Here I Go....Again!!!!

For those who don't know, I'm back. And more excited than ever to be here!

My first couple of days back here in the MTC have felt just like I remembered before. Things move fast, and there is little time to rest, but that's the way I like it! My district is alot of fun, and all great people. We are split between Chicago and Baton Rouge, which is really cool! My companions name is Elder H, and he is a lot of fun so far. He is very shy and has a hard time opening up with people he doesn't know, but don't worry, I'll take care of that! ;)

Our investigators right now are John and Ben. John is a young father of two, a good husband and he really cares for his family. We have taught him about the restoration and how having the full truth can bless his life, and he is accepting it really well. We have committed him to studying about baptism and preparing himself for baptism, and he accepted both invitations! When we meet with him again on Friday, we are going to teach him about the Plan of Salvation and how our gospel will help his family as well as himself.

Ben is a college student living with six other guys, and one of his roommates is LDS and referred him to us. He doesn't know much about us, but has some religious background being raised in Florida. We taught him about Prayer when we met with him, and he recognized quickly how a relationship with God would help him in his life, in relationships and in his schooling and such. He isn't sure how much he wants to know about the Book of Mormon, but he has committed to praying, so that's a good place to start. We are meeting with him tonight, and our plan is to teach him about just the coming about of the Book of Mormon, and ease him into understanding why it is important. We will extend an invitation to read the first chapter of the BOM, and we will see how it goes from there.

Please Pray for my investigators! They need all the love they deserve!

In other news, tomorrow is Thanksgiving! (Real Thanksgiving, yes I'm looking at you T) Around the MTC, that means two things, service, and General Authorities! BOO-YAH!! In the morning we will have a devotional with a General Authority (not sure who yet, gotta love surprises) and then we will spend the afternoon in a service project! The MTC has put together a project for the hungry in Utah. We will help put together soup bags to be delivered to the Food Bank locations throughout Utah. It should be a lot of fun, and good for the soul!

Last night we had a devotional given by Elder T of the Seventy, and it was great, for more than one reason! I was loving life before the devotional even began! I had the opportunity to run into and chat with a friend of mine here in the MTC. It was short, but it was definitely a tender mercy from the Lord. (You know who you are, it was amazing to see you. I'm glad that you are doing well, and if we run into each other again, let's not forget to take a picture together, okay? And I know you won't get this until Tuesday, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, check out page 90 in our book)

But on with the devotional part of things! Elder T gave a great comparison throughout his entire address. He opened the BOM and compared us and our time in the MTC and the mission field to the missions that Alma and the sons of Mosiah served. For those of you who know me, this is one of my favorite stories in the scriptures. One of the things he said specifically that I really liked is about desire to serve. He said when Ammon went out on his mission, he has the desire to serve, so he became the best servant he knew how to be. Even after a hard day of cutting off arms, he went back to the stables and repaired the King's chariot for his upcoming road trip. Later that same day, when the King offered his daughter, a life of luxury, a chance of maybe not having to cut any arms off for a while, and he said no. All he wanted to do was serve. All of the things that he gave up when he left home were offered to him again, and he made the decision to give it all up again because his desire was so strong.

I haven't had a full week yet, so there isn't much to write, but I leave you with this challenge. When you have the desire to serve, go out to be the best servant you can be, and remember while you serve, that the Lord's blessings and your joy for bringing souls unto Christ are more abundant than the things you had to leave behind.

I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon!

-Elder Gifford