This is my faithful companions weekly email! Enjoy!
(I hope this isn't copywrited:) -mum
Oh yeah. That totally happened. Anyway, hello! Some of you may ask, or
have asked, or will ask, or have the spark of curiosity "How is the
weather?" Welp. With or without windchill? Without windchill it was
about -12 this morning. And with the windchill it was around -27. SO
you can answer that question dear reader.
We're running a little behind today so let me get straight to the week!
Tuesday:
This day was awesome! We made plans to stop by a less-active member in
our area and ask him for a ride to an appointment with an active
member (where he would join us for a lesson), then later drive us to
the church for a meeting we had. We would guide him to a mission
farewell for a youth in our Ward, leave him there, and then have him
drive us home after our meeting. And guess what? IT WORKED FLAWLESSLY!
He was so scared no one would accept him at the farewell, but he was
completely embraced! And the member at the appointment made him feel
so loved and so missed. It was an incredible experience!
Wednesday:
We had a lesson with Rigo Magana and his family for the first time in
a while and it was INCREDIBLE! Rigo is such a sharp man and
understands everything so well. Great learner! He's showing so much
potencial. He'll be such an incredible kingdom builder.
Thursday:
So. Transfers are two days after Christmas. The Mission department
decided that the missionaries going home at that time could go home
two weeks earlier to be home for Christmas. Normally that would work
out, but because it's not on the actual transfer date there aren't any
new missionaries to take their place. So President did some fancy
footwork and now we are in a trio with Elder Julander! IT'S SO FUN
BEING IN A TRIO! It's seriously the best. Elder Julander is a great
man! We spent a lot of this day settling him in and going to
appointments he had set up for that day.
Friday:
So we had exchanges this day. So there were 5 elders in one apartment.
You know what that means? Oh yeah. Missionary party time. Not really,
but we did laugh a ton! Lots of inside jokes were made. When we had
split off I was with Elder Julander and Elder Achaval and we walked
pass a house and got this feeling that we needed to go back and knock
on it. We did and a man named Butch opened the door. He's from the
Philippines and has lived the majority of his life in Indonesia. He
has the questions that are answered perfectly by the restoration and
he let us come back this Wednesday to teach him and his family!
Blessings! After the exchange we had a lesson with Rebeca, and I will
write about that later.
Saturday:
So remember the less-active from Tuesday? We took his even less active
son out to lunch. Actually, he took us out! He sent us a text and
invited us out to eat. We went to a place called Beef Shack where they
make killer Italian Beefs (A Chicago special). We're making some
incredible progress with this man.
Sunday:
We went to a Christmas concert in the Stake Center in Naperville and
it was incredible! Great music and we all sang the Hallelujah chorus!
Also, Hermana De La Peña brought a family with her and we already knew
her! She shows a lot of potential as well. This area is just exploding
with great work and we're so excited!
So let me expound upon the lesson we had with Rebeca on Friday. We
introduced the Book of Mormon and started to talk about prayer. She
asked us some questions and when we bore our testimonies she looked at
us and started to cry and say "I want to feel the same way that you
feel. I want the same feeling." It was such an incredible lesson; a
powerful combination of following promptings, using the Book of Mormon
to address her concerns, and testifying. What topped it all off? Elder
Julander, who only speaks English, spoke in tongues. I'm totally
kidding, but we did ask him to give his testimony and I translated. He
gave such a pure and powerful testimony (of which my translation could
not do justice) that she knew exactly what he was saying before I even
translated, and she only gave me a loving look of "I know" as I
translated.
Who is the Lord to give us the trial of language, and then to break it
himself when on his errand? What happened here was a demonstration of
a very true and real principle. "Do ye not remember that I said unto
you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the
tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of
angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?" (2 Nephi 32:2)
Now, I don't believe that this includes learning the angelic language
and being fluent in it. Nor do I believe that any word in any language
can change a man. Rather, I believe that the Spirit of God is the one
who delivers this silent and wordless message. We are just tools,
vessels, "for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the
power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of
men." (2 Nephi 33:1). The heart is not bound by the web of language.
I testify that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah. He lives, I
know that he lives. He lived a sinless and perfect life, one to be
modeled and followed. This Christmas season I invite you to use a gift
you received long (or not so), long ago; the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Use this gift to give another to someone else. Be the vessel the Lord
needs and give your testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
and allow the Holy Ghost to carry it unto their heart. This process
will bring a change that cannot be described nor caused by words.
May we all strive to live worthy of the companionship of the Holy
Ghost and use it for the blessing of others.
Merry Christmas everyone!
