"Of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to Deity, He has asked us to address Him as Father."
This week was quite the eventful week!
Steve Graham was baptized on Saturday! He is an incredible man. We met him 17 weeks ago tomorrow and he has already quit smoking, drinking coffee, read the entire Book of Mormon, come to church at least 8 times, been baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father let me be an instrument in his conversion.
Tim Steinbach was supposed to be baptized, but we are still working with him and hoping we can help him truly pray and seek the Lord for his answers.
This week I was also able to interview one of the Zone Leaders investigators for baptism as he will be baptized on Saturday. His name is Stan Kresky, he is 87 and from Brooklyn. He even has an accent! It was way cool interviewing him. He is such a nice man.
We had our final district meeting as a district this week. The Spirit was strong. I love the other missionaries I serve around out here in Iowa. I have made some incredible, lifelong friends as I have been out here.
I sprained my ankle Wednesday. No Mom, it isn't broken. I am taking care of myself with ice and elevating it and not walking on it. It is just a minor setback. But it doesn't help the Spirit work through me. Keep your body clean and whole so that God can work through you! Pray with Faith.
We had a ward activity Saturday night. Each Quorum and Auxiliary of the ward takes turns throughout the year to plan and carryout these activities. The Ward Mission (ward mission leader, ward missionaries, and full-time missionaries) were in charge of this one. We had a Ward Family Home Evening. We sang Families Can Be Together Forever, then the missionaries taught the lesson on The Family: A Proclamation to the World, then the Bishop talked about the purpose of Family Home Evening. After that, we broke for activities. The Primary had set up an obstacle course, the Youth had a scripture scavenger hunt, and the men of the ward had some mind challenges. The Relief Society provided everyone's favorite part, Refreshments! ;) Which was ice cream and homemade pie! It was a fun activity. The young single adult the Sisters baptized on Saturday morning came and her mother also came for the tail end of the activity, which was incredible!
Sunday was Father's Day. We had wonderful talks in our sacrament meeting on fathers. The Bishop's daughter spoke, she did a very great job! He mentioned later that when he had asked her to speak, he didn't remember it was Father's Day. Then a single sister who started coming back to church a few years ago gave a beautiful talk about fathers. She shared the final account from a talk President Monson gave in the October 1990 General Conference entitled "That We May Touch Heaven." It was a story about a young missionary and his family. I highly encourage you read it. It begins with the paragraph that starts "Spiritual strength frequently comes through selfless service." As she read this account, the Spirit entered my heart more powerfully than it has in a long time. It is incredible to know that God loves each of us individually.
Quoting my sister, Sister Marinda McKenzie,
"We are each individuals who our Heavenly Father loves. Even though we may seem stuck in a bitter abyss, we are there for a reason. There are people who need us and who only we can help. ..."Ponder that. You are an individual called to an individual work. Whether it is a full-time missionary, a mother, a father, a friend, a co-worker, a son or daughter, a member missionary, an acquaintance in line at Disneyland, you have a personal, specific work to do. I know that your Father in Heaven cares where you are and who you are helping in your life." 'The light of Christ will shine through you as your confidence and love for yourself as a child of Heavenly Parents becomes something you believe and trust.' -A Wise friend of Sister Anderson's (my Sister's trainer)."
I know that God loves all of us and that you are each a Son or Daughter of God.
"Of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to Deity, He has asked us to address Him as Father."
Love,
Elder Zachary R McKenzie
Iowa Des Moines Mission
D&C 6:34, 36
Doubt Not, Fear Not.
Pictures
- Steve Graham's Baptism!
- The most normal picture I got of our district... Top Row: me, Elder Epperson, Elder Kilpatrick, Elder Brooks. Bottom Row: Hermana Kimzey, Hermana Zamora, Hermana Loureiro, Hermana Eggett
- Squirrel on a telephone wire
- I sprained my ankle on Wednesday while playing knockout with the Bishop and his kids and their friend. This is the left ankle (the sprained one) compared to the right ankle. Taken Friday evening.
- My left leg this morning
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