Clouds, Monsters and Speaking in Church

So, now aren't you excited that you get a second post from this week?  Yep, let's look at the bright side.  Good news is he sent a picture of a recent baptism!  Yea!
From Elder Darke:

  Another fantastic week!  It was especially great becuase it was cloudy all week!  wooo!  I say this becuase when it is not cloudy it is increadably hot!  So i prefer cloudy!  If it rains It just fills me with joy, so either way clouds rock! :D.  My companion doesnt like rain because it gets his pamphlets and books all wet, (when it rains, it rains!)  My bag though is waterproof!  Its been brazil tested :D.  So other interesting things from the week :D

    We had seven investagators at church today!  Seven!  Thanks like (angelic noises) amazing!  It really made me happy!  The rest of thatsunday was meetings meeting meetings :D.  We had a leaders meeting, and ward missionary training, and a ward family reunion thing also.  So we were at the church almost all day, however I think that we are about to see some amazing activity from the ward for missionary work. Becuase the meetings went very well :D.  I think understand what the bishop must feel like on sundays :D.

    One of our investagator families is really progressing this week :D.  We have been working with them for a while, but this last week one of them started asking all of these amazing questions that she had becuase her proffeser is athest.  So taught her the plan of salvation but we couldnt teach fast enough becuase she was just constantly asking questions about things we are about to teach.  It was really funny :D.  It went really well though.  They were one of the families at the church :D.

    This last week we had a zone meeting for the missionaries!  We had 2 new missionaries arrive that were in our zone.  One was brazilian, the other american. They may be from different places, but their expressions of bewilderment were the same :D.  it makes me wonder If i looked like that when i came.  Probably :D. They will be fine in a few weeks though.  maybe a little longer for the american :D.

   Today I am really tired becuase I kept having dreams about a giant monster trying to eat me.  Explaining this to my non english speaking companion was really ammusing the next morning as well :D.  I think my sherades skills are increasing daily :D.  

    In church I was also asked to give a talk, the morning before Church.  We had things planned though so i couldnt sit down and plan out what i was going to say. To make matters even more interesting, I think our Stake presidency was there as well :D.  So I got up, and doing my best talked about the book of mormon.  How i knew it was true, and how anyone could know the same if they read and prayed about it with real intent.  So I felt like I didnt do very well.  As i went to sit down though I caught sight of my companion as he went up to the stand.  He had a huge smile on his face.  Over the next little while, quite a few people came and told me they understood everything I said.  Here is the thing, I am not sure that I understood what I said.  How did they?  

        For those of you that maybe are young, or even new at giving talks in church. I have some advice that might help.

    First.  Everything will be all right.  Even if you mess up, everything will be fine.

    Second.  Take the inicitive and prepare.  Make sure you spend plenty of time preparing for your talk. This means scripture reading, praying, searching, pondering,  Feasting upon the words of Christ.

    Third.  Relax, breath deep, You can do this.  You are prepared, and you are ready.

    Fourth.  (this is most important)  Follow the topic and gidence given to you by the bishop or his councelers, but make sure you are receptive to the spirit.  The spirit can take the words we say and turn it into a powerful lesson that is different for every person that can peirce them to their very heart, and help them with their problems.  Trust in the spirit, Have faith that it will work out, and he will not let you down.

    Now for what happened to my talk.  The words I said where clumbsy, unskilled, and probably gramatically incorrect.  However the spirit did something to what I said, and helped the people who heard it understand.  He has done this for me many times, I know he wont let me down.  I also know that he wont let you down either.

    I know that missionary work is vitally important.  We have the great blessing of helping other people gain eternal happiness.  What greater work is there?  I know that the spirit will be with us as we worthily try to help others.  I know that the book of mormon is true.  I know this becuase the holy spirit help enlighten my understanding.  The spirit is truly amazing.  It can, and will help anyone that sincerly seeks after, and asks for its help.  This I know to be true.

:D

-Elder Darke

I just love the baptismal font they use.  Simplicity. I think sometime we forget that gospel principals don't need to be dressed up fancy.  They are simply true, it doesn't matter the circumstances.
Love to all,
Melanie (Mom)