22nd

Well remember about how I told you about D*** last week?  Well we had a lesson with him on Freitag and we talked a lot about putting forth our full effort in finding the truth of the Gospel.  In one moment I was prompted to ask him to get baptized.  He said he would get baptized!  What is really cool is that usually when you ask someone to get baptized, you put a date forth so that they can prepare for this date.  We weren't planning in this lesson to challenge him to baptism but we had to give him a date.  As I was asking him to be baptized, I asked him if the 22nd of September was the right date and he agreed.  I had no idea what day of the week the 22nd was but in this ward they have their baptisms on Sunday.  After the lesson, Elder Ashmead and I walk outside and I asked him what day the 22nd was, we check the calendar on our phone and it was a Sunday haha.  Oh man that was so cool how that all worked out.  

It sounds like you are all super busy!!  It is good to be busy.  It keeps you focused!  I have been thinking about Trevor's feet a lot.  I am not sure what I think about it.  I feel so bad!  Has he had a blessing?

That was another cool thing this last week.  I got to give 2 blessings!  I absolutely love giving blessings.  It really gives you the chance to be in total connection with the powers of Heaven.  

This last week I have studied a lot about the Parable of the Talents.  It can be found in Matthäus 25:14-30.  He gives these servants a certain amount of Talents.  He gives one man 5, second 2, and third 1.  He then comes back and asked what these servants have done with their Talents.  The first one, recieving the most, says that he has learned and doubled his load.  The second did the same. These first two servants were rewarded for their work.   The third put forth no work with what he was given.  He didn't capitalize on the gift.  This applies to our life exactly.  The Lord has given us more talents than some other people.  We have wonderful families, a strong faith, an amazing church and love for another.  What happens when we become like unto the third servant?  We will be called the "slothful servant".  When I stand before God I want to give Him as much as I can back.  We are given so much with the Gospel.  This intelligence that we have should not be buried away, but we should study, share, and live so that this intelligence, this gift can grow.  And most importantly so that we can obtain a place in the kingdom of our Father, and bring the rest of the world along with us.  This Parable shows that even though we are all on this earth, we have different circumstances.  God will judge us on how well we capitalize on what we are given.  WE GO TO WORK!!!!

I love you guys :) Give my love to the family and ward!  

Love, Elder Hays