Two Birthdays and Two Upcoming Baptisms

It’s wonderful for recent converts to help the investigators.  We had one who shared how a blessing had helped them in preparing for baptism.  The investigator asked for a blessing and felt good following it and had the courage to move forward.  I am grateful that we have the priesthood on the earth today in order to bless people’s lives. There is such power in priesthood blessings.   This investigator passed the baptismal interview and is planning a baptism for this weekend.  Doing great! It is amazing what the gospel can do to people. 

In order to set up a booth in town centre, we have to get permission from the council.  They allowed us to which was a big surprise.   It was cool.   We used the four sided mission banner thing like what I have used before and set up in the town centre.  And we sang Christmas Carols. It was somewhat productive, there were a lot of appointments the sisters got out of it. 

I gave the training in the District Meeting this week on being obedient and diligent and being sanctified in order to have the power of God more abundantly. As we sanctify ourselves then we are given power.  Which is also true in life.  We are given power over satan and temptations.

The Zone leaders were here for an interview and so gave us a ride back to the flat.  When they pulled in we noticed they had a flat tire.  So after 18 months of not changing any kind of tire, I had the chance to do it again!   The others were a little hesitant not wanting to get their suits dirty- but I was like YES! And just started going right to it.  It was surprisely so nice to get dirty and greasy again.  It was awesome! So glad that I learned this kind of hard work back home. 

Got do some great service as well.   We laid some floor in a guy’s attic (or loft as they call it here in England) so they could store some stuff in there. It is so much fun to be able to work again.   Then we got to move a lot of dirt that we had previously dug up for a member to put their trampoline in the ground.  A great time working!  

I got to conduct my first baptismal interview it was cool.   It was an investigator of the Sisters in the District.  So our District will be having two baptisms this weekend.  It’s going to be awesome!

There was another missionary here with the same birthday as mine.  We had our party on Sunday evening as we were going to be busy all day.  We went to London for p-day in celebration.  It was  good sharing my birthday with the other Elder.  A great birthday after all!

Embarrassing moment this week- we were out tracting and someone opened the door.  I couldn’t see that clearly and asked if their parents were home.  The lady opened the door a little bigger and I saw the light more and saw her.  I had just asked a 30 something old year if her parents were home!  It was a funny moment.

We as a mission are reading the Book of Mormon together and this week we read through most of 1st Nephi, and we know that people murmur a lot. So murmuring:

1. People began to have questions in own mind and also began to plant questions in others minds. Whether these questions are about the church, people, doctrine, whatever it may be. They began to question things. And also began to have other people question these things as well.

2. Rationalizing actions, the people began to rationalize their actions and thoughts. They began to make excuses of the things that are going

on. Justifying their mistakes and what is going on.

3. They become slothful in keeping the commandments. They just get lazy and the small things in life don’t matter anymore. They stop reading scriptures, they stop praying, they stop going to church.  All of those questions that they had, have now changed their whole life. 

These are the three things that are made up in murmuring, and after seeing these things, it is something that is very true in the world today and you see a lot of people doing it. Laman and Lemuel saw an angel and still murmured for everything pretty much. But then also in the world today, we have those that have strong spiritual experiences and then still murmur and question the church and put aside all of the testimony that they have of anything. It’s important that we do not murmur, no matter how big or small it may be. Murmuring will lead to less-activity. That is my personal opinion.  

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. Love you all, Elder Casey Stevenson