Hello All!
I hope that things are going well in the blessed homeland! Things up here are going quite swimmingly (seriously. I feel like I am swimming every time I walk out the Door. It's SO Humid here!) Things are going well though.
So we had an interesting experience last night. We dropped by Lee and he wasn't feeling good, so we were walking back to the car and looked at the apartment building across the street, and we saw that something on one of the balconies had caught fire. So we called the fire department and then went into the building, pulled the fire alarms and knocked on all the doors (something we have a lot of practice at) telling people to get out of the building. We got everybody out safe and the fire department came and quickly got the fire under control. It was not very big of a fire, probably only about the size of a campfire, and there was not a huge amount of damage from what I saw outside, but it was a rewarding experience. The superintendent of the Building came up to us after (Everybody was outside waiting) and he said, "Thanks for what you did. My name is Douglas - Apartment 102. Come by in a couple days or so. I want to talk to you." That was cool. Hopefully we will see some fruit from that. So that was our eventful experience for the night. Definitely a Journal Moment. Anyway....
We were able to meet with L.J. and Jermaine a few times this week. They are the two investigators with baptismal dates. They are preparing for July 11th. We were talking to them yesterday, and Jermaine mentioned that he had been having second thoughts about baptism. He doesn't want to make a commitment and then slip up again. We reassured him that the Lord would help him, and that, although it might be a sacrifice and it would be difficult, the reward that we receive from our Father in Heaven is far greater than anything we can imagine. If we give the Lord our best, He will give us His best. and His best is more than enough to pay the price for us. They are going to, each night, read from the Book of Mormon and pray for a confirmation to know that it is true. The youth in the branch are getting involved as well. Jermaine and L.J. are going to one of the Mutual activities tonight. We also identified a family in the branch that would be good to fellowship their parents, so we can bring an entire family into the gospel! It is an exciting time here is Woodstock. The Lord is really blessing us here. I am grateful for the opportunity to be here.
This is the Lord's work. He wants us do it and to do it His way. He will bless us and guide us in our efforts to share the gospel. Something in Preach My Gospel (The First Presidency Message - Page v) is really amazing. it says, "More Happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among his children." It's true. President Hinckley has said, "You want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause, and bend your efforts to helping people." Such wise counsel. We are promised that whosoever shall lose his life for Christ's sake shall find it. This is a true principle. I know that each of us, as we serve others, will receive more joy and happiness than we have ever known. This is Christ's Gospel. This is His Church. This is His Way. I love you all. Have a wonderful day! And remember (Thanks, Mom) Find Joy in His Service Today!
Your Obedient Servant,
Elder Austin James Ashcraft
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