Family and friends,
This week was pretty good because it was all working towards going to the temple on Saturday.
I don't know how I forgot to tell y'all last week that we were planning
on going to the temple but it was great. I'll talk about that last.
Lesson/Investigator highlights:
- Greg: We started teaching an awesome less active member Greg this week. He joined the church just a couple years ago in Oregon and has been struggling to get in the habit of coming to church here in Bozeman. He's not sure how he feels about the YSA Ward because he's only ever gone to family wards before and feels more comfortable there. But he has such a sincere desire to come closer to the Savior and feel the spirit in his life again. He looks at himself with such a humble attitude and is so ready to improve! We taught him twice and both lessons went really well until the end of the second lesson because he brought up the church's stance on Homosexuals and went on a rant about how he doesn't believe in it so contention came and the spirit left. We just told him that we can't give him a perfect answer or convince him of anything so we encouraged him to just hold onto his testimony of the Savior and the church. Luckily it ended on a good note.
- Hondo: We taught Hondo again and he was really distracted during the whole lesson. Suddenly he just stood up and said he had to go so he left. The member that was with us went ahead and left as well so Elder Schneider and I stayed behind to talk about how the lesson went. While we were talking, Hondo showed back up and apologized for leaving so suddenly and told us about everything that's stressing him out right now so we were able to turn him to the Savior (he's Jewish) through prayer. He prayed and was feeling really good after! It was such an honest prayer.
- Kelsey: Kelsey is doing stellar like always! We taught her Thursday and now she's all the way to Helaman! Then we taught her again on Sunday and instead of reading more of the Book of Mormon she read all of the 2015 and 2016 October conferences! That was wild. We taught her about tithing and she accepted it willingly and then we started to teach about Fast offerings and she just said, "I don't even know what that is but I'll live it, I'm excited to." So golden. THEN Meg, our recent convert from Georgia, and another member from the YSA took Kelsey to the temple the same day we were there! The coolest thing was that while she was in the waiting room one of the desk workers came in his white suit and was talking to her and he said, "I just wanted to let you know that I see a lot of people come through here and sit in that waiting room and you can always tell who's comfortable and who's not and you're comfortable here. You belong here. And I cannot wait until the day I can let you past the front desk." As she told us this Sunday night she was of course in tears and just cannot wait at all for when she can go to the temple after her baptism!
- We also had a lesson with Meg this week and Kelsey came as well. We talked about missionary work and they are both just trying to spread the gospel! You can see how the gospel is changing their lives and they just want to share it with everyone! Many tears were shed in that lesson as well.
And
the temple. So the Assistants do exchanges with all the Zone Leaders
and the checked to see if any of us had someone we once taught getting
sealed this transfer and it just so happens that the Sessions family
from Powell were getting sealed on the 18th! So we went on exchanges
with the Assistants in Billings on Friday. I went with Elder Hoschouer, my MTC companion, it's always good to be back with him! Then Saturday
we went and got to go through a session with them and attend their
sealing! And guess who else got to come? ELDER STONE! We spent 4.5
months together teaching the Sessions and least once a week and did lots
of service for Brother Sessions when Sister Sessions got sent to the
hospital. It was just a powerful day. It was amazing to see the fruits
of something that started almost a year ago. Also, the missionary that
reacted into and baptized Sister Sessions 8 years ago came as well! So
I'm sure he was glad! It was just so good to be there again. It was a
recharge that I've definitely been needing. I you are able to go to the
temple, go. Don't make excuses, make time for it in your schedule. I
haven't been able to attend the temple in ~19 months and will never take
it for granted again. Go as often as possible. Time in the temple is
never lost or wasted time.
Elder Garian Tippetts
311 Michael Grove Unit B
Bozeman, MT 59718
Sorry we haven't been posting Elder Tippetts' letters. Schedules got complicated and communication broke down, but we're back online now. We hope you enjoy the final few months of posts. Garian is scheduled to return home early in July.
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