The Old Folks Home!

Hello everyone. I hope that you are having a great week! The weather is so beautiful and we love just sitting out in the sun while we do our study! We have been able to go outside and throw a football around, P day sports and sports with people that we are teaching are so much fun with the amazing vitamin D and just a good time! 

This week nothing too big has happened, we have had some lessons and did a lot of service! This last Saturday we went and helped a lady in the old folks home throw away some furniture. We went and helped her and all of the sudden we got a bunch of texts from old ladies that they wanted to have us help them move furniture for them. It was so funny. But the best part of it all was they all switched and exchanged furniture! Haha how gross! Well let's just say it was so funny and a lot of fun! One of the old lady's looked at us at the end and asked if we had a large print Book of Mormon she would love it! How amazing is that, a good opportunity to find and teach. We are super excited to get that for her and see where that takes us! 

We were able to teach Penny The Restoration this weekend! It was so awesome we had amazing fellowship and amazing testimonies. But what is so amazing is we all have the sickle, the source of all good and answers right at our fingertips. It is the Book of Mormon! I hope that you are all taking the chance to read and ponder and feast upon the words for yourself! 

I want to share with you guys D&C 18:15-16

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

I love this scripture so much! The one reason that I love it is because it talks about helping others know of the love that God has for them. It is important to bring others to the knowledge and love of God but it is also important for each and every one of us to come unto him ourselves and bring our one soul unto him! And be converted through him! So remember that this week make sure you are doing things to bring your soul unto him and so you know of the love that God and his son Jesus Christ have for you! 

I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week! 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Hello everyone, I hope that you have all had a good week! I am loving life out here and had an amazing Valentines day yesterday! Let's just say that it was the highlight of my week! But first at the beginning of this week, 

Peggy, who we are teaching, is making a lot of progress. We went through the Plan of Salvation and she had some good questions and we were able to answer them! The spirit was so strong, we invited her at the end to pray to know if the things that we have been telling her are true. This is what she said, "God has put you ladies in my life for a reason, and that is either to test my faith and make me stronger in my religion or He is trying to tell me that I am wrong and I need to change." Oh my goodness, how crazy, you gotta love it when people are starting to look into the light! And see that they can be happy doing something else.

We had a little scare this week, all of the sudden we got a text from a member we were with that he started feeling sick so he went and got a covid test! Well let me say we were with him 10 days before he started having symptoms but just to be safe we called the mission nurse to see what we needed to do! She said we had to go into quarantine! I was a little upset because we were with him 10 days before he had any symptoms. Well, we did as we were told, the test came back the next day and he tested positive with covid. We called our nurse again and told her and she said we needed to be careful but that we were alright to not quarantine inside anymore! Yayaya not even a 24 hour quarantine!  Look what happened when we listened and we were rewarded! 

Then we were able to go over to a members house for dinner and it was so much fun! We were able to talk about little miracles that have happened in our lives, at the end I shared Alma 7:11-13 talking about the Atonement! Oh my goodness, it was so cool the spirit was so strong,It was undeniable! You could just feel him testifying of the things that were said! 

Valentine's day was so much fun. We had Elder D. Todd Christoffersen come and talk to our mission! It was so amazing! Missionaries had written down questions and for the whole meeting we were asking his questions and then Elder Macky, Elder Parker, and Elder Godoy and their wives. We asked all of them questions that we had and they answered them! It was one of the last questions that was asked, and it was something that has been on my mind for a while now, and it got asked! And I received the answer that I needed to hear! I didn't even ask a question but God was able to work through others to help me receive an answer. How amazing is that! There was such an amazing spirit there! They are such wise people and I am so grateful that I got to have some of their wisdom! 

We were able to go to a few members' houses and talk with them! We went to the Squires for dinner and they made a yummy roast with potatoes, broccoli and salad and it was so good! The kind of meal that I like! We were able to talk to them and their son about temples. And when we read the scriptures and talked about our experiences in the temple the spirit was so amazingly strong in the room! I loved it so much! You could feel the testifying power of the Holy spirit! We had an amazing lesson and then a little bit later we got a text from the mom saying that their son wants to go through the temple! That just made my heart burst with joy! That is why I am here to help people be with their families forever. How exciting! And to return to live with God! 

One thing this week that I had prayed for is to see the Lord’s hand in my life but to feel the Holy Ghost! And he gave it to me! I have had a lot of experiences this week that I was able to feel the Spirit and the love that He had for others! But also of Him testifying of the gospel! 

This week I want to share with you is D&C 20: 29-31:

29 And we know that all men must repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, and worship the Father in his name, and endure in faith on his name to the end, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

30 And we know that justification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true;

31 And we know also, that sanctification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true, to all those who love and serve God with all their mights, minds, and strength.

