"Acting" Increases Faith

Hello and Sorry friends and family!

I got super busy last week and didn't have time to write. I had a District activity that I had to get to after talking to my Mom and Dad so no letter as a result- sorry!  But I had a great past 2 weeks!  We had some great lessons and found some great people too!! Let me get into it!

As a Mission, we have been praying to find people to baptize and also praying that if we can't find them, they will find us! It's been pretty amazing to see the blessings of such a prayer! I personally am trying to build my faith more in finding people to baptize! I have committed more people to baptism in this area than I have in any other area of the mission I have served.  One of the ways I am building faith (and you can too) is by studying the scriptures.  I love studying Chapter 9 in the book of Mormon in the Book of Mormon (this is not redundant lol).  Moroni (the son of Mormon) talks about miracles! I invite you to read or reread it. 

Like I said, I am working on building more faith.  Faith is a principle of action.  While I study the scriptures to increase my faith, I also act.  We are agents to act (in other words we do things and take initiative) and not to be acted upon (in other words we don't sit by and let things happen to us).  One of the ways I acted in faith this week is seen in the following experience:  my companion and I were out walking around a neighborhood the other night and we knocked on a few doors.  We didn't have a lot of time to knock until we had to leave. Everyone we talked to was not interested.  We started heading back to the car to leave.  I stopped and turned to my companion, Elder Kehl, and said, "Choose one more door to knock on. We are going to find someone."  He chose a house and we went and knocked. A man came out and talked to us.  He told us he saw us riding our bikes when he was running and wanted to know who we were but didn't want to stop his run.  He was glad we stopped by so he could talk to us!  So we talked to him about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he seemed interested to learn more. Tonight, we are going to show him around the church and teach him a little more! I'm excited about that!  Yep! Acting in faith!

Also, I got some great news last week!!!! Melanie, the mom of two whom I taught in my last area (Lecanto), is being baptized!!!! I'm so excited for her! I received a message from a nice ward member informing me of the baptism.  Melanie also messaged me and personally invited me to her baptism!  She has changed a lot about her life.  She has continued to read the Book of Mormon and she only has a few more pages left to read! Wow- she is almost done! She is going to be baptized on the 6th of March! I have to get permission from President Hollingsworth in order to go because it is out of my area.  I am not sure what he will say but I hope I get to go see her!  I do understand though if I am not able to. 

I am grateful for the knowledge I have about Jesus Christ and the truth I know about the world. I went and ate lunch last week down in Tampa because I was on an exchange with Elder Lewis, an AP and previous companion, and saw a lot of people that are my age.  I watched them and noticed how they seemed to be looking for happiness in vain and in worldly things. Oh how worldly things seem like they bring joy BUT they don't!  You can't feel true joy while doing worldly things.  Spiritual things brings true joy!  Living the doctrines of Christ brings JOY!  I want you to know I feel true joy; enduring JOY!  Even though I have gone through some hard things I have JOY!  I feel peace!  I feel these things because I know where to turn to find it and what I must to do (or in other words, I act) to find it! 

Thank you all for your help and support! I appreciate all the things you all do for me! Thank you for your letters and emails!!  Have a great week! I hope you feel JOY this week!

Elder Cahoon 

Training, Meetings, Studying and Miracles. And throughout it all- LOVE!

Dear family and friends,

I'm sorry about the letter but today is just way too busy! Gonna leave soon to get other Elders for a District activity. 

We had our Zone Training this week. 

Zone Leaders E. Cahoon and E. Jarrett and their Trainees

It was fun to plan and to do.  The theme for the training was "Feeding The Sheep."  We talked about how there is studying for yourself and how there is studying for the people you are teaching.  Both ways, the missionaries study.  However, it is different when you study for yourself versus how you study to prepare (feed) others.  We used the scripture, Ezekiel 34, as our focus for the topic.  We taught them how they need to be studying to prepare others to hear and learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We used sours and gourmet chocolates as an object lesson. We ate the good chocolates and gave some of them the sour candy (if they wanted it).  We explained that if we don't prepare and feed others, it is like them, as missionaries, just getting the sours when they could have had the gourmet chocolates.  We want the people we teach to get the gourmet chocolates!!  I am really enjoying working with the missionaries and helping each to become better and be the best missionary they can be. 

