Email August 10, 2015

Hello from smoky Anderson, California! I hope you have all had a great week! Boy did I have a fantastic week! I'm going to start off by saying we had so much more success than I thought we did. Don't you just love that? When you take a minute and really reflect on everything that you did and you realize how much you really did do? I love that! These last couple of weeks have been awesome at that. It catches me by surprise every time haha. We were able to get into contact with a few more people in our teaching pool who we haven't yet been able to contact, and that was awesome! At one lesson with a man told us that he wants to be baptized and he's just waiting for his best friend in the church to baptize him, but he's not ready. He doesn't want to come to church because he doesn't like being around other people and because he focuses so much on each and every word that he really loses the meaning of everything. I mean, yeah it's cool to know what the words mean, but if you focus too much on the little details you're going to miss the grander scheme of everything. So we will continue working with him, he can make it! There is another couple we work with and they are a less active older couple. They're super nice people and they love the gospel. We go over once a week and read out of the old gospel principles manual with them and they always enjoy it. They are really sweet and kind. Another man we're working with has this amazing 70's hair and is just kind of stuck in the 70's all around. It's pretty awesome! We went over and answered more of his questions. He was really stuck on a lot of the deeper things he has been reading in the D&C and in the Pearl of Great Price, so we ended up just talking about how we need to have faith first and then everything else will fall into place. We will be able to know these things are true because we already know that everything else is true. So we spent a lot of time on the gospel of Jesus Christ and it was a really powerful lesson. He is really emotional about the gospel because he knows the blessings he can receive through it. It's so awesome. And one of the greatest parts of this week was the blessing I had to go down and attend and be a part of the baptism of Kathryn Wise from Roseville! She had asked me to baptize her and I got permission to go and it was this week! We went down Friday night right after dinner, so we left between 7 and 7:30 and got down to Roseville at 10pm. We stayed the night with Elder Wilding and his new companion, Elder Poulter, and had a great night. Then the next morning we got up, showered, and went straight to the church to fill the font. It was so good to see people from Roseville again! I got to see one of my bishops and his wife, Rick and Kathryn obviously, the stake president and his 1st counselor, and my ward mission leader. And all of the missionaries there too! It was so awesome! It was an incredible, spirit filled meeting, like baptisms always are. And I'll tell you what, it was such a blessing to be able to be in the water and baptize Kathryn. She has such a great faith in Jesus Christ and it is only going to continue to grow. After the ordinance, I walked into the bathroom to change and just dropped to my knees and thanked my Heavenly Father. For everything. For the opportunity I have to have the gospel in my life, for the opportunity to be a missionary and to have taught Kathryn, for the opportunity to hold His priesthood and perform saving ordinances, and so many more things. I had a burning in my bosom that I cannot deny was the Spirit confirming to me the truth of all of these things. I know the gospel is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. Tomorrow morning I will be finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time on my mission. I have taken my time and I am so grateful for it. I know for a fact that it this book is true and that without it I would not be who I am today. This gospel has changed my life. I don't know where I would be without it. I know I wouldn't have nearly as much hope or peace or comfort. I know this church and gospel have brought me so much more help and it will only continue to do so. I know the gospel can and will do the same thing for you, but you need to let it. The gospel changes not only our lives, but also our eternities. Don't let your current situation drag you down. Accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Live it. Love it. It will change your life. I love you guys! I can't wait to see you in 9 weeks! Single digits, you guys! I love you! Love, Elder Cevering