Para- Para- Paradise. Para- Para- Paradise

Well, this week has had some more ups and downs, but that is to be expected as this is, life. Especially missionary life. Let's start with some ups.

Tuesday we had a lesson with "Shawnie." Before we even got to the door she came out and handed us a bag of the rest of her cigarette packs and asked us to get rid of them for her. Then we had an awesome lesson on the Plan of Salvation, and the Relief Society President was able to come with us, so that was a huge help to have that support for her.

Wednesday Night we had a lesson with "Sarah", who I told you about last week. She is doing very well. We taught the Plan of Salvation, which to her was mostly a clarification and reminder lesson because she has been around members most of her life. At the end of the lesson I was preparing to give an invitation to be baptized on a specific day, and right before I said it she looked at me and said, "So when can I be baptized?" We had a member with us, and his jaw just about hit the floor. It was awesome. She has a date now for March 2nd, and she's on track to be baptized on that day. I love how the spirit works with people and helps them recognize the truth.

Thursday Night we had dinner with the "Nielsen" family and with our Ward Mission Leader and his wife, who we are also really close with. It was great. First of all, he is an incredible cook. He made probably the best brisket I have ever had, which wasn't a surprise because he has won competitions. We had a dang good meal, and then he and his wife sat down with "Sister Nielsen" in the living room and they explained callings, and patriarchal blessings, and some things about the temple, while we stayed at the table with the girls and talked some more. We set a baptismal date with the 15 yr old daughter for February 15th. I really really really hope everything works out so she will be baptized before I leave. I love this family, and getting to see the change that has happened because of the gospel has been a huge blessing for me.

Then Sunday we had a bit of a down. "Shawnie" fell and hurt something from some surgeries in the past and it put her in immense pain for a couple days, she couldn't even sleep, and finally she decided that since the pain pills weren't working she would kick it up a notch, and she bought a 6 pack of beer and a carton of cigarettes, and some coffee. She called us and was kind of freaking out, so we went over there and she was, like I said, freaking out a little. Mostly about the teachings of the church, mostly the word of wisdom. So we gave it to her very clearly and simply, focusing a lot on "No man can serve two masters" from the sermon on the mount. By the end of the lesson, she randomly stood up and walked over and dumped out the rest of her beer. But she told us she wouldn't get rid of the cigarettes or coffee again yet though. That night she called us laughing, cause she made a pot of coffee and it randomly exploded and she decided that was God telling her to quit, so she ran outside and tore up her cigarettes. It was pretty funny. And we'll see what happens there.

The weather has been interesting here this week. It's been warmer than you would expect January to feel. 2 years ago right now there were ice storms, similar to what I have been told has been going on back home lately. But the last couple days it has been between 50 and 70 degress, with just a bit of humidity. It is quite pleasant actually. today is just a little warm for my taste, it's like 79 with 54% humidity, but I know a lot of people love it right about there. It is still nice. We're supposed to be getting some thunderstorms tonight or tomorrow, so hopefully that will happen. But regardless, it has felt a little like paradise these last couple days.

Sorry the weather sucks so bad in Utah. (or as a girl here said the other day, it "inhales profusely")

Love y'all!

-- 
--Elder Braxton C Foust--

Crunch Time

This week has been awesome. Especially compared to the emotion of last week, this one has been much better.
It's not very often, especially in Texas, that you have someone tell you that they want to join the LDS church the first time they meet you. But this week it happened to us.

Twice.

The first one was almost expected. When we got to go teach the lady I told you about last week, who lost her grandson, she was on fire. I'll call her "Shawnie". She has been reading the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants a lot. And she is having very meaningful experiences with them each day. It is incredible to see someone who so sincerely wants to learn from what she's reading, and as she has that sincerity it all speaks to her. I love it. She's just working on quitting smoking, and she'll do it. She's got a lot of will power and she has the resources. She's scheduled to be baptized the last weekend I'm here.

The second one was completely and utterly a shocker. We had an appointment with another family that is close to the family that lost the 8 yr old daughter. They had some questions about the Plan of Salvation (they are less-active and a part-member family). The one with most of the questions is the 16 yr old daughter, and we were able to help her understand quite a bit of it better. The mom, who I will call "Ginny", has a sister-in-law that has moved in with them for a short time. I will call her "Sarah." Sarah proceeded to tell us that her husband is Mormon (but less-active), but she is baptist. They have been having the religion division in their house for their whole marriage, and she is sick of it. She finally told him that she is going to raise their daughter baptist, and he finally put his foot down and said she can't do that because he wants to be sealed in the temple eventually. When they had that discussion she decided it was time to sincerely investigate the church because he was finally being immovable. She asked us "what do I need to do to be baptized?" So we told her the most important thing is getting a testimony of the Book of Mormon, so she is going to read it and pray about it. We went by the next night and taught her lesson 1 so she would know what it's all about. She felt the spirit in the first vision, which is always a good indicator as to their sincerity.

