Happy belated Easter! I hope it was a great week for you and that each of you are doing well and that you felt the love of the Savior this Easter.
On Thursday we did companion exchanges with the assistants to the mission president. It was alright. We had a couple of great lessons. For the first lesson, we went to the home of a former investigator named Sis. Sheppard. She has read the Book of Mormon twice (going on thrice), comes to church each week, and wants to be baptized so much because she has a testimony of the restored gospel. She didn't get baptized already because she was living with her boyfriend and she depended on him for some medical reasons. It turns out that her medical issues have resolved enough to the point where she can live without him (I guess), so he moved out! We were planning on setting a baptismal date with her in that lesson. When we got there and she greeted us in, we met her friend Ray, who is not a member and doesn't really know anything about the restored gospel besides what she already told him. So we taught him about the Book of Mormon. Initially, he was confrontational, contentious, and defensive. He asked why we needed the Book of Mormon if we already had the Bible. (Great question, Ray!) I referred him to the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 13) for the answer. As we read from its pages, his attitude and demeanor completely changed. The spirit of contention left and Ray calmed down quite a bit. We explained that our invitation was very simple and non-intrusive: we asked him to simply read from the Book of Mormon, think about what it said, and pray to know if it was true. The power of the Book of Mormon really brought the Spirit in to that lesson. We asked him if we could come again and teach him more and, after an intense several seconds of silence (we could really tell the Spirit was working on him), he said "I can't say no." I'm so thankful for the True Teacher (the Holy Ghost) because we would be powerless without Him.
After that lesson with Ray, we went to the Hernandez'. Sis. Hernandez is doing great! She told us she wants to be baptized and can't wait for the big day: April 21st! She told us that the Book of Mormon has been a huge stress relief in her life as she's begun her student teaching. After a particularly hard day, she and her husband went to a restaurant. She decided to read from the Book of Mormon while they waited for their food. She told us that as she read, her stress just floated away and it felt like a heavy weight was taken off of her shoulders. She knows that the Book of Mormon is definitely absolutely 100% true scripture and that the Holy Ghost was there to relieve her as she read. (I know exactly what she felt like because that's how I feel when I read it, too!) We asked her if she had told her family that she wanted to be baptized yet, and she said she still hasn't because she's really nervous. She explained that her family is entirely Pentecostal except for one cousin, who is a member of the Church. She has seen how her family members gossip behind her cousin's back because she is Mormon. But Sister Hernandez recognized the importance of being baptized by God's authority. With a big smile on her face, she said "If I get persecuted, so be it... my salvation is at stake!" She's really on fire and has a great testimony!
We had another lesson with Ray a few days later. He was the same as last time at first: contentious, argumentative, and pretty stubborn. He told us that the Book of Mormon was false. As we began to explain again its significance, somehow along the way the conversation came to a point where he mentioned that the Bible says, "by their fruits ye shall know them", meaning that you can tell if something is good or bad by the results that come from it. We asked if we could share a scripture with him and we read Alma 32:26-41 (see the end of the email for the text). It fit perfectly. Again, the Book of Mormon changed the atmosphere and the Holy Ghost came to teach Ray with greater force. After we read, we asked, "Ray, did the feeling in the room change when we started reading?" He said, "yes." Again, the power of the Book of Mormon testified of its own truthfulness.
Sunday was pretty great. We started by driving to Lumberton to interview three investigators for baptism. All three of them were Burmese refugees, and the interviews took a very long time because we had to work with a member to translate back and forth between English and Karenni. I interviewed two of them; it was really interesting and pretty difficult, but I could discern through the Spirit that they were ready for baptism. We later had Easter dinner at a member's home, which was super delicious.
I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it is the most correct book on earth. I love it so much! I am extremely grateful for the wonderful power that comes from it and for its role in my life.
I hope you are all doing wonderfully and I hope to hear from you soon.
With love, Elder Schank
26 Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.
32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.
35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
