Monday, August 31, 2015

Follow the Spirit


This past week went well. We been working a lot to find new investigators and people to teach. Monday night we planned to go to a specific trailer park to find people. On Tuesday we finished up some appointments and the time came to go to and find. I put it in the gps and we started out. Then I thought, but that is at the top of our area and we have to go to the bottom afterwards and we only have this much time. I pulled the car over and asked Elder Graf where else he wanted to go. He was very firm and set that we were going to go where we had planned. I blundered out my excuses and he told me again that we had been inspired last night to go to that trailer park and so we should go to that trailer park. Grudgingly, but knowing he was right we went to the trailer park. We saw an older women leaning out her porch door in a chair and grilling some carne asada. I wish I would've gotten a picture of it. As we talked to her, her daughter, Guadelupe, pulled up. We expressed the desire to say a prayer with them and Guadelupe readily offered to let us in the house. We told her we couldn't unless there was a man. Surprisingly she told us to wait, walked past us, and went around the back of her home. We stood there for a couple minutes wondering if she was ever going to come back. To our surprise she came back with Ricardo, a recent convert who hadn't been to church in a month. We taught the family with Ricardo and both came to church yesterday.

I learned the importance of following the spirit and following through with impressions no matter what. Elder Graf had had an impression to go to that trailer park and I am very glad that he listened to it instead of me. This truly is the Lord's work and not our own.


Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260

Monday, August 24, 2015

Baptism de Pamela Padilla

Pamela got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday!! It was so special and she was so happy. After her confirmation she was grinning from ear to ear and just glowing. She has grown a lot. When we first started teaching her she told us that she couldn't say a prayer in front of people and she wouldn't. Yesterday she said the prayer in Sacrament Meeting and she did just fine. I'm very happy for her and excited for all the changes she is making in her life.

Yesturday was crazy.

Saturday Night:
 President Bishop called us and told us that the couple that he assigned to speak in Sacrament Meeting had just told him that they were going to be in North Carolina for the weekend. So he asked us if we could speak.

Sunday Morning
8am-9am: 
Spent preparing our talks. Most of the time Elder Graf just kept asking me how to say things in Spanish. I studied a little bit and was able to organize a couple thoughts.

10 am:
We had a meeting with the Branch Council at . During that time I remembered that we had to make what's called a "Progress Report" for a meeting we would be having after church. Usually we fill it out on Thursdays with Hermano Paredez, but we weren't able to do that. So, I quickly jotted that down while my companion kept writing his talk (we weren't very affective in that meeting).

11am:
 We went to Priesthood meeting where the teacher read us a talk in a nice monotone voice. My companion continued to write his talk and I remembered that the next class was Gospel Principles. Which we teach. Usually we prepare a little bit in the mornings for the class, but we were writing our talks.

12pm:
We round up everyone. I quickly look through to book to see where we are at. Fasting. We say a prayer and I teach the class on the fly. I hope that they all learned something.

12:50pm:
We all file into the chapel. Someone tells us to go talk to someone by Pre. Bishops office. We find a couple with a little two year old. The husband immediately begins to complain to us about how they had been waiting there for 2 hours and how they are starving and his wife is pregnant and they want us to do something for them. All this while Sacrament meeting is starting. We quickly round up the extra bread that wasn't used for the sacrament, which they really didn't seem that excited about for someone who was starving. We get back in time for the sacrament. Pamela receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. We talk.

2:15
Correlation Meeting with Branch leaders. Lots and lots of meetings.

Of course the day didn't end there but it was a pretty exciting start. I can remember listening to some leaders and thinking that they weren't very organized and that I could write a better talk or explain whatever they were trying to say in a better way. I now know that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in leadership, and that it is extremely hard to take care of so many things. I have a lot of respect for all of my leaders, and especially for our living day Prophet.

Love ya'll

Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260

Pics:
1-2) Pamela and Alex at her Baptism
3-4) Mystery soup. We think it was intestines. Not the best thing I've eaten so far... 

Monday, August 17, 2015

Re: A part of the Dance



On Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 11:14 AM, Levi Harmon <levi.harmon@myldsmail.net> wrote:
We helped Rafael trim his trees.

On Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 11:13 AM, Levi Harmon <levi.harmon@myldsmail.net> wrote:
This weekend will be the baptism of Pamela!! We are so excited for her. She has seen a lot of changes in her life already as she has been preparing herself to take this step. Yesterday we gave her a quad and she was so excited to have all the scriptures and she loves to read and learn. Her husband is going to baptized her as he just recently received the Aaronic Priesthood and it is going to be a special experience for both of them.

Rafael came to church for the first time yesterday and he loved it! We went and saw him on Friday with the Branch President and his wife. They were able to invite him to an activity the branch was having on Saturday where they went to a lake. He went, met a lot of the members, and really enjoyed himself. I think that really helped him to want to come to church and be a part of everything.

I don't remember who said it, but I remember reading a quote that said that we don't have to defend the gospel. It can do that on it's own. But rather it is like a song that we sing and share with others. When Rafael was able to go and see members of the church in action and to interact with them, he realized that he wanted to be with them. He can see them dancing and he wants to join the dance. All we have to do is teach him the steps and let him hear the music.

Pics:
1) The District
2) The District Leader. He is the same guy who broke the record at the BYU Invitational my senor year. He ran it in 47 seconds flat.

Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260



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Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260



--
Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260

Monday, August 10, 2015

The Noche de Hogar with the Alvarez Family went very well. A lot of members showed up and I think it was good for Eulogia to see all of the support she has from everyone. We watched the part of 'Meet the Mormons' about the man who is from Nipal. It showed how even thought he was baptized as a member of the church he was still able to respect and have a good relationship with his parents who were of another faith. Afterwards all of the members bore their testimonies and many of them talked about how they came from all catholic families as well and how their families had learned to respect them for their beliefs. It was AWESOME!

Pamela is good to go. She is learning so fast and just soaking everything up. She can literally see the gospel changing her life. It is amazing. Her baptism will be the 22nd of August.

 
Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260

Monday, August 3, 2015

All you need is Love...

We FINALLY went to the Temple again. I could stay there all day. We also had a Conference with our new mission President. I love him and his wife so much!! They are so happy and full of faith. It is impossible to be around them and not smile, I love it. I've been striving and praying hard to have that kind of love for everyone. And I am really coming to love all the people here.

We're teaching an older gentleman Rafael. He live alone and is from Columbia. Which is where Luz is from, from my last area. I'm thinking about hooking them up, but I haven't devised the plan yet. But we had a lesson with him the other day and as we were leaving he gave us hugs and told us that he loves us. It wasn't weird at all.

Moroni 7:46-47
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
  47 But acharity is the pure blove of Christ, and it endureth cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

The gospel is built on the foundation of love. The very reason we are here right now is because we have a Father in Heaven who loves us. I want to serve my mission, live my life, and always be full of love for everyone. And I hope that as I love those around me that they will be able to catch a glimpse of our Saviors love for them.

We are working hard. Elder Graf is very creative and he thinks of all of these fun ways to teach and help our investigators. We gave the Alvarez family cups and seeds and told them to plant the seeds and to water them everyday that they read the scriptures. Our lesson with them last week went very well. I know that they are going to be baptized and I'm pretty sure they know it as well. Right now the biggest road block is her family. She doesn't want to disappoint her parents or family by changing religions. But she comes to church every week and is already basically a member. We are going to have a "Noche de Hogar" of "Family Night" tonight at there home and basically the whole branch is invited. So we are excited for that.

Have a great week everyone!!

Elder Harmon

1019 Marquis Way
Morrow, GA 30260