Email sent Jenuary 5, 2015: Teaching, Teaching and Teaching

Well family we didn't have a super crazy filled week. But we did see a steady stream of miracles come our way which was amazing!!

So with Carmen this week we had the chance to teach her 5 times which was really nice. We had the chance to bring members from the branch to the lessons so she could get to know people and at church Hno Estrada (who we brought him and his wife) sat with Carmen and her daughter who was already a member named Maria. She's just really happy with the church and mentions every time we teach her how she feels like she's found a real truth and is happy she found it after all these years. She's around 70 I think... So retention of info is low.... but the Spirit is high during the lessons so we're ok!! She actually just changed her baptismal date to Friday the 16th! We're a little scared about how much time we have to teach her since she's out of town for the whole business week. But she gets back on Saturday so we'll be able to finish the lessons with her.

But the coolest miracle that I saw this week would have to be on Thursday, New Years Day. I was in Roswell on exchange with the Cumorah Branch Spanish Elders. I stayed in Roswell which I'm pretty familiar with and was with Elder Wood. He's a fairly new missionary, only been out about 7 months now. We went out tracting and I was super determined to teach a lesson with Elder Wood. So much so that right before I left I just muttered quietly out loud, "Ok, Lord, I'm walking with the faith that we're going to teach someone during this time. Help me with that please." We walked to a complex and the very first door we knocked on a white guy opened it and said "Hold on let me go put on a shirt." Then he came back and invited us right in without us saying a word. We sat down and started talking to him. When he opened the door I noticed he had a probation anklet on and so we got to talking about that. (He brought it up...) He went on to tell us that he'd had enough with 2014 and was ready to make 2015 a better year. That he'd made enough mistakes, he said as he motioned to his anklet haha, and he wanted to start over again. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and explained that through baptism, he could have a new start and be clean again. We invited him to be baptized and he said he would think about it and "try out the fruits".  It was such a wonderful blessing and testimony grower that the Lord really does hear our prayers and bless us according to our faith. It's happened multiple times since I've been back where I say a little prayer in my heart for a lesson here, a door opening there, and he does answer! Not everytime. Because if it did happen that way, it wouldn't require faith, and that's not how the Lord works! haha

I love you guys so much!  Have a wonderful week!

Elder Rodabough