He knows me personally, as well as all of you, and the 18 thousand million people I see every day. I don't know how it's possible, but I have felt the Holy Ghost confirm it to me many times, and I have seen others feel that same feeling. I don't think the 15 and a half million people on Earth today who have felt that same Spirit are crazy, not to mention the millions before us. This gospel truly isn't a fairytale or some story, it is real life. And it is truly the Church of God.

This week I don't have much to say about my daily life here in India or any crazy stories to tell you. Well I guess we did have one problem with an RSS weirdo trying to accuse us of trespassing in his country. I was able to be a little witty at the moment and helped him to understand that his Hindu leader and prime minister let us into the country, and so if we were truly trespassing he could go talk to his leader. Also he accused us of converting right there at the metro, and that's a word you never use in India as missionaries. So we told him no we were not converting but that we were inviting people to learn about Jesus Christ and then they could find out for themselves if what we teach is true, and that we do not force people into religion. I won't lie, the guy really irritated me and I wish I could have forced him into baptism so he could feel that same Spirit and stop being a problem to the work of the Lord. Oh well, he will get his chance to learn. 

I finally got to watch Conference this week and that was awesome. I miss the old President Monson, the one who I grew up watching wiggle his ears and being a really funny guy. I am still grateful for him though, even though he is old and struggles to speak for long periods of time he is truly a Prophet of God and the Savior has a plan for him. His messages were perfect and I loved when he said "Let us Love the Truth." I wrote that one down for sure. And of course my favorite...Jeffery R Holland. He only spoke in Priesthood but that man can make me feel the Spirit like no one else has ever been able to. You can tell when he speaks he just truly loves you, no matter if he's yelling or praising you. Conference overall was just great. But there was one talk I loved the most. It was given by Juan A. Uceda of the Seventy on Saturday morning session. 

In the talk Elder Uceda talked about how when he was serving as a missionary he was in South America somewhere. The other missionaries wanted to go to the Inca bridge that was pretty much a cliff and had a 2000 foot drop on the side. Although the talk was about prayer there was a great principle I learned in it, or rather relearned, that I feel is important. He had felt the prompting from the Holy Ghost not to go three different times. And he fell into peer pressure and the temptations of the devil and went anyways. He ended up falling and almost dying, while another Elder who had stopped along the trail had been there to save him, because that Elder listened to the prompting of the Holy Ghost that told him to stop. I loved this because it relates to me and others so well. I can remember distinctly a point in my life when I felt the Holy Ghost tell me to stop what I was doing. To just leave where I was, and to go home, to get away from the place where I was. He was pleading with me to just leave. But I chose to ignore those promptings..I chose to do what I wanted. Now most people recognize the Holy Ghost with happy feelings, especially during as time of their conversion. But in my personal conversion, I felt a different feeling, and this was a huge moment for me. Because what happened next I will never forget, I felt the Holy Ghost leave me. I felt him just leave my presence. And at that moment I knew that I had literally just told the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead, and the Spirit that testifies of Christ, to leave. Because at the time, in my thoughts, my will was greater than his. I look back on that time and realize how stupid I was, but how important that was for me to feel. To not have the Holy Ghost to lead and guide me was awful, he wasn't there anymore to protect me from mistakes. I knew from this experience that the Holy Ghost was real, and due to that knowledge I knew that the Church was true. I did my best from then on to start being better and to get that companionship of the Holy Ghost back in my life as soon as possible. Now just to settle things out I wasn't doing anything super crazy or wrong, I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. And all has been resolved. 

But what is important is that we listen to the Holy Ghost. We need him, and what a gift he is in our lives here on Earth. To be a constant companion and a friend to warn us, to help us reach our goal. And because of this same Holy Ghost, I have a new solid investigator. Our new friend Dilip, was completely guided towards us by the Holy Ghost. And it was a miracle. Dilip had been trying to find his way in life, and had been trying to find out more about Jesus. He was a Christian already but barely knew much about the religion. He had been going to different churches trying to find his way. And one day he went to a Baptist church, and attended some seminar they were having. He then asked the preacher at the end of the session, if there was a church closer to his home that he could attend. The preacher told him no, not a Baptist church. But then the preacher told him something very rare, he told him that there was a Mormon church in Sector 12 Dwarka, and that if he wanted to learn about us he needed to find the people in the white shirts and black tags. He then started home on the Metro and was about to go to Sector 12 to our church, but decided he would wait until Sunday because he didn't know if people would be there. He then got off at Dwarka Mor metro station to walk right into us, and to our surprise he came us to us and said "hello friends, I've been looking for you". It made my life...and he is now on a solid baptism date and is ready to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost throughout his entire life. 

I know the Holy Ghost lead him right to us and directed his every decision. Don't take for granted the Holy Ghost in your life, he will lead you to something far greater than you could imagine..all we have to do is Listen. 

I love you all and thanks for reading my letters. It means a lot to know that I can help others back home and I truly try to find out what you need so I can strengthen anyone possible. To my Grandma and Grandpa Evans who I heard bought a brand new laptop to read my letters...that brings tears to my eyes. That you would do that much to hear from me, I miss everyone of my family members and I pray for you all. 

You never forget where you come from. 

Elder Armstrong