Week Twenty-One

Hello again, It's Elder Armstrong.

I hope all of you had a great week. Mine was super. 

Number one on my list. Happy Birthday Parker. I miss you so much man, congratulations on an undefeated season and being such an impact player on the team. I love getting your highlights and pictures from dad. You make me proud and you wear that number 6 really well. No one else would I want to wear that number. I hope you had a good birthday and I was thinking of you, you're 16 and a Priest now. Blessing the Sacrament is a great blessing and always live worthy to hold that Priesthood. Oh and how could I forget...take the keys from mom and the money from dad and go on a few dates. Have fun in high school you only get it once and it goes fast, now prepare to start ballin and breakin some ankles on the court. Love you man.

As far as my week, I had a great one. Yesterday I was able to have my first baptism. I baptized a kid named Varun Shuklah. He is 11 years old and is a great kid. I didn't teach him, the other elders here in Dwarka had taught him, but when his family was getting baptized he chose me to baptize him. I have taught him a few times in Primary and his mom is in my English and Gospel Principles classes and I became good friends with him as I saw him every Sunday. I'm thankful for the opportunity to baptize him and exercise my Priesthood in that manner, and also very humbled that he chose me. He's a great kid. 

This week we found new investigators and they are really great. We found a family that may be the first family or investigators I teach that truly accepts the gospel and will progress. They have been searching for it. I'll let you in on a little secret of finding out someone’s religious history in India and whether they are originally Hindu or if they are from a Christian background. Their names. I baptized my friend named Varun Shuklah, but my new investigators names are Alfred, Wilfred, Sandra, Queenie, Neelum, and the baby Jayden and their last name is Palmer. That was quite a shock and I felt I would never hear that kind of a name in India, you know, something I could pronounce. They are so great and I have had two great lessons with them. They love the Priesthood and the Plan of Salvation and are really accepting. Which is exactly what I felt I needed to share today with you all back at home. The blessings and reality of Eternal families. 

As you all know, I am in India. I am far far away from my family who I love, so much. I love everyone really and I miss you all. I think that coming on a mission takes a lot of faith in the Plan of Salvation.  My faith is slowly building to where I want it to be. But at any time I could lose a family member or friend.  Any of us could lose someone we love, maybe it could even be our time to go as well and that's a scary thing to me. But it comforts me to have Faith, Hope, and Trust in our Heavenly Father and His Plan for us. I trust in Him and I know he loves us. I know that Families are Forever and I love to testify of this truth to others and bring the Holy Ghost into the room to help them understand that they will see their family and friends again. As I told you about our new investigators, the father's name is Alfred. Alfred is a great guy, he loves to fish and he often watches fishing videos on the Internet, and even though he has a pole and a tackle box it's been years since he has been fishing. In just a few short days, I’ve really built a relationship with Alfred and his family. And I've come to know that Alfred lost his wife in 2013, and Wilfred, Queenie, and Sandra lost their mother. They figured they would see their mother again in Heaven, as most Christian families do. But I would dare say they didn't have true faith in that principle and in sharing with them the Plan of Salvation lesson, the Holy Ghost was able to testify of the truths of the restored gospel. I was able to sit through a very spiritual lesson and let the Holy Ghost speak through me, that baby Jayden was not long ago with our Heavenly Father and that Alfred's dear wife would be with him again, and that as a whole, their family could be together forever. I was able to bear testimony, of a family back home, literally an entire valley of people I love, that no matter what happens to any of us, we can be together forever. This is Heavenly Fathers plan, it is real, and it is true. Families are Eternal, and through the blessings and sacred ordinances of the temple we can seal together our Families, to never be separated. 

Brothers and Sisters…Heavenly Father misses us and loves us more than we can ever comprehend, he wants us to be with Him, but first we had to be away from Him to learn and grow and work towards perfection and to progress and build faith. He's only two kneeling knees and a prayer away. Build your faith in Eternal families. There is so much peace and comfort in this Eternal truth. 

Love you all so much, thanks for the birthday letters I am still getting in the mail one month later. Grandma Sandra your letter made it to me, and Grandma Norma thanks for your letters as well. It means a lot and I know I truly have a family back home that is eternally together. 

Love Elder Armstrong

Varun Shuklah's Baptism

Playing around on P-day