3/7/2016

Daddy

I gave a training at district meeting this week about the importance of the Holy Ghost in conversion. Apparently I threw down and called everyone to repentance. I've never been so excited to give a training in my life though. The real topic was like "so basically the APs said that we always talk about baptism but never about the Holy Ghost so we need to be better at it..."

Coincidentally the Holy Ghost is my favorite part of being a member of the church. The Holy Ghost can do literally anything and can help literally ever single person just be a more effective human. I realized that in all the really powerful baptismal invitations in the scriptures (Mosiah18:8-10, Acts2:37-41, etc.) the only promise they give the people is that they will have the spirit. Just that promise is enough to cause them to want to get baptized, yet we don't talk about the spirit all the time as missionaries. We will say stuff like "you need to get baptized because it shows God you love him." or "baptism brings a remission of sins." which are true statements, but if I don't care about that kind of stuff then it's not going to mean anything to me. However the Holy Ghost can help every single person. So like "after you get baptized you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost is able to help you be a better father because he can help you discern the thoughts of your children and bring ideas to your mind so that you can more effectively teach them. After you get baptized you have Gods promise that these things will happen. Don't you want that?" The Spirit is just my favorite person in the world and my favorite person to talk about.

Everyone said they felt like I called them to repentance.

We passed Layla off to the YSA sisters and they were super good. After our lesson she shared an experience she had with prayer and said she knew the Book of Mormon was the word of God. She also said that when we contacted into her she was at the park talking to her boyfriend. She said she had been planning on leaving 2 minutes earlier because it started raining. She was like "If I hadn't have kept talking to him for 2 minutes I wouldn't have met you sisters and I wouldn't have gotten this book."

The YSA sisters extended a textbook baptismal invitation and Layla was like "yeah Sister Atchley asked me last time but I have a concern." which kind of threw the YSA sisters off a little because I guess brand new missionaries aren't super excited about inviting people to be baptized in the first lesson usually. So Layla's concern was that she was going to be out of town on the date we extended to her so she was afraid she would miss her opportunity to get baptized. Sister Shober and I are invited to her baptism when it happens. I'm excited.

We saw Elder Blue the other day and he was super surprised that we set a date and we keep finding people to teach in Oak Creek. Apparently the last baptism in Oak Creek was last February. Like February 2015. I guess they forgot to tell Sister Atchley that Oak Creek doesn't baptize. Also a guy we contacted in the parking lot one day texted us saying he wanted to know more. We're meeting with him on Tuesday.

So Gladys Knight is coming to our mission with the Saints Unified Voices choir and apparently when she goes anywhere like a million people investigate the church and get baptized. btw did you know Gladys Knight is a convert to our church?

So funny quotes:

"Help I've become entangled in a helmet and baseball bad and I can't get up!" -Me

"I'm familiar with that problem" -Elder Burk

This is exclusively for Matthew: Elder Davis said Oklahoma is the frying pan of Texas at the same time I was saying it's the hat of Texas. "I'll turn my trusty frying pan into a drying pan" -Brock

"Yep... look at that.... Arkansas driver's license for goats." -Elder Center

We went contacting in a park that usually never has white people in it. It's like an exclusively Asian park. This time it was full of white people, but they were all from Russia. "I'm Russian orthodox. It's different" -Everyone

This conversation was related to us by Ryan Henderson:

"Where are you in your Book of Mormon reading?" -Bishop Henderson

"I don't know I'll have to check my log." -Ryan

"Don't check it just flush it." -Bishop Henderson

"People respect me! I don't know who they are, but theoretically!" -Bishop Henderson

To make up for the questionable spiritual value of this email the reading assignment is really long:

"Come What May and Love it" -Joseph B Wirthlin

Actually listen to this don't read it. It's better.

"Waiting on our Road to Damascus" Mormon Message

"Your Day for a Mission" Mormon Message

Just search "Elder Holland Testimony of the Book of Mormon"

Love Y'all!

Sister Atchley

P.S. next time you email me make Matthew write me a paragraph or something. Make him tell me about the new generation of Pokémon. I heard a rumor