Dear Family and Friends,
After a few weeks with not a ton to say, I have a whole
bunch to talk about today. It feels
really good! Well I will do this in a non-chronological
order, so I can tell different stories that transcend multiple days—possibly
even the entire week. I think that it
will go a lot smoother this way. If you
don't really like it let me know, so that in the future I don't do it
anymore. So with the beforehand
explanation here we go! I will also
divide stories out into different paragraphs if that is okay with y'all.
First things first (and also probably the most important):
Melody Jacobs. We had an awesome and
amazing week with her. We had a lesson
on Monday evening where we reviewed the baptism interview questions and
answered any questions that she had about the ordinance itself or anything
else. It went well, and so did the
baptism interview. She is so ready to
change, and accept this gospel that it is such a good example for me. I think that changes are very hard for her
because she is a single mother of two kids, one of whom has autism. His name is Christopher. Neither of them has really participated with
the lesson up to this point however. So
anyways on Saturday I had the great privilege of baptizing Melody. She is such a choice daughter of God.
We had me and Elder Larburg another Elder in the zone in
the font because Melody has a bad back, and we wanted to make sure it all went
smooth. After the ordinance we invited
Melody to stand and bear here testimony to us.
Holy cow did that invite the Spirit.
She is truly converted unto the Lord and his Gospel! On Sunday she was confirmed by our Ward
Mission Leader Brother Wright. It was
awesome. Later on her son Christian who
is 11 turned to his mother and said he wanted to be in Heaven with her, and he
expressed a desire to be baptized. So we
will look into that. It was an awesome experience.
The second story I wanted to talk about was awesome as
well. It is about Elder Craig Cardon
from the Seventy coming to the California Roseville Mission. A few days before the conference, President
Weston gives me a call, and says that he had been doing some
"research" and had discovered that my father served in the Rome Italy
Mission. He asked if Elder Cardon was my
father’s mission President. I told him
that as a matter of fact he was. He
asked if I would be okay with him pointing me out, and of course I was fine
with that. For this conference, each of
us missionaries were asked to prepare a talk for this meeting, to be three
minutes long about what we have come to know about the workings of the Spirit
on our mission. As I took the time to
prepare mine, I had an impression that I was going to be able to share my talk,
because of a particular experience that I had.
The following day at the conference we started off by each having the
chance to shake Elder and Sister Cardon’s hands. We each had the chance to introduce
ourselves, tell them where we were from, and how long we have been on our
missions.
As I did I told them that Anziano Luke Ellsworth was my father.
Both of their faces lit up as I did
so. He had to think for a second but he
remembered you from all of those years ago.
It was awesome! Later on Elder
Cardon was speaking when he announced that he was going to choose four speakers
to come up and share their talks. He
pointed out in the crowd two Elder and two Sisters. I was not chosen. I was a little bit sad, but as we listened I
said a prayer in my heart that I would be given the chance to share my talk,
and experience. As Elder Cardon stood
back up, he asked if there was anyone in the audience that would like to share
their talk that didn't get the chance to.
I raised my hand and was then invited to the pulpit to share my talk.
Tears were in my eyes, and I was so grateful that God had
indeed answered my prayer immediately.
Later on while he spoke he mentioned that he had once received counsel
from an apostle to always listen to the Spirit while presiding in meetings,
even when it does not make any sense. He
didn't point it out, but I will. I
believe that when Elder Cardon invited me to speak, he heard the Spirit prompt
him to do so. He is an amazing man. As he spoke it was incredible to think that
this same man had once presided over my dad's mission, and that just as I sat
and listened to his counsel, so had my Father at an earlier time. Both of us were uplifted and edified by the
same servant of God. I know that he is
called of God to do what he does. I
loved the chance I had to meet him.
After the conference I was the only missionary permitted to get a
picture with him. I am grateful for that
wonderful day.
Now for my final story.
There is a less active man in our ward that has a desire to come back to
church. At the age of 17 he left the
church and has now been away for 18 years.
As we went over on Saturday evening to start the lessons with him, his 9
year old daughter sat in with us.
We taught them the doctrines of the Restoration, mostly
to the daughter, Grace. She was so open and
receptive, and honestly smart for such a young girl. As we spoke about the Book of Mormon, we gave
her a copy and challenged her to read it for just 5 minutes a day. She said she was going to do 10! When we invited her to follow Jesus Christ
and be baptized she readily accepted. We
asked her to set a day for that to be her goal, and she spouted off that
October 20th was her birthday and she wanted to be baptized on that day. Turns out that is a Saturday! I am so excited to teach this sweet girl and
help her towards baptism!
Life is good. I am so grateful for the blessings that I
have been given this week! I know this
Gospel is true, and I love my mission!
With Love,
Elder Ellsworth
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