Friday, October 24, 2014

Nauvoo The Beautiful!

Well I want to apologize to everyone, its been a pretty great couple
of Weeks. No need to worry about me I've been doing Just fine. Better
than Fine, I've been living the dream. I had a pretty good send me off
from Rochelle. We were able to go to sister schuler's home and teach
her sons the restoration and that went really well. We took some
pictures and Barb thanked Elder Earl and I for teaching her, she just
about broke down crying as she thanked us for being here, that if it
wasn't for us she wouldn't be baptized right now. 
That there was a moment that made my mission. Sunday night we had President Fenn come to Rochelle for a Fireside and give a presentation on the Book of Mormon. It went really well. Some families from Dekalb came and we had a lot of recent converts there. Sister schuler our most recent convert bore her testimony and it is one of the sweetest testimonies I have ever heard. I had to follow her up and sing a solo, which I believe is the first solo I have ever sang, high on the mountain top. President then began to speak thanked the people who bore testimony and gave me one of the greatest compliments a missionary and get from him which is, "you didn't bring shame on the mission." 
   I am proud to Announce my Son Elder Earl is Training. Elder Engler is
also Training for his last transfer on his mission. So I now have a brother and also a grandson. As weird as mission families are I sure do Enjoy them.
    Transfer day was a pretty odd one. Elder Scrogham didn't come up to
Naperville to meet me so I was without a companion for 8 hours. It was
weird not having a companion for so long but I got to Morton safely.
Im really excited to serve Here in Morton. The Ward here is Great, all
we really are trying to do is find people to teach. These last couple
of weeks we lost all of our investigators, all except one. Who is a
members son and can't get baptized because his dad wont let him. If you
could do some praying for us. Pray that we can find some new
investigators. We have though had some of the best teaching Lessons
that I have ever had on my mission. 
Elder Scrogham is really good at teaching people not lessons. He is a really Humble missionary and we really click. I have super excited to serve with him. I will have to share a couple of my really spiritual moments in our week. The first one happened Saturday morning right after MCM we went to go give service for our Ward mission Leaders Son sam who is a Less-active. He grew up in the church and reads from the Book of Mormon often and whats holding him back from activity is he has never felt like he has had a connection with God. We talk to him more to find out more about where he was coming from and he told us that every time he tries to find God or is at the cusp of revelation he said something always Bad happens. We expressed to him that one of the reason that could be is because Satan knows who he is and knows who he can become and that Satan can't afford to let him lose from his chains that he has on him because if he finds God than he will be a huge player when it comes for the fight of righteousness. He said he never thought of that before. We invited him to fast and pray to know if there is a God. He accepted our challenge and today we have been fasting and praying to help him on his search. Today was a very POWERFUL day.
We were able to Go to the Nauvoo temple. It was SO powerful walking into that temple. It about took my breath away. I was able to feel the power of God so strong in that temple and I was so happy to be able to go there. On our way home we went threw carthage Jail and that was a really powerful experience. It was so sacred, and Being a descendent of Hyrum the Patriarch just made even More special. I really felt close to The Prophet and the Patriarch while we drove through old Nauvoo we were able to see the grave of those 2 great men. I got a new increased love and witness for those men that has just solidified my testimony that I know this work is the work of The Lord and and be brought to us straight from him and will continue to progress until it fills the world! Elder Herdt