This past week has been busy! I feel like a lot has gone on since last p-day. We have been busy! Training has still been going really good! I love all of the new things about it. I'm soo thankful that the Lord trusts me enough with this responsibility. Elder Black's chinese is improving at a good pace. He is really willing to work hard and be diligent in learning the language and other missionary responsibilities. He is adjusting very well to the missionary lifestyle and is able to maintain a positive attitude as well. We have been working with the bishop and ward mission leader on helping prepare for the 40 day fast and card idea in order to bring more unity and a spirit of missionary work into the Ward. I really love our bishop. He is very humble and just a very personable person.

Allen is doing awesome! We met him three times last week including the time we bumped into him on the street. He didn't have much time when we ran into him but he was willing to reschedule. The first time we met him we got to know him a little bit better and shared about the restoration. He really connected with it. He himself doesn't have too much of a background in religious stuff but he has a strong desires. He really wants to know if its true. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and then re-scheduled him for 2 days later. By the time the second "sit-down" lesson came, he had already read from the very beginning to 1 Nephi chapter 19. He said whenever he has some free time he will sit down and read it. He is awesome! For that lesson we decided to sit down and read with him to help us kind of know where he is at in comprehension and understanding of the Book of Mormon. It really is amazing to see how the Lord prepares his children for the Gospel. People come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but the Lord still can and will prepare them. 

 

This week I've continued to ponder about the true meaning of obedience. The power of obedience is unreal. The more I come to understand it the more I pursue the quest. That is a very important principle, just like if we want a stronger desire to share the gospel, we need to learn more about the Atonement of Christ. It is very interesting to think that no matter how much we've learned about the gospel, there is so much than we can even imagine. 

 

One thing I learned in Personal study that I thought was interesting was in end of Alma chapters to Helaman in which there are a bunch of wars and the wicked leader sends a letter back and says that he knows he is in the right. It made me think back to when it was said and happened that people would kill in the apostles and do it in Christ's name. It is interesting to me how people can be that blinded. I've met several people on my mission like that as well and it truly is sad to see that and do everything you can to help them, but they reject. However, the light seen when helping someone come closer to Christ is pricelesss. No matter how strong the opposition is in this world, no matter how much control satan has on people, the light of Christ is more powerful. Only through Him can we resolve our problems, trials. I'm so thankful for this gospel and all that it has done for me.

 

Til Next Week,

Love Elder Zach Cederlof