Elder Kyle Houssian: Week #19

Hello hello! I hope y'all had a great week this week! It's great to get updates from so many of you! This week has been a great week for Elder Brady and I!

First off, this week we went on exchanges, and I went into my District Leader's area with his companion, and my District Leader came to my area with Elder Brady. So I was with Elder Johannson which was a TON of fun. This guy is from New Zealand and served for 6 months in Fiji while waiting for his visa. He's got a sweet accent and is really funny. The day we proselyted together was awesome, we got a ton done, and we even played basketball with some random kids for a couple minutes! Oh yea, Elder Johannson is also 6'4" and plays basketball, so we had some fun! Then someone who served as a senior missionary in Fiji with Elder Johannson came and took us to lunch at this place called Memphis BBQ. It was pretty alright, but nothing compared to the Salt Lick! Then we went and taught a family with 7 kids, and oh man that was quite the lesson! Overall it was a fun exchange!

Secondly, we had a family walk into church Sunday who we have never seen before. There was a daughter, a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. Everyone was a member except for the mother, who came up to us and said she wanted to be baptized. It really threw us off haha but she is doing very well. It was fun!

My highlight for this week was on Friday. We had a Zone Training and the theme for the second half of the meeting was Christmas. (I feel like people start celebrating Christmas earlier and earlier every year). So, with the theme being Christmas, my whole district wore Santa hats, and some of us wore Christmas ties. It was really funny. We took Christmas card photos as well which i will attach, and one of them was a prom-type photo, it was great.

My spiritual thought this week comes from Elder Bruce R. McConkie. It was his last talk before he passed away. It is called the Purifying Power of Gethsemane, and it is a very powerful talk. I wanted to share his testimony, and invite you all to go and listen to it on Gospel Library, and hear it in his own words. It is one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard.

"And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God--I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way. God grant that all of us may walk in the light as God our Father is in the light so that, according to the promises, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son will cleanse us from all sin." Brothers and Sisters, I add my testimony to Elder McConkie's. Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross for our sins. He knows us each individually, and has felt all of our pains, sadness, and sorrows. It is only through Christ that we can be forgiven of our sins and ultimately return to our Father in Heaven at the last days. I challenge each of you to continue to recognize the Lord's hand in everything you do. Without Him, we wouldn't be here. The Lord loves each and every one of you. I know He lives. I say this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all so much! You are in my thoughts and prayers. Talk soon!

Elder Houssian