This has been a really exciting time of my mission. I have been blessed so much. I love my companion, Elder Fullmer. We have had many of the same ideas and vision for this area and want to work smart. I have been growing as I’ve looked outside myself. The Copperas Cove Sisters have been struggling with the work (as both of them are both greenies), and as I have worked with the Sister Training Leaders to find what we can do for them, I have felt the revelation flow. As I have prepared District Meetings, I have felt lead as to what should be shared. I feel as though I can understand the Spirit’s promptings. Even though it is mainly feelings I get, I have been able to interpret what it means and follow it.

This time has become some of my favorite on my mission. Bishop Martin (Used to be the High Councilor over missionary work) has made me shout for joy many a time. I feel total support and needed here in this ward.

We have members asking us if they can come on exchange with us! They WANT to be involved! Thier testimonies grow as they share them, I can tell.

We have been blessed with a great teaching pool of solid investigators! Never have I seen this many at one time. We had dinner with President Pack (Stake Pres. Counselor) and we talked about how we believe the Lord is blessing this ward with investigators and returning members because Bishop Martin is raising the vision of the ward, and we are joined with him on that. Even less active people who havent been to church in years have just “randomly” decided to start coming to church with their spouses. The SAME week! Coincidence? I think not. “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

There was a hilarious experience we had this week. Kinda complicated to explain, but here I go: Elder Fullmer and I were on a double exchange (we split up and went with different members to 2 different lessons). In my lesson, our investigator asked about the “Unpardonable Sin,” and so I explained it to him.

“It’s like having a perfect knowledge of God, and turning away from him.”
“Well then, there is no hope for me…I have done that.”
I turned to him and said, “No you haven’t. You may have turned from him for a time, but that is pardonable as we repent and turn back to him.”
“How do you know I haven’t committed the unpardonable sin?”
“Have you seen God?” *He sighs* “No.”

Then we get a knock at the door. It was Elder Fullmer and his exchange. Elder Fullmer texted us during our lesson and said they were finished a little early, so I told them to come join our lesson.

Our investigator then turned to Elder Fullmer, “Let me ask you a question. What is the Unpardonable sin?” (Now this is where it gets funny)

Elder Fullmer: “It’s like having a perfect knowledge of God, and turning away from him.”
“Well, what if I have done that?
“Have you seen God?”
Our investigator then rolled his eyes and looked at me and said, “What?! Do y’all read from a book or somethin’?!”

He almost got everything from Elder Fullmer word for word as I said it before Elder Fullmer came in. I was laughing SO hard.

Last Sunday we got a text from an investigator who dropped the missionaries a couple months ago. She said she was ready to meet again. So we met with her this week and she is preparing herself for baptism!

We had dinner with the Boyntons (Senior Missionary Couple) and their neighbors. We are teaching them regularly now!

We have been blessed to start working with the Ngor family that recently moved in (another coincidence?) who have 2 unbaptized children. Mother is an active recent convert, and father (who comes home from deployment in 2 weeks) was getting ready for baptism before he deployed! So we will teach him as well. Mia and Leah have accepted a baptismal date for February 20th! They have been taught well in the gospel by their mother so they understand what we teach.

I have been having WICKED allergies this last… 2 months? Nothin’ has really been able to kick it. These Cedar bushes are everywhere and the pollen does a roundhouse kick to your sinuses…

The priest-aged foster kid, Gabriel (who Bishop invited to take the lessons a couple weeks ago) has been progressing! He has been eating it all up! Reads the Book of Mormon regularly. We have found that he
has prayed and asked if this was true and has gotten an answer, just may not realize it quite yet.

Church yesterday was from 7:30am-4:00pm with no break! Literally meeting after meeting….Din-din was callin’ my name.

Sylvie comes from a jewish background. Believes Jesus is the Son of God, that he was with God in the beginning, and created the earth, she just didnt understand the Christian claim that he is “the God of
Israel” So we explained it for her and she is good with it now! She came to church!

Rufus has been having concerns that he doesn’t want to be baptized and then do something that would give the church a bad name. We know he is not one to do something like that, but we finally found his deeper concern. We gave him advice to fix it.

Tito and Tania have agreed to have us for a lesson twice a week! Once will be a personal study (help them read on their own and we will be there to answer questions) and the other will be moving them along in
the lessons.

Overall, we have been very blessed!

I have a great testimony that the Lord lifts our burdens just enough to bear them. Almost like a spotter with the buff guy on the bench-press – he holds just enough to allow the bencher to lift the last bit on his own. My problems are so small in comparison to many others out there. The Spirit is able to bring the peace needed because of Christ’s Atonement. Y’all need to pray more. For reals. “And when you are not crying unto the Lord, let your hearts be full drawn out in prayer unto him.”

Thank you for all your support! I love you all immensely!

Love,

Elder Householder

(Elder Austin – My dead trainer. Ive gained weight and he’s lost weight, so I weigh more than him now. SAY WHAA?)