It do be that time again. The birds are singing, the sun is a bit brighter! It's p-day! What a hype week.
One thing we do as missionaries is visit all the members. While it may not seem as productive as knocking doors and proclaiming the good news from street corners, it's vitally important that the church members that are already baptized to feel supported in their journeys home.
So we went through our list and noticed that we haven't met an older couple yet. We gave them a ring and the husband said that he wasn't comfortable meeting with us in his home, but we could meet in his office. We said sure, and he sent us the address to the temple... We made sure that he planned to meet at the temple and not his office, and he told us that he worked IN the temple. Wild.
So we pull up to the temple and walk in the back door where all the trucks drop stuff off. We meet the brother, scan our temple recommends and enter into the utilities section of the temple. Super crazy, they have huge electricity things from Star Trek down there powering the building, but it was still all completely white. It was super neat seeing all the behind the scenes stuff as we walked into his office. Turns out this brother is the lead temple engineer, which means he's in charge of construction and landscaping.
We asked him how long the temple will be closed, and he said that the original time frame was a year, but they want to add things to the scope of the project and it is projected around two years now. Big sad, God's spirit is truly in the temple and I won't be able to experience it for another year and half. He was showing us all the blueprints for the temple and how they make the experience as spiritual as possible. Super neat talking with this brother.
In other news, our friend passed his baptismal Interview, and will be baptized on Saturday! Super exciting! There is a huge difference in his whole countenance compared to when we first met him. He's happier, has more hope for the future and has purpose now. It's crazy how big of a difference the gospel of Jesus Christ can make in an individual's life, it truly is the way to find everlasting happiness.
One night while we were getting ready for bed, we got a call from some sisters. And the number one rule of being an Elder is that if a sister calls you, you answer. So we picked up, and they told us that one of their ward members was in the hospital and needed a blessing ASAP. So we texted our president that we'd be like 30 minutes late to bed and headed off. Why am I telling this story? Idk, but it really just made me think of what Jesus's disciples did back in the day.
I love the story of of the man who asks Jesus to heal his daughter, and Jesus was like, do you have faith? So the man replied with, 'Lord, help mine unbelief.' So as I was helping this lady in the hospital, I was doing a self-reflection of my faith level. Do I have enough faith to allow Jesus to heal this lady or to trust in His will? That's the real kicker for all things in life.
As far as the rest of missionary work goes, it's been pretty hype. I've been doing a lot of data analytics for the social media team, and even president has given me a project for the stats he has to report to SLC. I'm always burning that 9:00-10:30 oil just trying to finish these projects. But hey, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
It's good to hear from y'all, don't let the weight of the world get you down too much. Just remember that Jesus has already won. Don't even fret; that's Satan's job.
-- Elder Coxson
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