The Gospel brings true joy

Well family...I love this work more than anything in this work...

Elder Young and I have struggled these past couple of weeks finding new investigators.  We have gotten a lot of contacts that we can stop by but just not a lot of interest.  We have planned for the last few weeks for a baptismal date.  We didn't know who it would be but it would be someone that we had found that week.  

Well, on Sunday, a newly activated member brought a friend of hers to church.  His name is C***** and he had come a couple of times to Family Home Evening before I came to Dresden but became to busy to come anymore.  He was given a Book of Mormon and a short explanation of what it is.  

He came to church in nice clothes and we took him and the member into a room and started with a lesson.  I had no idea that he was going to show up so I didn't have anything prepared.  I thought to my self though...I thought about what Joseph Smith had said, he said that he was the smartest man on the world, not because of his worldly knowledge, but because the Holy Ghost gives him Godly knowledge.  I know that I have the Holy Ghost and that through that power, I can teach this man the word of God.  This gave me confidence and swept my fear away.  We asked him how much he had read in the Book of Mormon and he had read the whole book of 1st Nephi!  I was impressed.  We bore testimony about the power of reading in the Book of Mormon and why the things that are in it are so important.  I asked L**** (the member) to give testimony about how she came to find out if it was true.  She talked about a power that she felt.  Very simple and straight forward testimony.  I then had the prompting to just read.  I asked L***** to pick out her favorite scripture.  She picked out 2 Nephi 4 because that is what we had done in institute that week.  I had the impression to not  expound on what we had read.  Even after we finished, I looked at Christian and he was just staring at the book.  There was silence for about 30 seconds when I asked him what it would mean to him if the book was true.  He said everything.  His search would be over.  I then explained that if this book was true, the church is true and that Joseph Smith is in reality a Prophet of God.  I invited him to follow Moroni's promise in praying if the book was true, we gave testimony and I invited him to be baptized, when he finds out that the Book is true.  He accepted for the 8th of December.  It was a great faith builder.  He is prepared.

This week I have studied a lot about Baptism. I thought a lot about what people have said about it.  Prophets namely.  Joseph Smith, Malachi and Paul.  Baptism is essential to our eternal salvation in this life.  In order to reach eternal exhaltation, we need to have baptism.  Baptisms for the dead are giving these people salvation, literally saving them.  Paul is not saved without the baptismal ordinance that we have to do on this earth.  Like Malachi says, the hearts of the fathers will be turned to the children and children to the fathers, that they without us, cannot be made perfect, neither can we without our dead be made perfect.  "There must be a welded link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children; what is that subject? It is the baptisms for the dead.  For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect." (Joseph Smith)  A baptism for a dead person is the same as baptizing someone as a missionary.  It is the salvation of a soul.  Save someone who needs it, someone who has waited for centuries, someone who has accepted the gospel in the Heavens above.  Do it this week and as much as you can. 

Ahh man.  The Gospel is happiness.  Sure life is hard and people die and there are challenges.  Rely on the Gospel.  It brings true JOY.  Charity, love, longsuffering and gentleness come from the servants of the Lord who are one in Zion.  Be happy because the Gospel is happy.  

Be strong because Christ was. 

Love you:)

Elder Hays

PS  My shoulder is good.  My bands that hold my shoulder in place are loose and enable my shoulder to sit out of socket at every moment.  Through that comes pain.  I know my body and I know what I can handle.  I am doing fantastic:)