Week 52 - one year mark! - You can't teach someone a testimony or explain your own testimony by physical reasoning

Labor day was pretty much the same as any other p day, except we couldn't email because all the libraries are closed. So that's why we're emailing today!! 

This week was a good one. It started off really well with us teaching a lot of lessons and finding a lot of people, but the end of the week kind of slowed down a little bit. C.   is still planning on getting baptized, but we moved it back to the 19th because her kids wouldn't have been able to make it on the 12th. We talked with her about the Plan of Salvation this past week and she loved it. She was so happy to know and understand her purpose in this crazy life. It's great to see her learning more and to see her desires to be baptized growing more and more each time we visit her. Last week she asked me to be the one to perform the baptism, and it'll be my first one! I'm pretty excited to be able to participate in that sacred ordinance. 

There was a talk introduced in District Meeting last week titled "The Challenging and Testifying Missionary" by Alvin R. Dyer. it talks mostly about the importance of testifying and challenging people to be baptized. It talks about how a lot of missionaries try to teach from their knowledge and what they know about the restored gospel, but he states that that is not the way to teach the gospel. He says the only effective way to do it is by the spirit. 

He later talks about the importance of inviting to baptism. A lot of missionaries (me) are often afraid that the answer will be no. But how are they going to accept an invitation that isn't extended? He talks about how a testimony can't be taught. He says, "Do you think you can teach a testimony? Can you analyze your own testimony of the gospel? Try and do it. Try and explain why you think Jesus is the Son of God. You will never explain it by physical reasoning. Where do you get the knowledge to say "I know Jesus is the Son of God?" John said, "Of this no man needs teaching." The gospel of Jesus Christ is not knowledge

These words had a big impact on me. I often find myself trying to convince or prove that the gospel is true through doctrinal knowledge or facts. But I now know that this cannot be done. It must be done by the power of the Spirit through testimony.

Well that's really all for today! I love you Mom! I can't believe I'm already at a year! It's all going by way too fast. Have a good week! Talk to you next week.