Miracles and Fair Booths

Dear family and friends!

This week has been one full of miracles! It's been so amazing to see the Lord’s hand in so many things! I also have been feeling very tried the last part of the week. Our car is having troubles, I'm pretty sick, and to top it all off someone ran into our car and drove off without telling us.  Now we have this giant dent in it... But that's alright! Greater opposition when living a righteous life usually means greater blessings are in store. It's been very true for us this week. We cover two wards and one of them has been struggling to find people to teach for the past 6 months or so. Guess what though? We found an investigator!  We also have a few really solid referrals from the county fair. I'll talk a bit more about that later.  

I guess I'll start with our new investigator in Globe 1st Ward. We got a referral a while ago. We knocked on the door to see if they were interested. We knocked on Sunday, and a guy named Patrick answered. He told us he'd been expecting us and asked if we could come back on Tuesday. We went by Tuesday, found out that he is a member, but that his girlfriend, Chelcee, has been investigating the church for the past couple of weeks in Washington, but then they moved here. She is insanely prepared!!! She already had a baptismal date set, so that was super solid! We are shooting for Oct. 10th.  It was originally Oct. 3rd, but we pushed it back another week. Sorry Jake and Katie, no baptism on your birthday. :(  It was super awesome to teach her the Restoration because she accepted it so readily. She has even been reading out of the Book of Mormon.  I've noticed that when we find someone and ask them to read the Book of Mormon and they actually do read it, that they eventually are baptized. The power of the Book of Mormon is real. I know that it is true.

At the Gila County fair this weekend we had an LDS booth that the missionaries in the zone ran. It was pretty cool! We got quite a few referrals for everyone, which was awesome! Elder Jencks and I got three or four that we haven't contacted yet, but I'll tell you about them next week after we have.  One of them sounds crazy solid. He's wanted to meet with missionaries for a really long time and has never had the opportunity. He said he lived right next to the missionaries for a long time.  He hoped that they would one day knock on his door. Well, much to his surprise, one day they did! And all they wanted was his wifi password. They didn't even offer to teach him and he said he was too shy to ask them. So he's excited to meet with us. That's what the elders that were at the booth that night told us anyway. Hopefully he's as golden as he sounds!

Yesterday we had an awesome miracle---or six! Depending on how you look at it.  I told you earlier that our car is being a jerk and not turning on and stuff.  Our battery is going out and we need to replace it.  It was doing that Friday and Saturday and then Sunday was pretty sweet! We got out to the car and I put the key in the ignition, hoping and praying that it would turn over and get the car started. I twisted the key and *click.* Literally, it didn't even try. I tried again. *Click.* Nothing... Well shoot! How are we supposed to get to Ward council? We were already running late and we couldn't just call a member because they were all getting ready for church. So we did what missionaries do and prayed. I put the key in the ignition one last time before asking our roommates for a ride to church, and we witnessed a total miracle. The battery, obviously, was pretty far gone, but it eventually started! I was shocked that the engine turned on after literally two minutes before it wouldn't even try. Miracles are real. God answers prayers. He knows what's best for us and he knows how to help us accordingly. The rest of the day it started unfailingly time and time again. Thursday and Friday it had to be jumped three or four times, so that was incredible. My faith grew that day. "The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." 1 Nephi 1:20

When Elder Jencks and I were the elders running the booth at the fair it was pretty interesting. Honestly not a lot happened. There were surprisingly few people that were at the fair. It makes sense since we were the ones covering the morning. Gila County is a county full of really little towns, the majority of which are covered by our zone.  In order for people to get there they have to drive a ways. I'm sure a lot of people worked that day too, so yah! We didn't talk to very many people and everyone we did talk to wasn’t interested at all. The longest conversation we had was with an anti-guy. I can't stand anti-Mormons, because they are just trying to cause an argument. What was pretty funny about this one though was he came up to us and said, "I just have a few problems with your... Or well, a few questions about your religion." Oh great... Here comes an anti. What's he got for us this time? He began to ask us these questions that seemed like they were going to trip us up.  He got to his end point of doctrine and we agreed with it. Then he told us that our doctrine didn't support that. We looked at him kind of funny and I told him I didn't understand his question,  because everything he said was true. All of the sudden we saw the gears turning in his head, and then the light came on. "Oh! You guys aren't Jehovah's Witness! You’re Mormon!"  Elder Jencks and I were laughing pretty hard on the inside.  He proceeded to ask us a bunch of anti-Mormon questions.  I hate that, not because it shakes my faith or makes me question, but because it doesn't uplift me and it literally accomplishes nothing for anyone. If you want to help me reach salvation don't tell me I'm wrong, explain your religion to me and what your beliefs are, not what they aren't! Man... Anyway, I'll get off that rant. 

Nothing else really happened this week. Oh! We got transfer news! Elder Jencks and I are staying together for a third transfer! You know what's crazy?  75% of my companions I've been with for three transfers. Three transfers equates to four and a half months. That's not a common thing at all. A lot of missionaries go their entire missions without having a companion for that long even once. That means that an entire year of my mission has been spent with three people… pretty impressive.  Elder Clark, our roommate, is going home, so he's being replaced by Elder West. I've never met the guy before and don't even know what he looks like, so that'll be fun. 

Have a great week everyone.  I've been having the greatest time of my life out here.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church restored to the earth once more, and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is His prophet, seer, and revelator in these last days. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that because He suffered for me He knows how to succor me. He redeems me from my sins, enables me to do things beyond my own capability.  He heals me from all sicknesses and afflictions, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  Because He descended below all, He can lift all.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  It is a second divine witness that Jesus is the Christ.  Through the Book of Mormon we have truths restored that are forgotten in the Bible. Follow the council of the modern day prophets and read it every day, every day, every day.  I know it will change your life.  The Book of Mormon is a miracle worker.  I've seen it change the hearts of many.  Again, have a great week.  Go to church.  Read your scriptures.  Pray.  Don't be afraid to ask questions. 

Love,

Elder Mullins