Dear Family and Friends!!
Ah I cannot express to you how amazing this week was! We worked incrediably hard and I know here in Cypress Creek and throughout the mission we have huge amounts of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us this week! I was very excited to see the mission get 290 MPL's, another thing that has never been done before! I have definetely seen here in Cypress Creek that because of our obedience, dilligence, and faith the Lord always grants unto us success.
Elder Lee and I started off the week with a lot of fire working hard as always! We knew if we started off strong after the trial of our faith we would receive many mighty miracles, and Friday night the Lord definetely gave us those miracles. We were biking to an appointment that the Branch President was meeting us at to How to Begin Teach this referral and we got a text from a member. He said, "Elders my fiance is flying in from Brazil tomorrow and is ready to be baptized on Sunday." It was such a testimony builder to me to know that the Lord blessed us indirectly at that time! She was baptized on Sunday and it was an amazing, powerful baptismal service. Then we went to the appointment and we walk in to meet a huge family of 13. They all wanted prayer from Jesus Christ and we testified that Jesus Christ sent us there to bless their lives. We left the harvest blessing again with the entire family and the Spirit was extremely strong. The Branch President then testified of the Spirit and so did we. We invited them to be baptized right on the spot and they all accepted right away. At the end one of the ladies said, "You know we can definetely tell that ya'll are representitives of Christ. You just have a glow around you right now. I know Christ wants this baptism for me." Two MIGHTY miracles after the trial of our faith! I love this work!
I gained an even stronger testimony that the trainings we receive in district, zone, and mission conferences are very inspired from God himself! President Anderson gave a training on the why and how to teach repentance really helped us with many of our investigators. After Zone Conference we went to go see an investigator that just "doesn't feel quite ready for baptism yet." But we took the inspired training into action and went into a lesson with her with full faith that she will accept to be baptized this Sunday. At the beginning of the lesson she wasn't even thinking about it, but as we testified of repentance and how baptism is the last step of repentance we saw the Spirit hit her very strong. At the end of the lesson we committed her to prepare to be baptized this Sunday and to be interviewed the next day! Then we went to another lesson with a family that we recently found, are pumped for their baptism, but have Law of Chasity problems. We took a member with us and began testifying of repentance and the cleansing power of the Atonement. We testified that Christ needs him to get married to repent and to finish that process threw baptism and I will never forget the words that came out of his mouth. He said, "I know this is what Christ wants for me. You lead and I promise I'll follow." The member was then able to bear powerful testimony of his own family and how this gospel has strengthened his family! They are now preparing to get married and be baptized. I know that the Lord is in all that we do, especially in the missionary meetings that we have!
We will be having quite a few baptisms here in Cypress Creek and we are very excited to see the work continue to go forth in our amazing branch!
Something that has been on my mind is that I know as we live more Christlike lives every single day those around us with be able to feel of and see that "glow" around us. This is how we can be perfected threw Christ! We must always strive to live as Christlike life as possible that one day we may reign in the mansions above!
I love ya'll soo much and hope all is well back home! For the Band of Brothers all over the world I pray for ya'll every day! Invite everyone to partake of this gospel threw baptism!
With Christlike Love,
Elder Pond
