I TOUCHED HIS HAND

Nachoma bwanji?! (Good Afternoon)

I hope that everyone is alive and well. So announcement of the entire week, I TOUCHED HIS HAND. Now many may be wondering who's hand I touched? Yes. For those brave enough to continue reading, the mysteries of the heavens will be opened unto you :)

Haha but seriously guys this week was probably one the greatest miracles weeks that I have experienced so far. So this week was full of teaching and more teaching! So for those who know we ( me and my companion) have had a total of about 4 baptisms so far in this area! It has been great and very fruitful. So we currently are working on preparing two more of our investigators for baptisms on the 26th of this month and also the 16th of November. So we have Emma Shonga on the 26th and also the sweet Meriam Nasilele. So this week we were able to teach Emma and she is doing so great. You know those people that pretty much know everything already and you just need to brush over a few edges? Yeah that is her. She is 16 and the sweet girl ever. She reminds me alot of myself she just laughs all of the time and she is very honest and adorable and smart! She even likes gospel rapping so we are super good friends! So the Shonga family is definitely a tender mercy from the Lord. When we came Sister Shonga the mother was less active but her three kids always came to church every week, so we figured that by teaching them we could reactivate her. So her sweet angels were the ones we baptized last Sunday and now she comes every week! So she also has two other daughters and one son and her husband who we have been seeing when we visit but we never really got to share with them so this week was our miracle week since we got the chance to teach not only her daughter. but her husband and son as well! They actually wanted us to teach without asking and so I know that will a little more faith and determination that God will be there and we will help this family to reach their goal: the temple. 

So this week we have just been focusing on them alot but I know that it will all pay off and so we have been working very hard and trying to improve each week. Personally I have been reading the Book of Mormon daily and right now I am in 2 Nephi. I feel  though as I study the Book of Mormon I read so many things that inspire me to do better and that teach me so much. One thing that really opened my eyes was my study of 2 Nephi chapter that explained the strategies that Satan uses against us today. In 2 Nephi 28:20-22 its tells us three ways that he deceives us. Verse 20 says that he ''stirs us up to anger against that which is good.'' One way that he does this is by making us insult one another and to gossip and mistreat one another. We become angry and contentious and that is exactly what he wants. He doesn't want us to be happy with one another and love one another. Verse 21 says that he will ''pacify and lull us into carnal secruity.'' Sins are comfortable. I have thought about it like winter time and being under a nice warm blanket and having a nice warm cup of cocoa beside you. We never want to get out from under the blanket because its not comfortable and it is the same with our sins! Satan makes us comfortable sining until the point where we are beyond the point of feeling bad. We become in a way numb. The third way is in verse 22 and Satan deceives us by '' flattering us away and telling us there is no hell and there is no devil.'' So that is something I feel many people in today's world feel that its okay to just do whatever they want and that this life is the time for us to enjoy and they simply forget who they are and why we are here. So theses are things I thought about this week and it made me really see that the Book of Mormon prophecies for us in our day. The prophets werent writing for no reason just to take up time, but it was for us, our benefit. We all should beware of these things and try our best to stay on the side of the Lord.

Sooooo I guess I wont keep you waiting for long. So today was a very great day! This morning we had the priviledge and opportunity to meet with Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Carl B. Cook for a special member meeting with all of the members here in Zambia. So it was the most powerful meeting ever! The meeting was going to start and then he wanted to go around and shake everyone's hand before he started. It was super great. I got to shake both of their hands. When he shook my hand he said God Bless you for your service. It was so powerful. I pretty much was very happy and i'm not sure if I will wash my hand again haha kidding! But it was a great powerful meeting with inspired thoughts. President Erickson spoke to us about being ''in the world but not of the world.'' He said that we need to remember that we are here wandering in this mortal life and underneath we are children of our Heavenly Father.'' Something that he said that really touched me was when he said that ''one day when we see his face we will remember how close we are to him and how much we love him. It will be interesting to us how familiar he is to us.'' It also inspired me when the Apostle Elder Cook spoke to us. He told us that we need to feel accountable to God. He also said that we need to increase our faith in the Savior and also to strengthen our families. As he left he gave us an apostolic blessing and testified that he knows he Saviors voice and he knows that the Savior knows. He said that we need to trust in the Savior and take all of our burdens to him and he will give us aid. 

So overall I really enjoyed the meeting and it was very powerful and a great experience. I really feel like Heavenly Father is giving us small miracles and as we open our eyes we can see how he blesses our lives each day. I love you all and I pray for you all and wish you the best! Hope you have a hope filled week with lots of fun!

Love

Sister Scott