So, this week was basically the best ever, as is every week! :) C. is getting baptized this Saturday then her and the ward women will be watching the women's broadcast together so it will be basically the coolest thing ever! :) The ward is SOOOOO excited! The Lord is really blessing us here in Exeter! It is fun to see so much more life and excitement about missionary work in the ward! :) Elder M. and I are getting kinda anxious and a little sad cause we're having such a great time, and we think I'll probably be leaving this transfer and we would love to stay together for another here in Exeter, but I guess we'll see what the Lord has in store! :)
We had a crazy storm on Tuesday this last week which was rough cause the missionary cars were grounded, but luckily we have a secret weapon named M. B. who took us to go visit people! ;) We only made it to one lesson with J. before it got too bad and scary to drive, so then M. took us back to his apartment and we were stuck there for the day. We got to teach E. which was really sweet, then we did some planning for upcoming events, we want to do a cool ward Easter party! Then E. came back and was bored, so first we built a snowman with her and her family, which was fun! Then a while later Elder M., E., and I played hide and seek in the blizzard and it was basically the most fun and epic thing ever! We set some boundaries around in a small courtyard kinda area and a few surrounding buildings, and it was super snowy and epic and really windy! You could dive in the snow and you could try to find each other by following tracks in the snow, so it got harder the longer we played and the more tracks there were! :) It was crazy fun, I would definitely recommend blizzard hide and seek: 10 out of 10, would play again! ;)
We were able to see a crazy cool miracle this week with E.! So, the deal-io with E. is that she is the coolest, and she wants to get baptized, and her mom and sister like us missionaries, but don't want to make those commitments. We really want for E. to get baptized and confirmed so she can have the gift of the Holy Ghost, but we need to make sure she has support to help her grow spiritually and to help her stay involved. It was really hard to know what to do, and so we prayed to see a miracle with E.. As it says in Mormon 9:15-21, God is still a God of miracles! (Look up those scriptures btw, they are straight spiritual fire!
(15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?
18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.)
A day or two later we hear that E. has a best friend named A. who would be hanging out with E. that weekend! E. really wanted for us to meet A., and A. is basically the real deal E. version 2.0!! We taught them about the Book of Mormon using this cool paper object lesson we have, and then A. just started asking questions! She knows some about God and Christ, but has tons of questions!! It was so awesome to just get to talk with her and help her know who Jesus Christ is more, and we shared the video Because of Him, which was sweet!
We had a ward party on Saturday which was way cool, and E., A., S. (E.'s mom), and of course the real deal C. all came! Then the next day E. and A. went to church, along with C., Brother R. (who is not a member, but is the husband of a family who are all members who we have been meeting with), and also S. S.'s (the awesome dude who got baptized back in October) 9 year old daughter who we've been teaching a little bit! They all liked church which was sweet! So, back to E. and A., we were able to teach them again, and then today for p-day we went bowling with E., A., M., the W.'s (awesome family in the ward), and then E.'s and A.'s moms watched. A.'s mom really liked us too, and they invited us over to their house to meet the family after bowling! We went over and got to meet A.'s two older sisters and her dad, who were all super cool! We shared a message with them, and we are going over again on Thursday because it is A.'s birthday and she and the family want Elder M. and I to join their family for her special birthday dinner!! It was such a random cool miracle, and we hope that we will be able to keep teaching them all! A.'s dad really liked us and he talked to us a bunch at their house! Then as we were leaving he gave us each his card cause he wants to stay in contact! :) Miracles are the best!
I finished the Book of Mormon for my 9th time this week and I just wanted to let you all know that I know the Book of Mormon is true! I echo the words of Elder Hollands great-grandfather who said, "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so." I have read the book and have prayed. I know it is true, and that it teaches the truth; that Jesus Christ is our brother, our example, and our Savior. I know that living this gospel brings so many blessings to individuals and ESPECIALLY to families! As said in the Book of Mormon, when we live the gospel, the statement in 2 Nephi 5:27 becomes true, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness."
Sure love you all and thanks for all you do! Remember, Y'all need Jesus!
Elder Hunter Branch :)
16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?
18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.)
A day or two later we hear that E. has a best friend named A. who would be hanging out with E. that weekend! E. really wanted for us to meet A., and A. is basically the real deal E. version 2.0!! We taught them about the Book of Mormon using this cool paper object lesson we have, and then A. just started asking questions! She knows some about God and Christ, but has tons of questions!! It was so awesome to just get to talk with her and help her know who Jesus Christ is more, and we shared the video Because of Him, which was sweet!
We had a ward party on Saturday which was way cool, and E., A., S. (E.'s mom), and of course the real deal C. all came! Then the next day E. and A. went to church, along with C., Brother R. (who is not a member, but is the husband of a family who are all members who we have been meeting with), and also S. S.'s (the awesome dude who got baptized back in October) 9 year old daughter who we've been teaching a little bit! They all liked church which was sweet! So, back to E. and A., we were able to teach them again, and then today for p-day we went bowling with E., A., M., the W.'s (awesome family in the ward), and then E.'s and A.'s moms watched. A.'s mom really liked us too, and they invited us over to their house to meet the family after bowling! We went over and got to meet A.'s two older sisters and her dad, who were all super cool! We shared a message with them, and we are going over again on Thursday because it is A.'s birthday and she and the family want Elder M. and I to join their family for her special birthday dinner!! It was such a random cool miracle, and we hope that we will be able to keep teaching them all! A.'s dad really liked us and he talked to us a bunch at their house! Then as we were leaving he gave us each his card cause he wants to stay in contact! :) Miracles are the best!
I finished the Book of Mormon for my 9th time this week and I just wanted to let you all know that I know the Book of Mormon is true! I echo the words of Elder Hollands great-grandfather who said, "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so." I have read the book and have prayed. I know it is true, and that it teaches the truth; that Jesus Christ is our brother, our example, and our Savior. I know that living this gospel brings so many blessings to individuals and ESPECIALLY to families! As said in the Book of Mormon, when we live the gospel, the statement in 2 Nephi 5:27 becomes true, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness."
Sure love you all and thanks for all you do! Remember, Y'all need Jesus!
Elder Hunter Branch :)
Great report and very cool photos - Exeter is so fortunate to have you there, Elder Branch. Keep up the great work. Coach
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