GOLDEN

Elder Mitchell Houston's email:

October 20, 2012

 

hey family !!

whats up ! hey so i got the package thanks sooooo much for the treats and boo berry cereal!! woot woot haha my poo had been blue all week ! hahaha.. sorry mom ha you can take that out when you forward haha. the cold is all gone now. its back in nice weather but it will be back and now im prepared so thanks for the winter stuff. so this week was full of awesome miracles!!! all over the place.. it was awesome! ha so where to start.....

   so we got this referral from a member from another ward who was one of his patients. and i guess his missionaries didnt go over for some reason. so he got mad and came to us and he is in our area anyway so i dont know why he didnt come to us in the first place but thats beside the point. so this guys is awesome!! so golden and prepared to hear the gospel. i told hunter a little about him in my letter to him. but ya so this guys name is stan. so we went over when we got the referral and talked to him a little outside and he was really nice, but wanted us to come back later. so we set up a day that i ended up going on exchanges with the spanish missionaries, which was cool cuz i got to see a different side of the work. Rogers is like mesa, there are a TON of mexicans. and these islanders called mashallese. but ya so i missed the first lesson with him and his family. and when i got back they said it went really well. he really liked the restoration and joseph smith. he took a book of mormon and said give me a couple of weeks so i can read it haha. which we are like uhh, but let it go. he seemed pretty sincere. he had been offended by his church because of what people say and how they act during the week and when sunday came around they put on there "christian " ha is what he called it. they would be non christians during the week though. he felt that was not right. so the week went on and we gave him some time to read. we finally were able to set up a time to go stop by this week. we found out that our bishop here knew the family so we got him to come with us this time. little did we know what was going to happen.... i still get so giddy when i think about it haha. so we come in and he sat us down and started to tell us... man i had such a crazy week guys. at first we were very scepitical thinking the worst. he then began to tell us how much he appreciated us coming and teaching him and how much he saw christ in us and bro proata his referral and also bishop. he said that we were christians all the time or tried to be. and that was what made him want to learn more and read the book of mormon. he had a lot of things he was worried about the church that he had heard. but he thought ....man he only knew five members of the church and all five of them lived there lives right so that was enough for him. he then started telling us how this was what had been missing from his life. he knew it was true he recived an answer to his prayers. and we where like awesome!!!!! thinking that was all haha NOPE! it wasnt. he then became teary eyed and you felt a rush of the spirit come in to the room and he began to tell us of his powerful experience of the Holy Ghost baring the most powerful witness that i have ever heard of before on my mission.

like in the conference session right before i came out, elder betnar gave a talk about the spirit of revelation and the different kinds of ways to gain a witness. one being like a sunrise and how slowly the light becomes visible and one how some people kind of rare, is like the turning on a light in a dark room . with the light instantly flooding the room. this is what happen to stan. he told us that it had been a couple nights in, in his reading the book of mormon and until one night only 20 pages in!! he was reading and after chapter 10, i think the most over whelming feeling over came him he couldnt describe the joy and happiness he said he felt, like a giddy little boy haha. was like he could describe it he couldnt speak and tingles from head to toes. haha and he said that he was a pretty tough guy and didnt cry like EVER and he cryed like a baby... but because of the great happiness he felt haha he was like, i just cant explain it brothers. haha it was so awesome!!!! but we all knew what it was without even talking to each other. he knew what he had just felt and he knew it with all his heart to be true and that is was the Holy Ghost. he said guys im ready. i will give up everything. i wont drink soda any more. tell me what i need to do.... what is the next step..

haha im sure you can picture the ear to ear smile i had by then haha. we committed him to baptism and he said yes lets do it this sunday! haha . we told him there were some things he still needed to do and we need to teach him and that its ok to drink soda if he wants ha. This was the coolest  i have ever got to feel and see on my mission by far. im so excited for him and his family which are now following his foot steps to find out for them selves. he was so prepared by angels of the Lord. and found the gospel all because a member opened his mouth. he just asked him.

OTM is stands for oklahoma tulsa mission, only true mission, haha, and open thy mouth, to proclaim His word.

i have been so blessed to see this wonderful coversion story and to witnes the true devine POWER of the book of mormon and the promise of moroni. and how important it is to open are mouths. just ask," hey are you mormon?.... they say no, " why not??" haha best otm it works an general athority said so haha and i know it is true. because it worked for stan. that is how we find the elect.

im out of time... but other awesome stuff happend this week to, again bare powerfull witness that the book of mormon is so powerful. it brings the spirit to those who know not the truth just because they know not where to find it. we have found it. its so important. i love the book of mormon with every bit of my heart more so now then ever.

we tracted this week and on just the second house we found another prepare brother and as we placed a book of mormon into his hand you could see the the light that came into his face ha like he was given a map to buried treasure. which in some way he did the greatest of all treasures :)

i love this gospel so much and love the eternal truths that come from it so grateful to see the changes it can bring in the lives of others... i love yall so much and pray you are keeping up with the reading of the book of mormon! haha when i get back i have to keep that habit, so we will be reading alot, so good to start now haha:). talk to you next week !!

so much love from your son elder houston.

 

ps hey mom you totally should right me big letter i have not had one in while haha i got glasses and love them sorry was so much :/ i went to the dentist too and i asked if i could just wait till i get home and he said ya wont hurt just might need to when we can when i get home. also super funny elder garners mom sent him a package and she is really heathy and he told her he was eating gluten free hah she got all happy and sent him a bunch of gf stuff haha he is letting me eat it ahah but he actually likes it. well man i thought there was someting else i needed to tell you but i forgot i will tell you later if i remember. love ya!! oh ya and crazy pictures!!!!!!!!!!! the kids have changed soooooo much!! so crazy!!!! loved the pictures oh and i sending mine now today.