Email January 26, 2015

Helllooooooo family! Hopefully this last week was a good one for you. Ours went well, considering we were finally able to contact a referral who has been hard to get in contact with. So that's was good. :D And it was a great meeting too! He heard about us from a member friend, then one thing led to another, badda bing badda boom, he and his wife have a Book of Mormon, Restoration pamphlet, and want us to come back! So yeah, that was pretty awesome. We got inside and he even already had a quad from a year or so ago that he got at a meeting for something. He hasn't read it, but knows the Bible and the Book of Mormon are in it. Super cool. I'm so excited to work with them this coming week. They said they would try to come to church this week, but weren't able to make it. :( So they are going to come this week I just know it! One of our other investigators and his wife came to church this week, which was great. I have been working with them basically since I got here and they're starting to progress. They're a little slow, I think you guys know that, but they are some of the sweetest people. Really hard to teach them, but they are super nice. The ward loves them too, which is awesome! Hopefully they'll make the step to baptism soon. If they do it'll be a ways down the road, but hopefully they make the commitment and set a goal soon. We also had a lesson with a former investigator, and that was pretty good. It was weird though because the way it all got started with us was because she had an interest in the papyrus the Book of Abraham was translated from and the mummies that were tied in the bundle with the scrolls and just the Egyptian ties with that stuff. We got there and started talking with her about it and she said that she can "channel pharaohs." I asked her what she meant and she said she can go into a medium trance and "become" one of the ancient pharaohs - speak their language and say what they would say. So we talked to her about Facsimile 2 in the Pearl of Great Price, how it is basically talking about Egyptians believe special ordinances are necessary to enter heaven and how it relates to the temples around that time and in modern times. Actually really interesting and cool how it all works into the gospel. But it was a good lesson and she wants to meet with us again so we are hoping to get her more interested in learning how to get back to God so we can teach her the gospel of Jesus Christ and how that is the way! Haha. It's so much more simple than anything we could teach, it really is just those 5 simple steps of the gospel: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Everything else in the gospel is a part of one of those 5 steps. Notice it's simple, as opposed to easy, haha. However, the hardest things in life bring the greatest blessings! That's about it lesson-wise, but we had another zone blitz in a different ward this time and we were looking for a certain family. So we knocked on the door and it wasn't them, but they had just barely moved in. Curious, I asked where from. Pleasant View, Utah!!! I asked them what part and they said right above Weber High and I was like I know a lot of people there! And asked them if they knew a few families, to which they said no. But they said they know Sam and Sheila Knight, and then the McKnights as well. So if anyone knows a Susan White who just moved from Pleasant View, I just met her and her husband. They aren't members and aren't interested in becoming members, but she was really nice! So the other day, Elder Dixon and I were at the church for our weekly planning session and there were people playing sports in the gym the whole time. So when we were leaving we walked by the overflow and there were some little girls playing a game while their dads or brothers were playing basketball. When we walked by, they looked at us, got these huge eyes, huddled up together, and were talking in hushed voices. At first I was like, yeah they're probably talking about seeing the missionaries. I could hear just a little of what they said and they were all saying things like, "look at the security guards!" and "I didn't know we had security guards!" Just funny things like that. It was awesome! Haha first time I've ever been called a security guard and I thought it was sweet! So yeah. It was a pretty good week. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be a missionary. I have learned so much about my Savior and Redeemer and one of my recent personal favorites, my Reclaimer. The Atonement is the best thing ever. Ever! It saves us all. I have learned so much about justice and grace and mercy and how they all relate and work in our lives. I love it. It makes me happy. And it should make us all happy!!! Because of our Reclaimer, we can be saved from anything and everything if we just choose to try to be! I love you guys, have an incredible week! Oh and one more thing I learned this week was this: Moses 1:39 tells us God's work and glory is to bring to pass OUR immortality and eternal life. However, the Resurrection happened so the first part, immortality, is already going to be brought to pass for everyone. Check! So now what is God's work and glory? To bring to pass OUR eternal life - to bring us home to Him. That is His single focus. I know He loves all of His children! Again, have a great week! Love you guys! Love, Elder Cevering