Hello Family!
This past week has been a good one. I went on a companionship exchange for the first time and it made me realize that I have come to love Coquille more than I thought! I went to North Bend with Elder Johnson, and Elder Mangelson went to Coquille with Elder Nelson. It was for Friday night and most of Saturday. North Bend isn't a big city but it is a lot bigger than Coquille. It is easier to find people to talk to but it is a pretty dirty city. There is Coos Bay and North Bend which are right next to each other and it is kind of like Provo and Orem where it all just blends together into one big city. When I say big that's by Oregon's standards. Combined they only have around 11 thousand people. I didn't like it very much though. I have come to love the small town feel.
We had an amazing experience this past week. We were tracting on Wednesday and we knocked on this man's house. He answered and was in so much pain he could barely talk. He said he had just been in a car accident and broken or cracked a few ribs. There were some boxes on his porch and he asked us if we could bring them in, so we did. He was in so much pain just standing up that we just gave him our number and told him to give us a call if he needed anything at all. We also told him we would stop back by and see how he was doing. So we left. About an hour later we get a call from him. He asked if we could come back over in a few hours and go pick him up some dinner and help him move some things around. It looks like he just moved into the house there is boxes all over the place and not much furniture. We had an appointment for the time he needed us to come back so we said we would get there as soon as we could. He called back while we were in our appointment and left a message saying that someone had come by and did it for him so we didn't need to. So we just pushed him into the back of our minds. We put him on the potentials list on our board however as broken ribs guy because we didn't know his name. So on Sunday we decided that we were going to go through and contact all the potentials that we had on the board. He was the first house that we knocked on. He answered and was still in some pain but not nearly as much as he was before. He asked if we were the young men that the Lord had sent before to help him. We said that we were. He sat down because he couldn't stand for long because of the ribs. We got talking about how he was doing and he started asking questions about our church and which church we were from. So we told him and then started into a discussion of religion. Come to find out he is a very well versed in the bible and understands it very well. He started telling us what he believes and it was like he was describing the church. It was amazing.
He has been so prepared to hear what we have to say. He said that he had been a minister for another church but he didn't say which one. The way he interprets scripture I know that he has felt the holy ghost in his life. He talked about Christ and his ministry here on the earth and he was telling us that we were doing exactly what Christ did while he was on the earth. He said that the fact that we showed up and just helped him with the boxes had made such a huge impact on his life and he knew that we were sent of God. So we talked for a long time about our church and the bible. He then asked us out of the blue, "do you believe that Christ appeared to the ancestors of the native American's?" It was perfect, it couldn't have worked out any better. We then started telling him about the Book of Mormon and how that is exactly what it is. We talked about that for a long time and asked him if he would read and pray about it. He said he definitely would. He asked us what our favorite passages of the book were so that he could read them. We gave him 3 Nephi 11 and also Alma 32.
In the MTC we talked a lot about the lords elect. Those who have been prepared to hear the gospel and are there for us to find. This is exactly that. He has been prepared by our Heavenly Father to hear what we have to say. It was such an amazing experience. The spirit there was stronger than I have ever felt it before in my life. He is just amazing. Oh his name is Harold Edward Clark. The lord has blessed us so much. I know that he will feel the spirit when he reads and that he will come to know that this church is true. I am so excited to start working with him. We are going back tomorrow to talk to him some more about it. He was just so excited while we were talking to him. He was telling us after we gave him the scriptures to read that his favorite scriptures in the bible is the parable of the sower. It was perfect, that is exactly what Alma 32 talks about. Faith is like a seed. I can't even describe how amazing this experience was. There are some other things that happened while we were there but Elder Nelson and I decided that we would keep those between us and the Lord and Harold. It has increased my faith and my testimony so much. That is exactly why I'm here, I know that we were sent to find Harold and bring him the gospel.
I have a challenge for everyone. Well not exactly a challenge but I want everyone who reads this to write down their testimony and send it to me. You don't have to but I would love it if you did. I know for a fact that this gospel is true. After that experience I can never deny it. I know that my savior lives and knows and loves each and everyone of us personally. He came and paid the price that we could not so that we could return and live with him again. I have felt that love and spirit testify to me. This gospel IS true.
I love you all very much.
