Esther Short Park, Vancouver, Washington
This week was a dream come true and it continues to be that way. We had two days in a row that we were so busy we had just enough time to grab a snack for lunch between appointments. I like to have lunch as a back up plan anyway. We continue to find many prepared people to hear the gospel.
Joe is a good example. He is 11 years old and we had talked to him about a month ago and he missed our return appointment and we hadn’t seem him for awhile. As we rode down the street he called out and said, “Hey, can you wait ten minutes I want to do a Bible study with ya!” Of course we waited and we taught half the Plan of Salvation. We had another appointment so we left after a brief lesson, but he followed us and said he wanted to join us in the next lesson. We saw nothing wrong with that so we let him and it happened to be that we taught the Plan of Salvation again.
Keelin was another young man referred by his grandma to us. His mom is a less active member wanting him to be baptized. He basically taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was like, “Do I set a baptismal date or do I talk to the bishop or something?” “What happens when I mess up?” “I heard after you’re baptized God gives the Holy Ghost. Is that right?” We were happy to answer those questions.
We have a few that are close to baptism and we pray that they’ll make their set dates to be baptized. Along with those we have made tremendous progress with investigators that have been coming to church for years and aren’t yet baptized. Things such as not having parents permission or fear of offending a parent stop them it seems. We continually pray to have the Spirit help them make the commitment.
We met with 16 different investigators this week and I have never before had such an awesome week in my mission. Our plans simply worked out and people were home when they said they’d be. The Spirit lead us to people and we were teaching full-time this week. It was the best. Zone Conference was great too and it helps keep our spirits high. President said to us, “Your area is on fire isn’t it?” We said “It sure is!” We feel so blessed for the things we’ve witnessed. I could probably tell stories from this week for a long time.
Well transfers are this next week, so I hope I don’t leave here.
Thanks for all the great emails.
Love, Elder Willoughby
Photo Credit: Cory Barnes
Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.
Now that I am a Christian I do not have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable. (Mere Christianity)
Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have. So let us leave behind all these boys’ philosophies–these over simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simple either. (The Case for Christianity)
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. (Mere Christianity)
The great difficulty is to get modern audiences to realize that you are preaching Christianity solely and simply because you happen to think it true; they always suppose you are preaching it because you like it or think it good for society or something of that sort. Now a clearly maintained distinction between what the Faith actually says and what you would like it to have said or what you understand or what you personally find helpful or think probable, forces your audience to realize that you are tied to your data just as the scientist is tied by the results of the experiments; that you are not just saying what you like. This immediately helps them realize that what is being discussed is a question about objective fact — not gas about ideals and points of view. (Mere Christianity)
All that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. (Mere Christianity)
If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake. (Mere Christianity)
Derek and Sarah have been back from Texas since June and staying with family. Yesterday it was time for them to move back into their own home. We loaded the truck and trailer with their belongings that were stored with Steven and Adelaide. The photograph of Paul reminds me of a television show I used to watch a few years ago.
Loading the truck and trailer. Steven is the one with the hat.
Loading the piano. Left to right: Derek, Paul, Jake, and Steven.
All the mission leaders met this week for a four day training for missionaries. It has a lot to do with how to follow the Spirit, teaching skills in general, and the importance of certain commitments. It’s hard to summarize four days of excellent training, but we were able to role play each day to practice. I’ve already had the chance to use the things I learned and it has been great.
Elder Hardy worked hard with another Elder Draper he was able to be with. We arranged for priests to come out with Elder Hoskin (Elder Draper’s companion) so both areas would have missionaries in them. It was as if I had never left. Both my companion and Elder Hoskin grew a lot from the experience and it was good for them to take the area over for awhile.
We had seven investigators at church and they all had a wonderful time. I am so happy that they were able to come. The Lord has been leading us to so many people to teach, our days are full with appointments two to three days in advance. It is honestly one of the busiest times of my mission and I love every moment of it. We are very grateful the Lord has trusted us with so many great people to teach.
