Harrisburg Week 16

So first off I want to answer your question about noisy kids and lazy parents in sacrament meeting. It is pretty different out here in the mission field! Since we do have investigators coming often for their first time, we do want the experience to be a good one and with a minimal noise level. So the bishop and ward council do discuss about people being prompt and taking their kids out of the chapel if they start acting up. I think it's 1. because of investigators, and 2. I think there are more naggy, and complaining old people out here so they definitely speak up to the bishopric if the noise is out of hand haha. Of course kids are kids, and every once in a while you get those parents that let their kids run around the cultural hall and make ruckus, but the majority of the wards are good about being noise conscious. It's funny to because there aren't nearly as many families with a lot of little kids as you would find out West. So that helps. Do you remember David K...s? His comments after his very first sacrament meeting were, "I felt like I was in a Chuck-e-Cheeses.", he ended up getting baptized, but you better believe that the Bishopric quickly addressed that!

Anyway, I am doing quite well and things area going pretty good! This week was a relatively slow, but some really good things happened! I had a chance to go on an exchange down to a place called New Holland, or Ephrata. That place is really cool because there are lots of Amish/ Mennonite people! They were riding their bikes, horse and buggies, push scooters, everything! I guess we get that kind of attention too when we walk around in our white shirt and ties. So that was fun! I ate some delicious Amish donuts! It was awesome!

5- hours later....

Sorry this letter has taken so long to get to you! The libraries today are closed because of some staff meeting for all the library people, so then we came here to  HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College) to do our emails and about 45 minutes in, the library people asked all that aren't doing academic work to give up the computers to people that were waiting to use them for such. And that meant us, so we got kicked out. We decided to go to this pizza place, and it was INCREDIBLE!! Then we went bowling for free, then we went and hung out at the church and played wall ball with a dodgeball. Now I'm back and ready to finish up this e-mail before the Pday is over.

Things are pretty much back to normal weather wise, as normal as central PA weather gets. They say over here, "If you don't like the weather in central PA, wait 5 minutes. It'll change." That reminds me of UT!

So in about an hour we're going to go and visit Obed C.....!! He's so awesome! He actually called us and made sure we were still coming over! What a good guy. I'm way excited to be teaching him the gospel, it'll be great. I don't know if I'll get to stick around to see his baptism ;) but I know that he'll progress as the Lord helps us help him.

So this week at Zone Conference, I learned something completely awesome that has changed my life forever! It is about recognizing promptings from the Holy Ghost. Often times I ask, is it just me thinking, or is it the Holy Ghost. I don't know if you have had that question or not, but I got an awesome answer of how to tell if it's the Spirit. Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy actually did a surprise visit to the mission and only a few missionaries got to speak with him. Elder Nielsen (one of the Assistants to the President) asked him about recognizing the Spirit and Elder Jensen gave him this: he called it, "Revelation, the First Presidency does it." There are three scriptures, all in the Doctrine and Covenants:

1. DC 6:23 "Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"
     -The holy ghost gives us peace when we ask for an answer. Peace is something we can all recognize, and is an answer to prayers for guidance. Peace is the Comforter, not ourselves.

2. DC 128:1 " As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my enemies."

    - When we are receiving a prompting from the  Holy Ghost, often it will be something that we keep thinking about or something that we really feel strongly to do, or say. This happened to me just last week where I kept feeling like I needed to go see someone that was kinda far away and out of the way. I put it off once, and it came back so I went. And that person needed a blessing and was praying that we would come. Incredible.

3. DC 11:12,13 "12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; "

    - I think that these are pretty self-explanatory. The Spirit, when it prompts us, will invite us to do all the highlighted. If what we feel we need to do, and think it is a prompting, falls under these categories, than it is of the Spirit.

These scriptures have been amazing to me and my growth in the gospel. I love it! It is the favorite thing that I've learned lately. I hope that these will help you as well. I think I better finish this one up, it's a pretty long one. Thank you so much for your support, love, testimony, and encouragement. It means a lot to me! Have a great week!

Love,

Benjamin

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