Love
Elder Erickson
This past week has been a good one. I went on a companionship exchange for the first time and it made me realize that I have come to love Coquille more than I thought! I went to North Bend with Elder Johnson, and Elder Mangelson went to Coquille with Elder Nelson. It was for Friday night and most of Saturday. North Bend isn't a big city but it is a lot bigger than Coquille. It is easier to find people to talk to but it is a pretty dirty city. There is Coos Bay and North Bend which are right next to each other and it is kind of like Provo and Orem where it all just blends together into one big city. When I say big that's by Oregon's standards. Combined they only have around 11 thousand people. I didn't like it very much though. I have come to love the small town feel.
We had an amazing experience this past week. We were tracting on Wednesday and we knocked on this man's house. He answered and was in so much pain he could barely talk. He said he had just been in a car accident and broken or cracked a few ribs. There were some boxes on his porch and he asked us if we could bring them in, so we did. He was in so much pain just standing up that we just gave him our number and told him to give us a call if he needed anything at all. We also told him we would stop back by and see how he was doing. So we left. About an hour later we get a call from him. He asked if we could come back over in a few hours and go pick him up some dinner and help him move some things around. It looks like he just moved into the house there is boxes all over the place and not much furniture. We had an appointment for the time he needed us to come back so we said we would get there as soon as we could. He called back while we were in our appointment and left a message saying that someone had come by and did it for him so we didn't need to. So we just pushed him into the back of our minds. We put him on the potentials list on our board however as broken ribs guy because we didn't know his name. So on Sunday we decided that we were going to go through and contact all the potentials that we had on the board. He was the first house that we knocked on. He answered and was still in some pain but not nearly as much as he was before. He asked if we were the young men that the Lord had sent before to help him. We said that we were. He sat down because he couldn't stand for long because of the ribs. We got talking about how he was doing and he started asking questions about our church and which church we were from. So we told him and then started into a discussion of religion. Come to find out he is a very well versed in the bible and understands it very well. He started telling us what he believes and it was like he was describing the church. It was amazing.
He has been so prepared to hear what we have to say. He said that he had been a minister for another church but he didn't say which one. The way he interprets scripture I know that he has felt the holy ghost in his life. He talked about Christ and his ministry here on the earth and he was telling us that we were doing exactly what Christ did while he was on the earth. He said that the fact that we showed up and just helped him with the boxes had made such a huge impact on his life and he knew that we were sent of God. So we talked for a long time about our church and the bible. He then asked us out of the blue, "do you believe that Christ appeared to the ancestors of the native American's?" It was perfect, it couldn't have worked out any better. We then started telling him about the Book of Mormon and how that is exactly what it is. We talked about that for a long time and asked him if he would read and pray about it. He said he definitely would. He asked us what our favorite passages of the book were so that he could read them. We gave him 3 Nephi 11 and also Alma 32.
In the MTC we talked a lot about the lords elect. Those who have been prepared to hear the gospel and are there for us to find. This is exactly that. He has been prepared by our Heavenly Father to hear what we have to say. It was such an amazing experience. The spirit there was stronger than I have ever felt it before in my life. He is just amazing. Oh his name is Harold Edward Clark. The lord has blessed us so much. I know that he will feel the spirit when he reads and that he will come to know that this church is true. I am so excited to start working with him. We are going back tomorrow to talk to him some more about it. He was just so excited while we were talking to him. He was telling us after we gave him the scriptures to read that his favorite scriptures in the bible is the parable of the sower. It was perfect, that is exactly what Alma 32 talks about. Faith is like a seed. I can't even describe how amazing this experience was. There are some other things that happened while we were there but Elder Nelson and I decided that we would keep those between us and the Lord and Harold. It has increased my faith and my testimony so much. That is exactly why I'm here, I know that we were sent to find Harold and bring him the gospel.
I have a challenge for everyone. Well not exactly a challenge but I want everyone who reads this to write down their testimony and send it to me. You don't have to but I would love it if you did. I know for a fact that this gospel is true. After that experience I can never deny it. I know that my savior lives and knows and loves each and everyone of us personally. He came and paid the price that we could not so that we could return and live with him again. I have felt that love and spirit testify to me. This gospel IS true.
I love you all very much.
Love
Elder Erickson
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