This week came with a bit of surprise.  As Zone Leader, I meet with the Stake President and Mission President, Pres. Hollingsworth, monthly.  Well, we had just had our meeting and then went to church on Sunday where the Stake President split our ward! What?  He didn't even say anything to me in our meeting! hahaha We have about 400-500 people coming each week so the ward was really big!  It is going to be so much better to have a smaller ward now- and at least I will know who is member and who is a visitor- but man I am bummed!  As of right now, we are still the missionaries for both wards until another set can be transferred to the new ward.  On Sunday, I thought I saw Riley's mom (Sis. Jordan).  There was a lady that looked just like her!  I thought, "No way! She is down here at Disney World!"  I totally stared her down and when she looked at me, I realized it wasn't her.  Darn! That would have been so cool! 

Zone Leaders

This week was full of super cool experiences but I don't have time to tell but one! We had some members pray for the people we are teaching.  One of the names stuck out to the mom and daughter so the Dad calls me and asks about May and said they were inspired to have May come over for dinner. May speaks Thai (she is from Thailand) and really enjoys the church. So we had a lesson and a dinner at the member's house and it was fantastic!  At one point, May said, "I love Holy Ghost and I want to have it with me all the time."  The mother then told her about the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost and how May can have that gift as well.  My companion and I talked a little more about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and invited her church.  We also invited her to be baptized! So she is now working on getting baptized!! I am super excited for her! 

We also had some great miracles happen with finding a really cool family!! We are going to teach them this Thursday and they are planning on coming to church! 

I love the Book of Mormon prophets, Mormon and Moroni! They are freaking sweet!! When everyone was being wicked and fighting they stayed strong to their beliefs of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wrote them down for us to have.  They wrote with so much passion and compassion towards us so that we have the opportunity to follow Christ and know His true Gospel! They saw their people completely destroyed because they would not repent and rely on God- this made them sad of course but they stayed strong and held onto their testimony of Jesus Christ and how to return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again. I am grateful for their writings and how they exhort me to be better and to always become more Christlike! 

Love all of you and thank you for all of your support and prayers!! Have a great week! 

Elder Cahoon

p.s.  This is Susan- Austin's mom.  On the phone, he shared the story of the miracles with finding the new family so I thought I would share it since he didn't have time. 

Austin has been "trying harder to do God's Will."  He and his companion were in the car and the list of names of the people they were teaching  was in the fore front of their minds.  Austin egan to pray (again) abut the names and where he and his companion should go. They were in an area where all the communities are gated so they are unable to go in without a member letting them in. In this particular area, there were only 2 member familiess.  Austin felt guided to go down specific streets.  As he turned one corner, he would hear a voice telling him whee to go next.  After one of the turns, the car drives right up to a gate that is opened "for no reason."  They immediately drive through and then park.  They see a guy and he speaks to them (which surprised them because that is not the reaction they usually get).  The guy begins to walk towards them (surprising them more).  They begin a conversation but then the wife drives up, parks, gets out and, to their surprise, also joins in the conversation.  Austin tells tem who they are and what they do.  They couple refers to the member family that lives down the street.  They really like the family.  Austin invites them to the our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They say they have been wanting to come to the church but they didn't know what it was about and how people would treat them.  Austin told them the members would love to see them and make them feel welcome!   So this Sunday the couple is supposed to come to church!  Austin and his companion will be seeing them again this week as well. 

So what a great example of how following God's Will can bring blessings- even miracles- into our lives!  I love that missionary of mine!  

Susan