One more awesome thing that happened this week. The "Nielsens" are still having a hard time, and "Sister Nielsen" has been stressed beyond anything she expected. She told us how hurt she is because she feels like this is what she is supposed to be doing, but everything is going against her. She told us that she has stopped studying and praying as much, and we pointed out that she hasn't been to church since the new year (not that it is her fault on that one, circumstances were beyond her control). But we promised that if she would come to church things would get better. Our exchange offered a blessing of comfort and counsel and she accepted. The next day at church, she was beaming. During sunday school she wrote a note to Elder Parker and I that said "THIS is what has been missing. Church is a must!" When we went over last night after church you could see and feel such a significant difference in her and in their home, I can't even describe it. It was a powerful experience for all of us. She pointed out that the three blessings she has received have been very powerful for her (two for sickness one for comfort). And she has had a powerful experience with fasting, and saturday night she had an incredible experience with prayer. I am grateful to be able to see this happen in someone's life. And while we were teaching her she stopped us and said "I just had a thought. I think we (she and her family) need to pray specifically for help understanding the scriptures before we study together." We then explained that she just received personal revelation, and an answer to her prayers. The spirit was strong. She has such a powerful conversion in such a short time, I can't put into words how I feel about it all. I love this work.

I am so grateful to be here at this time. I am grateful to Father in Heaven for putting me in Granbury for my last 2 transfers. 1 month from today, I fly to Utah. I am excited to go home, and even more excited to see my family. At the same time, I am going to miss this home. I am going to miss my family here. I am so grateful to the Lord for these experiences.

I love y'all. The Church is true! God is in charge of this work, as it is His work. I know it.

--
--Elder Braxton C Foust--

Master the Tempest is Raging... Peace, Peace, Be Still

Well, it is transfer week, and it is official, I am staying here until the end of my mission. Boo-yah.

This week was what you could consider "difficult". But it was a different kind of difficult.

Last Tuesday morning the 8 yr old daughter of a former investigator passed away to cancer. They are next door neighbors and best friends of the "Nielsens" who were just baptized, so there was a lot of emotion there with them. We had the opportunity to share again with them the Plan of Salvation and provide some comfort. We also gave them a copy of Elder Shayne M. Bowen's talk from this last conference where he shared the story of losing his 2 yr old son, and it seemed to help. Sister "Nielsen" told us that the 11 yr old daughter told her and the 15 yr old daughter that it was ok because this 8 yr old girl was in the spirit world and they would get to see her again in the Celestial Kingdom, and that was before we got to teach them about the Plan of Salvation again. It was a testimony builder to me of the gift of the Holy Ghost and its effect even on children.

So it was hard, and very emotional, but things are going to be ok. They have an understanding of the eternal truths that will bring them comfort, and that they can share with their friends.

It's incredible the power of God's Plan for our Happiness. We were contacted by a recent convert who recently moved, who said his mother that was investigating for a long time would like us to come by again. This convert lost their baby boy in December, and through it all, his mother kept thinking back on the Plan of Salvation that she had been taught and she wants to learn again and be baptized so she can be sealed to her family. Her biggest problem before was that she was an alcoholic, and couldn't quit drinking, but since the death of this baby, and the testimony she has of the restoration, she has just stopped. Without any real problems, just stopped. And she was so excited to see us yesterday. 

I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the peace it brings to our lives. I am grateful to God for restoring the knowledge of this plan to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I kno that God lives and speaks to His prophets today. I know he has restored the fulness of the gospel. I know this is Christ's church. I know families can be together forever.

I love you all!

--
--Elder Braxton C Foust—

Press Forward Saints

It has been a good week. We taught a couple good lessons, and things are going forward. Not really any specific stories to share from the week though. Sorry.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the basics. Not only the basics of missionary work, but of the gospel, of family, of... life the universe and everything... basically...
Anyway. The basics. In any situation you talk about the basics of something, it refers to the foundational principles upon which everything else in that subject stands. For example, if you want to be a basketball player, you first have to know how to run, dribble, and shoot. If you want to play the piano, you need to learn what keys make what sounds and how to push them down in patterns that sound good. If you want to be happy, you have to do things that make you happy.

The basics.

So what are the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ? What are the foundational principles and doctrines of the gospel? As far as information goes, the answer is simple. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. But what good is information if it is not applied directly to us? What good does doctrine do if it is not implanted in our hearts and souls? Well, what good is a building's foundation if you never let it dry? What good is a building's foundation if all you do is read about building a foundation, and then skip that step in the construction process? What good is a house if the foundation starts getting damaged and we do nothing to repair it?
What we need to do is work on the basics. When the basics are exercised, everything else falls into place.

Faith - We are to believe in Christ as the Savior of the world. We are to accept and follow his teachings. We develop faith by living the commandments, starting with thebasic/fundamental commandments of personal prayer, personal scripture study, and personal participation at church.

Repentance - As we develop faith in Christ it leads us to repent. We recognize that we are not perfect, and it leads us to the desire to be more like our savior. We stop doing things that are wrong, and continue doing things that are right. We make restitution for the wrongs we have done, and we do all we can to never fall into that sin again. As we continually repent each day, we realize other things we can change and we constantly strive to do better.

