Elder MacArthur's Mission to France : 11-14-16!

[Just realized this was never published - sorry.]

Hello hello everyone! This week has been incredible!

In our mission, we are making a focus of teaching part-member families. Our zone is responding very well. They are working miracles!! It's been so gratifying to see all the texts, hype calls, reminders, follow-ups, challenges, trainings, preparations, etc. pay off. We are teaching lots of different part member families right now, with the sisters and the assistants. It's a lot of fun to alternate teaching people. The families feel a lot more integrated and cared over.

Our Saturday was incredible! We had 4 lessons in the presence, and every rendez-vous went perfectly. Our cool ami V. invited six people to sit in on our lesson, so we got to teach the restoration to six people! We only had one Book of Mormon to give out, but we're coming back. He committed to coming to church. He is very receptive to the message du Rétablissement. It's so cool!

Other cool things that happened this week: hmmm lots, really. Our sisters bring us food all the time! They are the best. Umm, oh yeah! This week we had MLC and zone training. We talked about leading the charge by working with part member families and respecting the keys of the bishops and branch Presidents as we coordinate our work with the Ward. It was cool, we played human chess to teach these principles at zone training!

Today, I looked up scriptures from my study journal about the nature of God. We are going to teach the friend of a member tonight and the sisters told us that he needed to understand the nature of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I went to Romans 8 and rediscovered one of the most beautiful passages ever written in the history of time:

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
...
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
...
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have you ever read a scripture and came out with something that you were not expecting? That was me with this passage. I invite you all read it (yes it is long) and find something in it that touches you. I found my new favorite scripture!

I love you all. Have a good week!
Elder MacArthur