Answers don't always come the way that we want them to come and the time that we want. But the experiences that we have with the scriptures and with the gospel we can't forget! They happen for a reason and they are here to help us for the rest of our lives! If you feel you aren't receiving the revelation that you need right now turn to past revelations! Turn to the scriptures, they are our most powerful records. God has given us a cheat sheet to get back to heaven you need to be using it! The more consistently that you read the scriptures the more that the Spirit is going to be with you and you are going to be open to receiving revelation!

Each and everyone of you has the opportunity to use the atonement in your lives! Do not take that for granted but if you feel that you are trying and it is not coming, don't give up! Most of the time we do not see why He did something or put someone in our life's, but when we look back we can 100% see why he did that! 

I love you all so much and out of anything that you get from this letter is to turn to the Lord and your scriptures for guidance! 

I can promise if you do this you are going to be happy, see a light in your life! And things may not get easier but you are going to feel that you can get through them and feel you can run to your family and Jesus Christ! 

I love you all and hope that you all have an amazing week! I love getting emails and letters from all of you! 

Ladies and Gentlemen it has been another week, and I am loving the work out here! The one thing that I have learned out here this week when one door closes another door opens. Also, one thing that I would love is if you all sent me your favorite Atonement scripture! I would really appreciate it! Jesus Christ is the most amazing person ever, how can you just not love him! And the warm and amazing spirit that you feel, and what a friend! 

This week has been a quiet an interesting one. At the end of the day Hermana Sanchez and I look back and it looks like we did five days in one. We quite often say, "Wait, that happened today!" Haha that can be a good thing! It has also been a weird week with the people that we are teaching. One person dropped us and it has been hard to get a hold of the others. But it has been a little hard and sad that way.

But we have been praying for more opportunities to find and be specific in our prayers, and fast Sunday was awesome being able to fast for a purpose and something that you want or need. And then on Saturday we found two new people and then on Sunday we found two more people. When one door closes another door opens! It was so amazing to be able to see how God provides a way for us to learn and to grow! When we are diligent and ask God for the things we are in need of and do all that we can to make it happen it is crazy to see how he is willing to help us out! 

Saturday we bought some flowers and made some notes and went and dropped them off at members and Investigators houses! It was so much fun to do that and see one bouquet of flowers go a long way! 

We also have been able to spend a lot of time outside in this beautiful weather! In Vegas right now it is beautiful! We have been doing most of our studies outside! And then we had district sports and we played some sports outside, and let me tell you it felt so good! 

We also had exchanges! I love exchanges, they are so much fun! I was able to go with my sister Lefeber and we went all over UNLV campus and were contacting people. I tried to contact someone in Spanish and let's just say I am a little rusty. But it was so much fun to be with her and get to know her! It is so much fun to be with a bunch of different missionaries and be able to work with them! Let's just say I am blessed! We all at the end of the day went and got cookies, haha because you can never end without a treat! Haha 

The scripture I want to share with you is my favorite atonement scripture right now Jacob 4:11-14

11 Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.

12 And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

13 Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.

I love the atonement so much and love how in vs 12 it asked a question one we probably all have and then it goes right back and answers it is by the Spirit we receive all truth it won't lie! But the spirit because man's prophecies are wrong we can't trust them. But by the Spirit we can know the truth of all things! 

But also when we follow God and live by the ways of him he is going to bless us with the things that it talks about in vs 11.

I love you all and hope you all have the most amazing week ever! 

The Rain

HI everyone, I hope that you have all had a good week! I am hearing it is the super bowl this weekend and I hope that you all have some fun plan to watch or do something fun! (And some good food, haha! )

This week there hasn't been anything eventful! Everyone is starting to come back to church, we are trying to set up a lot of lessons, some service, we also had someone from the church office building who is over all the missions on the west side of the USA come and talk to us! It was super good he came and talked to our mission about things that we are doing good, and also how we can find new people and other things! It was super cool! 

It also had been raining a bunch and some cool weather! This Utah girl over here has been loving the sweater weather! It feels nice to have the earth nice and smell clean. Especially in sin city! haha

I was also able to zoom into my home ward and talk to them on Sunday. Everything that everyone shared about conversion helped me to see it in a new point of view, but also to help me improve and to change! I loved to be able to share my testimony! 

A scripture that I want to share with you this week is D&C 100: 5-8 :

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say

.

7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

I love this so much and how it talks about missionary work. The work that we can be doing personally but also for others. Make sure that you are in a place where you can be receiving personal revelation for yourself but also if you are in meat you can receive revelation from God! As we do this we will be able to feel the love that God has for us but also for others. And our testimonies, our love and our kindness will grow and we will be becoming more like our lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 

I love you all and hope that you all have the most amazing week ever!