While I was in Kennewick I was able to be with Elder Derges and Elder Kelly again. They were both my companions before and we had a blast sharing old memories. They are both really good friends to me. We stayed at Elder Derges’ apartment and did his work in the evenings after the training.
We decided to climb a mountain at six in the morning before our meetings at eight. See picture. Also the member’s house we stayed at there was a llama. Practicing the every soul is precious principle I attempted to share the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately the llama didn’t show much interest.
It was a great week here and I’m glad everyone had fun camping and at Bear Lake. The pictures are great! Thanks for sending them.
Love, Elder Willoughby
Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.
Last Sunday the family gathered to the Lakeview Ward for the blessing of Cassandra Willoughby. For my readers unfamiliar with the naming and blessing of children I will explain. Under the direction of the presiding authority (in our case today it was Bishop Macrum), brethren who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may participate in the ordinance of naming and blessing children (see Doctrine & Covenants 20:70). When blessing a baby, brethren gather in a circle and place their hands under the baby. Normally the father follows these steps:
After the meeting we relocated to Steven and Adelaide’s home to eat. Following are a few of the photographs taken by Steven and Adelaide. Click on the images to enlarge.
I wanted to take my grandchildren camping so I made reservations for two campsites. I then invited the parents to go and before the day was out they were ready for the trip. So last weekend we went to Wasatch Mountain State Park. We camped overnight at Little Deer Creek Campground.
Here are a few of the photographs and videos taken by Steven, Jill, and Rick. Click on the images to enlarge. If you cannot see the videos, click here.
We unloaded and pitched the tents. We were only staying overnight but it seemed like we had food for a week. That’s Jill by the picnic table. The campsites were large, had running water, and some had shade. We had quite a view.
I brought plenty of wood for a fire to cook our hot-dogs.
Aurora was ready to eat…
…just about anything.
After we ate Bryson and Aurora put to good use the local materials that were lying around. Aurora used her truck to level the ground.
We had lots of adults to go around when the grandchildren needed to be held. Here is Sarah with Aurora.
Steven with Cassandra. Steven is the one on the right.
Derek with Bryson.
And me.
We retired to our tents while Jake slept out in the open.
In the morning, before breakfast, Derek took Bryson for a walk.
Jake is a handy guy to have around when you are hungry for some ham.
Sarah appears to be enjoying her breakfast.
Any left for me?
Before noon we broke camp and drove a few miles onto federal land to visit Cascade Springs in Uinta National Forest. The trail through Cascade Springs consists primarily of a raised boardwalk which crosses over a series of clear shallow pools. Calcite mineral deposits accumulated and formed terraces over which the water cascades.
Adelaide holds Cassandra, who didn’t really want to see running water just right now.
Jill loves the outdoors…
…while Cassandra has yet to make up her mind.
I do believe we will go camping again. There is no better way to spend the weekend than with family.
The water coming from the springs has made a long journey from limestone caverns deep within the earth. Forced through cracks and fissures, the water emerges here as “travertine”. The deposits have gradually accumulated to make the terraces for the pools at Cascade Springs. Approximately seven and one-half million gallons flow from the springs each day.
Today the court struck down Proposition 8, literally accusing the majority of California voters of discriminatory intent when casting their votes. The role of the courts is to interpret and apply the law only as enacted by the people and their elected representatives, not to impose new social policies. (Source: Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com)
I suspect that many of the voters of California were using the far more reliable Holy Bible as their guide when deciding how to vote, perhaps reviewing what the Apostle Paul wrote about homosexuality:
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:26-27)
In the following scripture “abusers of themselves with mankind” refers to the homosexual act and “effeminate” refers to Catamites, adolescent boys in a sexual relationship with an adult male.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Obviously “them that defile themselves with mankind” refers to homosexuality:
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; (1 Timothy 1:9-10)
More Comment: Deseret News editorial: A bad same-sex ruling
