Encircled by Fire... not just burning rice.

Hello everybody!!!

This week we have had many many miracles that have come from being diligent. What is the Lord's definition of diligent, you might ask? Great question! Preach my Gospel, our missionary guide, defines diligence as "steady, confident effort in doing the Lord's work." So we've worked REALLY hard this week and we knew that we'd see miracles. And we did!

For example, last night it was raining. Not the drenching, hammering thunderstorm rain that usually comes, but a nice, constant Seattle drizzle that lasted all night. So we were biking and had a ways to go, so off we went. On the way, we saw a four car pileup on the side of the road - no police there, it had just happened - and asked how we could help. Then we notice that some of the people standing off in the grass, waiting, are members of our congregation - a father and his two teenage kids. We go and talk to them for a little while, and his teenage daughter asks for a blessing from the whiplash she got. So we give her a blessing, see if there's anything we can do, then go on our way.

THEN we go and stop by a less active member who we have never met before. She's not home, so we knock on her neighbors door with the hope that they can tell us if this member still lives there. A nice lady answers the door, Tasha, and we start talking. She has a constant smile and has a light in her eyes that we noticed from the second we started talking to her. We taught her and set a time to come back. It was a really Spirit filled lesson! The only downside? We talked for so long that her rice, which was on the stovetop, overflowed and it burned. That's 7 people whose food I've accidentally ruined by talking to them on their doorstep (yup, I'm counting.) Sorry! But hey, if you have to choose between a bowl of rice and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hopefully you'd choose the latter...

We also had a BIG zone conference where some church leaders came and spoke. One of them talked about how, when the missionaries were teaching him before he was baptized as a teenager, they taught with power and authority. He said that it felt like they were "encircled by fire", as the Book of Mormon puts it. I love that visual! Just imagining the heat and power of fire all around us white we're teaching. The fire of our teaching burning in the heart of the people we're talking to. I want that so badly! So this week I'll write a poem called "Praying for Fire". Pretty good, eh? 

"Praying for Fire"

His eyebrows go up,

His glasses come off. 

He's stroking his beard,

He's starting to scoff. 

We're teaching of Christ,

We share what we know,

His doubts and concerns,

Are starting to show.

"Now how do I know,

What you've said is true?"

His questions are raised,

And they are not few.

We've said all we can,

There's no more to teach,

We've taught to his mind,

His heart we must reach.

We open our mouths,

This time he is awed. 

We see who he is,

A child of God.

The room fills with fire,

More real than not. 

This peace and this joy,

Is what we have sought. 

His eyes have teared up,

He looks at the sky. 

Words fall from his lips,

"May I be baptized?"

The power of God,

Is love, peace, and joy. 

In praises of God,

Our tongues we employ.

I love you all! I hope you have a great week - for those that are going back to school and getting ready for college, I wish you luck and that everything will go well. Enjoy the beautiful fall!

Elder McMullin

Gainsville Zone, with Sister and Elder Nielson of the Seventy, Elder and Sister Godoy of the Seventy at our conference this past week.  (Elder McMullin is back row middle.)