Elder Selwin Has A "Good Teaching Week"

Modeling our Christmas ties!

Well, first of all, thanks for all the birthday wishes. You people are awesome. The day was spent working as hard as we could just like any other day. This week both myself and my companion Elder Stokes felt drained and neither of us could figure out why but we kept going because that's just how we do it!!!.

This week was a good teaching week even though we didn't find any new individuals to teach, but a lot of our visits were to people who had told us to come back, so that was awesome. We also got a visit from Elder Kopischke of the Seventy. It was just awesome. One whole day of interacting with this amazing servant of the Lord was incredible. He focused a lot on the cycle of 'Faith' and how we need to do all we can do, then let the Lord do the rest. But he stressed the importance of helping those we meet know the Lord really and truly does love them. He also advised us to invite everyone we are teaching to do an experiment.  Oh boy, that word “experiment” makes people really want to do what we ask of them in finding out for themselves whether or not the gospel is true.

Awesome horse

During studies this week my attention was drawn to how the Savior dealt with the opposition he faced and more so, how those He had healed testified of Him. One great example of this was the man who was blind from birth and was healed by the Savior. He first testified saying it was 'a man by the name of Jesus.’ He then went on to call the Savior a 'Prophet' and finally he accepted him as the 'Son of God' of this Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:

"Conversion is a process that seldom occurs in an instant suddenly. Gospel grace dawns gradually upon most believers".

But my favorite were the following verses taken from John 9:35-39 which read:

35 Jesus heard they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

 39 ¶And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

This really made me think of the foundation on which the man had built, which was the Lord Jesus Christ and though the pharisees tried to discredit what he was saying he held firm because he knew his foundation was secure and would not fail him. The Savior promises that if men build upon a sure foundation which is He, Himself they will withstand everything that comes their way. Yes, there will be scars and bruises and, yes, the world will look at us differently but we will know of a surety that we will withstand all things because the Savior Himself is our foundation. That is the promise of the Savior to us all.

PS: Met a Trinidadian this week.