Week 15 - Thanksgiving and Fondue

Happy Late Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and stayed safe during the always chaotic Black Friday. It was a slower week this week, but still a lot of good things happened. Elder Shaw and I gave two more priesthood blessings this week to one of our members and her non-member husband.  It was cool because that was the first time he asked the missionaries directly for a blessing. It's so amazing to be able to give a blessing, to feel the Spirit so strongly, and to be led by the Spirit to say what our Heavenly Father would want us say on His behalf. 

We called a few former investigators this week one of whom is an older lady named Raymond. Here is how the beginning of the conversation went:

Raymond: "Oui" (hello)

Me: "Bonjour c'est les missionnaires ça va bien? (hello it's the missionaries how are you)

For the next 5 minutes she spews french at me and from what I was able to understand she had been in and out of the hospital. However, after a few minutes of me just listening, she asked, 

"Est-ce que tu comprends le français?" (Do you understand french)

Me: "Un petit peu." (a little bit)

The rest of the conversation was her speaking to me in broken English which was leaps and bounds better than my french. She spoke to me about her health problems, her family, her trip to the United States with her son, and about the many problems of the world.  Sadly, all of this lead up to her telling me that due to her being in the hospital she wasn't sure when she would meet with us. Nonetheless, it was the most interesting and funniest 33 minutes of my mission. 

I also learned an important lesson. Even if we don't have the opportunity to teach every person we come in contact with about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, just being there to listen and to be a friend brings them closer to Christ. 

One of the families in our branch is going to Utah for a few months so we made them a little collage quote book. Our investigators were busy this week so we weren't able to meet with them which was sad, but we were able to meet with one of our members who is the father of one our investigators. We taught a great lesson about temples using a really cool video that explains what temples are and why they are important and sacred to us as members of the church. 

I know I talk a lot about food, but this week I had one of the best meals ever! Since the Worners (my former branch president and his family) are leaving for Utah, they invited us over for a Thanksgiving/Christmas/going away dinner with them and two other families.  We fondued! Have any of you ever fondued moose and partridge? Cause I have and it was sooo amazing!! 

Fun with Fondue

Mooooooooose

More Fondue Fun

No More Partridge in a Pear Tree

As we were making the book of quotes for them I came across one I really liked in the memoir to Boyd K. Packer.  Elder Packer said that from a young age he decided to give back to God the gift we all have possessed since before our earthly life which is agency. That struck me because he didn't say that he would use his agency to follow Heavenly Father's commandments, but rather he said he would give his agency back to Him. When we come to a point where we humble ourselves and give our agency back to God and submit to His will, we truly begin to be better built line upon line, precept by precept, and grace upon grace. 

To be so familiar with the Spirit that we can receive, recognize, and act on a prompting immediately is where I hope we can all aspire to be and what we can all work towards achieving. 

I love you all and hope you had a great holiday and enjoy the Christmas season which is just now beginning. I encourage you all to go to lds.org and follow the main link to the Christmas videos. They are amazing and I hope you can all find opportunities to share a message about Christ this Christmas season with someone. 

I love you all. Stay safe and stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Here is another pic!!!

Pumpkin Pancakes (thanks grandma for the mix)!!