Week 98 – Where to even begin

I will start with Josephine, what an experience. It was just one of those moments as I sat there at her baptismal service and just let the spirit work. To explain how I felt is difficult. She has come so far and she has really overcome so much to be where she is at right now. She has really seen the blessings of the gospel and she has come to see the progression she herself needs to make. She has come to a point where she is following the answers she receives from the spirit solely on the basis that she knows that is what is best for her. On Sunday I was able to do the confirmation for her, what a blessing in my own life that was as well. I gave a talk about the Gift of the Holy Ghost at her baptism as well and then offering her that gift really just made me reflect on what a blessing the spirit really is in our own lives. What a blessing it is that helps us to stay on that path that leads to exaltation. I really just never want to take that for granted. In the confirmation and bestowing that gift of the holy ghost, you have to say very specific words, that being, "receive the Holy Ghost", that phrase has been on my mind. It takes effort to receive the spirit, then more effort to maintain that spirit in our lives, but any sacrifice you make is nothing in comparison to the blessings that will immediately flow into your heart, mind, and spirit. What a blessing we have in this church!

Patrick, a fella I found and started teaching, then passed over to the YSA sisters, has really been progressing well and will get baptized in a couple weeks, well that is the plan. He bore his testimony in church on Sunday, I wasn't there obviously since he is YSA, but then he came to our church to find me and tell me all about it! We had a good conversation and he asked me very specifically to be at his baptism. It just made me so grateful for the lives that we can be blessing by simply being who we are and always being willing to be on the Lord's errand. The Lord has called each of us as individuals, not just full time missionaries, to be who we are for a very specific reason. We have lives to bless, don't hold anything in. 

What an experience this last week, which has really helped me to further build my testimony for the power of the priesthood. I feel to preface this story with saying that this is nothing about me, nothing about who I am or anything, but a way that I have been able to bless someone's life by being worthy and able to use the Priesthood in its intended way. There was a sister here that the sister missionaries have been helping to reactivate, she has come so far. Well we got a call on Wednesday night I believe it was from the sisters asking if we could come give this sister in the ward a blessing. She had been sick for 3 days, doctors don't really have a real idea of what's going on, she has no voice, just dog sick. I was able to give her a blessing that night, she wakes up the next day, sickness is gone. She is fully healthy. Isn't that a miracle? Isn't that the stories that we read about in the scriptures? This is the same Priesthood Christ and His apostles raised people with, it is fully in use and active now. It has been restored and that I know without a doubt.  I think sometimes we overlook the power that we have in our own lives by holding the Priesthood and the blessing it is in the lives of those around us. It is there to bless the human family, I am grateful for that. 

Before finishing off with the Londonderry Elders-Elder Winnie and Elder Nelson, we were able to teach a girl named Victoria. Truly so prepared for the gospel and it was a blessing to help her in her progression. It is just neat to see someone when they are so prepared to hear the gospel. The work is hastening, it really is.

Another tender mercy of the Lord would have been with the family that Josephine has been living with. She is living with a member family, not the same one she has always been with. Well this family she is with now, after all these turn of events, has a son who is very less active in the church and hasn't come out to anything churchy in a real long time! He came out to Josephine's baptism. Do you see how the Lord works? Do you see how He reaches out to His children in often mysterious ways to us? I am confident that God's love does not ebb and flow with our decisions, His course sometimes is difficult to understand, but when we allow the spirit to continue to guide and allow His will to unveil itself, truly miracles occur. 

Got a real solid new investigator! Kennedy, our Recent Convert, has this girl friend named Natasha and turns out her family is a bunch of Mormons as well. We started teaching her this week after she came to church and everything. Taught her in a member's home at that point and things are really starting to pick up pace. She wants to get baptized, but doesn't want to rush things. As much as I wish she would just fast track this thing and get baptized before I go home, I am grateful for her desires and looking into how this gospel will bless her own life. 

As a District Leader, I love giving trainings in District Meeting each week. I pretty much just write down a few ideas and then just let 'em fly and see where the Spirit takes us. So far so good. The areas I help out are the sisters here in the Castledowns ward, and the Spanish missionaries here for the North stake. So it has been a lot of fun. I went to the temple today, hence the Tuesday email. If you have a temple recommend, go. If you don't, work towards it. Having that blessing of the temple is something that I will cherish and I hope never take for granted. 

I love you all. The days are numbered. I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

My new companion from Palm Desert. His name is Braden Bateman. Been out 9 months - came out last January.

The district at the temple