Week Ninety-Nine: Starting Off On a Great Note

Dearest family and friends,

I am so excited about this month. For the mission, under the guidance and assistance of the Lord, is doing wonders. We are seeing miracles before our eyes.

Last week I went on exchanges with Elder Bollinger from the Marimba Zone. We had a wonderful time and found many people to teach. But at the end of the day, he shared with me his experience about fasting for our investigators to come to church and testified that it brings miracles.

So yesterday, as it was fast Sunday, we fasted. And the miracles have not ceased. That morning, before church started we got a phone call from an individual that Elder Bollinger and I had contacted, informing us that he wanted to come to church but needed to find transport.
Instead of our average <4 investigators attending sacrament meeting, we had 8. But the real amazing thing happened for the other congregation that meets after us. They had 16 Investigators attending sacrament meeting.

And this week was the last week for investigators to start attending to be baptized this month. In our mission, we require church attendance for 3 Sundays before individuals can be baptized. So with these individuals, and those who have attended before, we have possibilty to achieve our goal of baptisms this month. In fact, most of the missionaries are super confident that they can achieve and even "smash" their goals this month. All with help from the Lord.

"I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?"

And lastly, I will tell you of our "miracle family", they are truly wonderful. We met them last Sunday, and they loved our message. We went back to teach them on Tuesday, and they had invited 3 more individuals to join the lesson, so we taught 9 people. The family of 5 and their friend all accepted baptismal dates for the 23rd of September. They had us come back again on Thursday, and then they came to church (minus the friend) on sunday, and enjoyed. They stayed for the Baptism of the Penyai child, and the Mama described it as "Beautiful".

So things are looking up. The Lord is merciful and kind. And he certainly is "merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end."

I will send pictures later because I forgot my camera at home this morning.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
-Elder Wilcken