"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