Baptism - We make covenants with God through priesthood ordinances. Only through priesthood ordinances can we make saving covenants. But making them is not enough, we have to live them. We have to keep them. We covenant to take upon us the name of Christ - to emulate His life as His disciple, we covenant to always remember Him, and to keep his commandments (which in turn increases our faith and leads us to more repentance). We are promised remission of our sins, His Spirit to be with us, and being born again.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost - Through another ordinance we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gives us the right to the constant companionship to the Holy Ghost, which is tied directly into the covenant of baptism, thus making baptism incomplete if the gift of the Holy Ghost is not conferred. We are sanctified by Him.

Endure to the End - in the simplest terms I can manage, "Keep on Trying." We continue to exercise our faith (through obedience to commandments) we continue to repent, we renew our covenants through the sacrament, and we qualify for and listen to and act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

It all goes back to the basics. So if you find yourself feeling lost, confused, scared, angry, hurt, or even just complacent, start with the most basic of the basic fundamental princples, Pray. Then study the scriptures. Then go to church. do it over and over and over again. It all starts there, and they lead you to everything else. The biggest problems anyone will face in this life is caused when they stop doing those things. 

Press forward, Saints, with steadfast faith in Christ,

With hope's bright flame alight in heart and mind,

With love of God and love of all mankind.

Press forward, feasting on the word of Christ.

Receive his name, rejoicing in his might.

Come unto God; find everlasting light.

Press on, enduring in the ways of Christ.

His love proclaim thru days of mortal strife.

Thus saith our God: "Ye have eternal life!"

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

6 weeks to go. Bring it on.

-- 

--Elder Braxton C Foust--

It's a new dawn, It's a new day (and year), it's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.

Happy New Year!!!
Here we are, 2013. It's crazy how fast time goes by. It seems like just 2 days ago it was 2012.

:)

Anyway, things have been awesome in Granbury. (it rhymes with cranberry if you've tried to figure it out).

On Saturday we had 2 baptisms! It was a good day despite the circumstances. They wanted to be baptized in the morning so they could feel clean and spiritual all day, so we scheduled if for 10:00am. We got there about 9, and the ward mission leader was there filling the font. Here's the problem, the water heater was broken, and none of us knew it until that point. Three weeks ago there was a baptism and they water was way too hot, like it hurt the guy when he got in. Then about a week ago there were two little boys in the ward that got baptized, and they got it just right. So we had no idea it was going to be cold. And in case you don't know, it is not exactly warm in this part of Texas during the winter. It was between 35-40 degrees that morning. Plus humidity, which makes cold air colder and bite harder. But again, despite the circumstances, the baptism was awesome. Elder Parker baptized "Sister Nielsen" and I baptized the 11 yr old daughter. So we were all cold together.
As they left to go get lunch we asked if we could visit that night to explain more about the confirmation. But then that night during our dinner she texted us and said she was very sick and needed to cancel. We offered a priesthood blessing and she said she would love one (we had already taught about those, so she knew what we were talking about). We went there and she told us that for lunch they went to a steak house to celebrate, but her steak tasted funny and on the way home she was feeling sick, and then she was throwing up all day. But you could see she was still so happy, and just upset that she had to get sick that day. So we gave her a blessing, and left. The next day, she came walking in for sacrament meeting at quarter to 10 perfectly healthy and ready to go. We were all so happy.

I love seeing and hearing about how the work is moving forward throughout the world. It is picking up a lot. With the age requirement change for missionary service, obviously there has been a huge increase in the number of missionaries. So many that the MTC has to use some of BYU's housing in order to hold them all (scary thought). And now they have a need to get missionaries out of there more quickly. So they are modifying a transfer in a lot of (if not all) missions. Our next transfer (starting January 16) is only going to be 5 weeks long, instead of 6. President Sagers told us that there are some missions that are having as short as a 3 week transfer, and others are going as long as a 9 week transfer at that time, because they need to move missionaries out. So, if you do the math, I am going to be home a week earlier than I have thought I would for the last 22 months.
Anyway, I will be reporting my mission in Sacrament Meeting on February 24th.

Well, back to the work here, We are loving it. Things are starting to pick up and hopefully we'll be seeing some more miracles happening. We've got one more baptism scheduled, the other daughter of "Sister Nielsen" on January 19th, and then we have a few people that we have goals and dates to set with them too. It is awesome seeing progress. One of my high school buddies sent me a Christmas Card to my Arlington address, and before he forwarded it, Elder Johnson wrote a note on the back for me telling me that the investigator who I referred to as Vanessa, was baptized as scheduled, which I was really happy to hear. And the investigator I talked about who I called John who is married to a less-active and they came to church and loved it and all that, is getting baptized this weekend. So that was really good to hear too.

Missionary work is awesome. Everything about it. Everything from baptisms, to finding the elect, to getting sick, to getting bit by a dog, is just awesome. The persecutions and painful moments just make us more appreciate the good times. I love everything about this work.

I love all y'all! (I don't actually use "all y'all" by the way)
Have a great week, and Happy New Year!

-- 
--Elder Braxton C Foust--