Monday, September 16, 2013

Surprise Baptisms and Americans

This week has been a week full of surprises for Aldste Haddon. To start off, they decided to do splits with the other district in his area to give it an extra boost. While they were working, they got a phone call from a man that they have been working with who had at one point, chosen to not be apart of the church, but through learning more about the gospel from the missionaries had chosen to get baptized. When he called, he was ready to be baptized then and there, (he had met with the Stake President and received approval) so they went straight to the church, filled the font and performed the ordinance. It was an amazing, and exciting experience.
 
Surprise number 2 came when they were walking down the street and they heard two men yell: ELDERS!! They turned to see some men about their age walking. When they approached, they found out that they were both returned missionaries walking from Iceland across Asia just to say that they can! They visited with them for awhile and everyone went on their way.
 
A little later came surprise number three.
They were walking along and heard a group of finely dressed business men yell: ELDERS!! (In English) So, they turned and as they began to walk up to them one of the men said that he was just telling his friends about them and the gospel. So they began walking and talking with the men. One of them expressed that he REALLY wanted to learn more about the gospel, and Aldste Haddon began talking to him. He told him about his life here at home, the sports that he played and the scholarships that he turned down. The man was so surprised and asked him why he was willing to leave everything behind and put his own life on hold. Aldste Haddon explained that it is more important to him to be able to share the gospel and help people than to fulfill his own dreams and life during this time. He is willing to give up so much so that others can have what we have and know what we know. That Christ lives, that this is His gospel and that through the priesthood and the sacred ordinances that Heavenly Father has given us, we can have eternal life with Him and with our families again. He wants everyone to know that Joseph Smith restored Christ's church on the earth, and that he sacrificed SO much to give us the gospel and The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
The man was filled with the spirit, and Aldste Haddon has promised to find a way to send the missionaries to him in Kansas and he is thrilled to learn more.
 
It goes to show that sometimes the Lord really does work in mysterious ways; who knew that man would have to come all the way to Sweden from America to learn about the church and find a missionary he could relate to.
Clearly, nothing is a coincidence.
 
Watch this video about The Restoration of the Gospel





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