Scripture Plougher

This week has been a great one. Transfer day was exciting. My new companion, Elder Dallin Michael Quinton, is a stud muffin (something you'd find in the wall of a gingerbread house). Really, though, he is awesome. We live in a house owned by the church that is right next to the church. It is way awesome. Honestly, if it weren't way dilapidated and abused by missionaries and if it was given some needed maintenance, it would be a way nice house. The back yard is way cool looking, and we even have a slight view of the harbor. We call it the Gig House. We share the home with two other missionaries, Elder Devin J. Porter and Elder Alec J. Stapley. They are both way cool. This is looking like it is going to be an awesome transfer. Elder Quinton is originally from Price, UT. He was in choir classes there, but he also likes basketball and track. He is the second youngest of 5 children. By the way, my new address is 3603 Rosedale St, Gig Harbor, WA, 98335.

Now, allow me to tell you about a great lesson we had with one of our investigators, Said (Sah-eed). He is actually from Azerbaijan, and lives here now. He is very interested, but does not really have much of a background religion. He thinks Jesus Christ was a good person, but did not understand that he truly was the Son of God, and did not know about the Atonement. Well, we were planning for my first lesson with him, and we were discussing his needs. We wanted him to read the Book of Mormon, understand the Atonement, and understand what true prayer was. We prayed about what to do in the lesson, and we both felt like we should read the Book of Mormon with him and teach him from that. The next question then was: "What chapter should be read?" Well, I felt like I should go to Alma 34, and as I read the chapter, it just seemed to feel right. It fit so well. 

Fast forward to the lesson, we now have a member, Brother Gunn, with us. Said is a very analytical man. He asks a lot of questions, and has a reputation of derailing lessons onto ridiculous tangents. Well, as we read, he started asking a lot of good questions about the Atonement. "Why did we need the Atonement?" "Isn't that like cheating, if you can just keep sinning and be saved? Why do we need to be good if he paid for all the sins?" Well, as we talked with him, we realized that the chapter answered all of his questions. We would just keep reading, explain the next passage a little bit, and he would find his answer. By the end of the lesson, the Spirit was there very strongly, and Said was just smiling and glowing. He now had a basic understanding of the Atonement, something he had earlier been confused by. It was an awesome experience. We are also teaching someone named Glenna, who is also very sincere but very meticulous. I think both her and Said will get baptized, but they are both insisting on taking baby steps for now and won't commit to a date, although they have now been reading and coming to church. It is really cool.

I love this ward, and I love this work. I am so happy to be here on a mission. It is just so amazing to be able to watch the Atonement change people's lives as they turn their life over to Christ. There is nothing happier. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

P.S. It is way beautiful out here.

P.P.S. I have no way of converting my pictures off of my SD card here. Sorry. No pics this week.

Except this one my dad sent me off of the blog.

Elder Quinton is the one standing next to me. On his other side is Elder Hathaway, one of my previous companions. He doesn't look very ready for the picture. On Hathaway's other side is Elder Moe, who is serving in the same zone as me and who also came out with me from the MTC. On his other side is Elder Eaton, someone I am not very well acquainted with, but seems cool anyway.
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Elder Benge