Hello Everyone!,
I am so excited for General Conference this weekend! My very first weekend in the field was April General Conference. I have been in this blessed place as a missionary for My Father in Heaven for six months, and a missionary for eight! The time is going by too fast! I am so grateful for each day that I have to be serving in the vineyard of Tampa, Florida, especially here in Largo.
Church yesterday was amazing! We had 53 people for the second week in a row; we are bursting at the seams in that little relief society room! We also had a new family move in, two young boys, parents both speak Spanish, are sealed in the temple, and he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. Our prayers have been answered again! They came last week just to visit, but this week we made it official by moving their records, yay!
Testimony meeting on Sunday was absolutely incredible. My favorite testimony was the husband of one of our recent converts. He talked about the differences he has seen in his life the last six months, going from completely inactive to taking temple preparation classes and receiving the Melchizedek priesthood at stake conference in just a couple of weeks. He said that when we allow the Father to have a part in our lives, and when we choose to follow his commandments, we discover a freedom unlike anything ever felt before. He said that he has never felt happier in his life. He knows the journey is not easy, but with his wife and baby daughter, the counsel of branch and church leaders, and a commitment to doing the little things like reading the scriptures and obeying the commandments with exactness, that it is not only possible, but worth it. He said we will then receive the greatest treasure of all...eternal life. He expressed the deepest gratitude for President Lopez, the examples of some of our strong families, and Hermana Dollahite and me. I feel so blessed to have been just a small part of this family's transformation. It was and is a miraculous thing to see.
We had an incredible lesson with a couple we are teaching. We talked about the Law of Chastity and the Plan of Salvation. It was so funny when we got to the discussion of the kingdoms of glory she kept saying, "I want to go there, I want to go to the Celestial Kingdom. We need to do everything we can to live there ok?" It was awesome. They are now reading every single day and also ask us every time we see them to double check and make sure she can get baptized the day after her wedding, first thing in the morning! (She was worried the water might have to be cold, but we assured her it would be warm!)
The son of our recent convert also came to church yesterday...in black pants, a white shirt, and a tie! He looked so happy to be there, and he looked like he truly belonged there. He is still very shy and will need some careful guidance and discernment to keep him on the path to baptism. However, I believe this young man has a vital role to play in this church. His spirit is one of the sweetest and most willing I have ever seen. The adversary is working very hard on him, and I am so grateful that when we asked if he had someone to turn to and confide in his answer was that he always talks to His Heavenly Father. He has a testimony that Heavenly Father hears and answers his prayers. What a wonderful reminder that was for me.
I am so grateful to be a missionary. I see the worst and the best of people every day, but my gift is to see what people CAN be. To be able to glimpse the person that Heavenly Father sees. How easy it is to love the people we serve. What greater gift could I ask for?
I love you all,
Hermana Levanger
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