the Sacrament

So this week has been really busy, like usual. We've been working with this older black couple who are great! S really likes to preach to us and has some interesting views on the gospel. It's really neat to see how reading the Book of Mormon can change people. We try to teach him something when we're there after he preaches at us a little and then leave him a chapter to read. Every time we've gone over and he's read, he'll use something from that chapter in his mini-sermon to us or his view on something has changed slightly. I love seeing when something we teach someone or they read sinks in and it adds to the truth and light in their lives. We think eventually S will get baptized and he'll claim he's believed these things all his life. And thus we led him carefully up to heaven, haha.

I'm not sure if I've told y'all about N yet. He's one of our investigators who's a senior in high school and is really smart and just sweet. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he got it down right away and when he was asking some questions even remembered and used the names of the kingdom, which I even have a hard time keeping straight sometimes! He came to church this week with his dad again (they came two weeks ago as well). The N family weren't able to come again this week, but a LA member and his girlfriend (also an investigator), came! 

We also had zone conference this week in Amarillo and Pres Heap shared this amazing insight about the sacrament. He talked about the story where Barabbas was let free and Jesus literally took his place. Each week when we partake of the sacrament, He essentially does the same thing for us. We are the ones who should be on the sacrament table because we're the ones who have sinned. We are worthy of that punishment, but Christ comes and says to us, "I'll take your place this week. I'll be broken and bleed and die in your stead, but you have to take my place. You be me this week Do what I would do and represent me." The sacrament is meant to help us change and progress to become more and more like Him week after week. 

I hope you all remember that and try to commit yourself to be more like Christ every week as you take the sacrament.

Love,

Elder Carlson