Howdy yall! This week was crazy busy but I kinda just want to break it down into all the things that happened. It was a pretty successful week overall and I felt like we fulfilled our missionary purpose pretty well.

Monday: It wasn't P-day because we were going to the temple later in the week but we did get to go to the store and buy groceries. We also gave our ZL training on “Becoming the Missionary the Lord Needs” to 2 districts and then I went on exchange with Elder Palmer. He is pretty sweet and we had a good time together and did some effective work. 

Tuesday: We went to Romeos which I am not sure if I've mentioned what that is before but it's a breakfast club at a taco place called Retired Old Men Eating Out and so we pretty much just go eat breakfast tacos with old men lol. Then I went on exchange into the Eden area with Elder Owen and I had a really good time with him. He's like becoming a rocket scientist after his mission, idk he's very smart. He is also Elder Salyers “grandson” because the person Elder Salyer trained then trained Elder Owen. So it was crazy to think about how Elder Salyer is nearing the end of his mission in the south mission.

Wednesday: This day was P-day because we went to the temple in the afternoon which was a lot of fun I always love getting to go. But before that our APT drove up to Canyon Lake to walk the dam in the morning and then visited the marina there as well. Always fun hanging out together ❤️  We sang Hawaii songs. Btw the people in the APT are Me (Pooh), Bailey Boo, Blommy, and Lil' Perk. 

Thursday: Just an all around successful day 🙌  We met a new friend named Chris and gave him a Book of Mormon and put him on baptismal date for November 29. What was cool was at the end when we asked what he learned he said idk but I feel freaking good!! He said that he felt the spirit from the Book of Mormon but more so from our words we shared with him. Which was cool because both Elder Bailey and I had no idea what to say it felt like so we just opened our mouths and felt the spirit fill us with the words needed. Then we also gave a blessing to an inactive family and found a few more people to teach!! 

Friday: This day was pretty chill and I brought Elder Talbott to me for the day in my area. I pretty much spent the whole day testifying and teaching of Jesus Christ and we got into some pretty cool doctrine. It was kind of cool for myself to recognize how MUCH I have learned and can connect together in the Gospel. 

Saturday: Elder Bailey and I went to one of the sisters friends lesson named Judie. She is a very old catholic lady and so while visiting with her we got on the topic of baptism. Then her grandson stuck his head over the banister upstairs and said sorry to interrupt but I have a question 🤓 And he asked if he can get baptized again!! And ofc we said YES and gave him a Book of Mormon and also put him on date for November 29. So for this week we had 2 miracles of putting people on date for baptism. What was funny about this guy though was he kept talking about holy water and said he puts it in his wine to make the bad things go away 😂 So we will have to teach him a little bit…. 😉 

Sunday: We had church which was okay but always grateful to take the sacrament. And the gospel doctrine class lesson was very good as we talked about what it means to be a shepherd. Then we spent the rest of the day visiting our new members which was fun because this is the first ward I have been in with real new members. Our new member Alan is in use of prayers right now 🙏 He told us he has lung cancer and just got out of the hospital. He told us he will learn his life expectancy this upcoming week. He asked for us to tell him about the end of life and the spirit was super strong and I was constrained to speak of Christ's life and progression from grace to grace. From His Premortal spirit Jehovah to his full glory as the resurrected Lord and how he has set the example. I promised Alan that death is not the end and that Jesus Christ is alive. And yet with such simple testimony, and simple truths we tell children, the full power of the words was recognized in me. That Jesus Christ does live. It's not just something we say. It's a living reality. I've been trying to do that a lot more recently since I learned that a Seventys role is to testify of Jesus Christ in every meeting or event or place they attend. And I thought to myself, well as an authorized representative of Jesus Christ for 2 years why shouldn't I too? So though it may be repeated often that simple testimony is something I want to say as much as I can. But do please pray for Alan 🙏

Quick spiritual thought: In Ezekiel 40-47 the prophet Ezekiel is shown a temple and it's design. In chapter 47 he sees a little bit of water coming out from under the threshold of the gate of the temple which as he follows the path it gets deeper and wider until it is a massive rushing river. And what's intriguing about it is that rivers don't work thst way lol. The only tributary running into it was from the little bit of water coming out of the temple. Also everything the water touches lives and there are beautiful trees that spring up along its shore. What I have learned from this vision is it is a symbol of how Temple Ordinances can bind families together and heal them. With just 1 person in a temple you can help generations ahead and behind you through sacred ordinances with God's sealing power. So I can be that little drop of water and the generations behind me flowing into eternal life are my ancestors. And also I learned that no matter the strain on a family, God can heal it. If that seems impossible well then I think God made it pretty clear he does impossible things like creating a river that magically heals the land and comes from a drop of water 😉

With Love,

Elder Noble