With love and good wishes,
Elder Jacob M. Tedders
Illinois Chicago West Mission
1319 Butterfield Rd. Ste. 522
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(I hope this isn't copywrited:) -mum
Oh yeah. That totally happened. Anyway, hello! Some of you may ask, or
have asked, or will ask, or have the spark of curiosity "How is the
weather?" Welp. With or without windchill? Without windchill it was
about -12 this morning. And with the windchill it was around -27. SO
you can answer that question dear reader.
We're running a little behind today so let me get straight to the week!
Tuesday:
This day was awesome! We made plans to stop by a less-active member in
our area and ask him for a ride to an appointment with an active
member (where he would join us for a lesson), then later drive us to
the church for a meeting we had. We would guide him to a mission
farewell for a youth in our Ward, leave him there, and then have him
drive us home after our meeting. And guess what? IT WORKED FLAWLESSLY!
He was so scared no one would accept him at the farewell, but he was
completely embraced! And the member at the appointment made him feel
so loved and so missed. It was an incredible experience!
Wednesday:
We had a lesson with Rigo Magana and his family for the first time in
a while and it was INCREDIBLE! Rigo is such a sharp man and
understands everything so well. Great learner! He's showing so much
potencial. He'll be such an incredible kingdom builder.
Thursday:
So. Transfers are two days after Christmas. The Mission department
decided that the missionaries going home at that time could go home
two weeks earlier to be home for Christmas. Normally that would work
out, but because it's not on the actual transfer date there aren't any
new missionaries to take their place. So President did some fancy
footwork and now we are in a trio with Elder Julander! IT'S SO FUN
BEING IN A TRIO! It's seriously the best. Elder Julander is a great
man! We spent a lot of this day settling him in and going to
appointments he had set up for that day.
Friday:
So we had exchanges this day. So there were 5 elders in one apartment.
You know what that means? Oh yeah. Missionary party time. Not really,
but we did laugh a ton! Lots of inside jokes were made. When we had
split off I was with Elder Julander and Elder Achaval and we walked
pass a house and got this feeling that we needed to go back and knock
on it. We did and a man named Butch opened the door. He's from the
Philippines and has lived the majority of his life in Indonesia. He
has the questions that are answered perfectly by the restoration and
he let us come back this Wednesday to teach him and his family!
Blessings! After the exchange we had a lesson with Rebeca, and I will
write about that later.
Saturday:
So remember the less-active from Tuesday? We took his even less active
son out to lunch. Actually, he took us out! He sent us a text and
invited us out to eat. We went to a place called Beef Shack where they
make killer Italian Beefs (A Chicago special). We're making some
incredible progress with this man.
Sunday:
We went to a Christmas concert in the Stake Center in Naperville and
it was incredible! Great music and we all sang the Hallelujah chorus!
Also, Hermana De La Peña brought a family with her and we already knew
her! She shows a lot of potential as well. This area is just exploding
with great work and we're so excited!
So let me expound upon the lesson we had with Rebeca on Friday. We
introduced the Book of Mormon and started to talk about prayer. She
asked us some questions and when we bore our testimonies she looked at
us and started to cry and say "I want to feel the same way that you
feel. I want the same feeling." It was such an incredible lesson; a
powerful combination of following promptings, using the Book of Mormon
to address her concerns, and testifying. What topped it all off? Elder
Julander, who only speaks English, spoke in tongues. I'm totally
kidding, but we did ask him to give his testimony and I translated. He
gave such a pure and powerful testimony (of which my translation could
not do justice) that she knew exactly what he was saying before I even
translated, and she only gave me a loving look of "I know" as I
translated.
Who is the Lord to give us the trial of language, and then to break it
himself when on his errand? What happened here was a demonstration of
a very true and real principle. "Do ye not remember that I said unto
you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the
tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of
angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?" (2 Nephi 32:2)
Now, I don't believe that this includes learning the angelic language
and being fluent in it. Nor do I believe that any word in any language
can change a man. Rather, I believe that the Spirit of God is the one
who delivers this silent and wordless message. We are just tools,
vessels, "for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the
power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of
men." (2 Nephi 33:1). The heart is not bound by the web of language.
I testify that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah. He lives, I
know that he lives. He lived a sinless and perfect life, one to be
modeled and followed. This Christmas season I invite you to use a gift
you received long (or not so), long ago; the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Use this gift to give another to someone else. Be the vessel the Lord
needs and give your testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
and allow the Holy Ghost to carry it unto their heart. This process
will bring a change that cannot be described nor caused by words.
May we all strive to live worthy of the companionship of the Holy
Ghost and use it for the blessing of others.
Merry Christmas everyone!
With love and good wishes,
Elder Jacob M. Tedders
Illinois Chicago West Mission
1319 Butterfield Rd. Ste. 522
Downers Grove, IL 60515