6 months!!!

Another week has come and gone here in Jacksonville! Tomorrow will mark 6 months since I've been on the mission. It's crazy to think it's already been 6 months, time flies.

This week was a good week we went on exchanges with the other Jacksonville Elders and with the zone leaders. We definitely stayed busy with the service this week. We worked at the soup kitchen, cleaned a ladys garage, fixed some bikes, helped a lady clean out her mobile home, and helped Brother Robertson move back into his house. As a mission this week we studied Alma 17-26 which talks a lot about some great missionaries and the service they performed, so it was a good week to serve here in North Carolina!

The work this week has been going pretty good. We found 3 new people to teach. Jay, LayLay, and Christian. 

LayLay is Carolyn's granddaughter. Carolyn is getting baptized on the 31st of this month and LayLay wants to be baptized that same day! Super stoked for them and they are so ready.

Yesterday we had a few minutes before our dinner appointment so we went walking around the neighborhood. There was a guy Alex out on his driveway, and he had a couple of Ford trucks so we went over there and started shooting the breeze with him. He wasn't to interested in talking to us and he actually told us to leave. Well, I saw a ping pong table in his garage and I asked him if he'd play me in one game.

 He said, " what If I win?" 

I said,"then we will leave and never come back." 

Then he said," and if you win?"

I said, " then you have to listen to our message about Jesus Christ right now."

He just laughed and said ok!

Well I smacked Alex in ping pong and we taught him the plan of Salvation. He doesn't believe there is a God. But we testified to him that there was and that if he would pray and ask God if he was there, God would answer him. Not sure If he will take our challenge but at least we had the chance to testify to him.

All we can do is show love to those around us. When we love those around us their hearts can and will be softened. I think of the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis. They buried their swords in the Earth and they covenanted to NEVER use them again. Well pretty soon after the lamanites came to kill them. They didn't break their covenant with God, they would rather die then commit sin. The laminates began to slay them and the Anti-Nephi-Lehis didn't fight back. They all knelt in prayer and cried to the Lord. Many of the Lamanites hearts were softened and they became converted because of the courage, faithfulness, and love of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis.

I think that's a great example to all of us. We should remember the covenants that we made with the Lord, and we shouldn't let any worldly thing or person, influence us to break that covenant. The Lord holds up his end of the promise so long as we hold up ours. He blesses those that keep their covenants.

That's about it for this week! Love you guys, thank you for all the support!

Elder Forrest

Dinner with Brother Sam. Elder Christiansen

our zone leader came with us in a trio.