A Powerful Witness of Heavenly Father's Love . . .

Dear Sons of Mosiah,

Cool experience this week! There is this couple that moved into the ward recently, and they are awesome! They love missionaries, they love missionary work, and they would see us every day if they could! The problem is that each of them have some issues to overcome, and both had been less-active for a time. They currently aren't married to add to it--but are planning on it soon, after they can get through legal complications that are preventing them getting married, because of her trying to get custody of her child-- and are living under the same roof. However, a relief is that they are observing the law of chastity with one another right now, which is good.
Anyway, we met them by accident actually. We had brother Schrum as a team up, and he thought he had a list of inactive members we need to contact, but he actually brought the list of people without home teachers. So we knock on their door, expecting a family that will want us to leave them alone (as many inactives do), and we get a wide-eyed excited greeting instead! He was like, "Missionaries! Elders, come on in! We're so glad to see you!" We walk in, and there's gospel art all over. They get us water, and I'm like thinking, oh crap, this just isn't right. This waters got to be like poision, or something. Nobody is ever this awesome! This is not happening. For real, I was hesitant to drink the water. Anyway, long story short, they were cool. Now the cool experience we had, happened this last Sunday, July 4th.
We went over there hoping to practice teaching them a lesson, and get them to the Trail Center. Instead, they decided to just open up to us, and let us know all of their current addictions and such. Now, they didn't do this in the way that's terrible and annoying, and like spilling their whole life story to us, or anything. They did this cause they wanted our help in overcoming these things, and they've had very good relationships with missionaries in the past. She's a convert, and he was less-active for a long time.
So we shared a lesson, using Alma 24. It's about the people of Ammon, or the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. These are the Lamanites that became converted due to the Sons of Mosiah going to do missionary work in their land. These are those who buried their weapons of war when they non-converted Lamanites wanted to war with them. These great people would not take up arms against their brethren, as they had become clean of their murders and sins through the blood of Christ--so they would not kill again, and instead, went out to meet their enemies, and prayed to God in the streets as they were slain. That day, over one- thousand of them died, and even more than died, were converted because of what they saw. At this point, the sister ( I don't wish to name them) was crying. There are very powerful verses, and I urge you all to read the chapter. Now this is what we desired of this couple: we asked them to bury thier "weapons of war", or their sins and things connected to them. We went on to teach about what kind of men the sons of those converted Lamanites became, those being the Sons of Helaman A.K.A. the Stripling Warriors.
After a long, emotional lesson, they plan to bury their "weapons". They may even literally bury some items that are helping them in their sins. After this lesson where the Spirit was so powerful, they asked us for a blessing. We gave them blessings. Elder Hoyt was the mouthpiece for the sisters blessing, and I was for the brother. The Spirit was even stronger now, and all of us were crying except my companion (Lol. I give him crap for it, a bit). It felt amazing to give a blessing again, cause it's been a little while. I could once again feel the Spirit speak through me, almost as the first time I gave a blessing-- which was Michael's confermation back home in Lehi, for those of you who remember. I knew there were angels in the room, and I told him in the blessing that they were there. But the thing that was the most striking, was at the beginning of the blessing, the first thing that Heavenly Father had me say, was how much he loved him. I could feel it so powerfully, the love that He has for that man, and how long He has anxiously awaited the return of this man back into His arms and into the fold of God. I suppose that it is that way for all of His children, and that God has such joy in heaven every time one of His children receives him.
Have a great week my brethren, and let us be even as the Sons of Mosiah.

Love, Elder Chris Petersen