STANDARD OF TRUTH - Monday, July 21, 2014

Hey Family!

Well, I just skimmed over the headings of the emails I have received and CONGRATULATIONS TEAG AND TISH AND TRY! That's so exciting! MAN! I'm gonna have TWO nephews when I get home! CRAZY ! haha! Wow, that's awesome! And Trysen is going to be and OLDER BROTHER! What a champ! haha!

This week was great! Elder Talbot had his eyes pop open a little bit as we have tracted and street contacted a lot down town and the surrounding area. On Tuesday, HOLY COW! There was this huge lightening and thunder storm, and for a little bit, it was right above our apartment, and it cut out our power, and shook our whole apartment. It was LEGIT! Haha! SO COOL! And the rain just POURED! Tucson does NOT know how to make roads. The roads just turned into rivers. That didn't stop us from going out and getting to work though. But no joke, the water on some roads was up to our knees. And had a pretty strong current. It was crazy! The underpasses had to be shut down, cuz they were COMPLETELY flooded! It was a lot of fun to bike in that whether!

Also on Tuesday, this guy pulls his car in front of us, and says "HEY! I wanna talk to ya!" He pulls his car to the side of the road, and gets out and introduces himself as the "anti-Christ and the jack Mormon mafia leader." He just started bashing on stupid stuff how Jesus Christ was actually Alexander the Great, and all this weird stuff. Sometimes - especially in Down Town Tucson - people just say things that are just so stupid I just laugh. I accidentally laughed at this guy, and he got SOOO MAD! He started cussing hard core at us. I've never had the middle finger waved so close to my face before. He told us to leave this town and never come back....lol I wanted to recite the Standard of Truth to him, but I just said k, seeya! We then biked away. He was so mad, he was still screaming and yelling at us. I was afraid he was going to chase us with his car, so we booked it and took the side streets. I didn't really think about how Elder Talbot took that, until I looked at him, and he was pretty shocked. Haha! But for some reason we ran into that stuff alot this week, and he's starting to get used to it.

Elder Talbot is an awesome teacher! He's extended a couple of baptismal dates, and found quite a bit of potential investigators for us! He says like the last two weeks have felt like two months. haha! I remember being there. It's a crazy time.

This area is starting to pick up again! We just swept the area book this last week, and tracted a TON! We now have a couple new investigators! This area is different from any area in the mission, because the people in down town Tucson are just insane sometimes. It's pretty entertaining! haha!

I found during that after talking with that guy, that my testimony has grown so much stronger. We faced a lot of opposition this week. Probably more than I ever have on my mission. I remember at the beginning of my mission, sometimes it tore me down, or discouraged me. Now, it builds me up. I know that the work will move forward no matter what. Even through opposition. At the beginning of each Zone meeting or district or transfer meeting, we recite a couple things. We recite our purpose as missionaries, and D&C 4. As well as "The Standard of Truth" that Joseph Smith proclaimed. I want to share it with you. All together, the missionaries say:

"Our Missionaries are going forth to different Nations. The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and Calamity made defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent. 'Till it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say 'The Work is done'" -The Prophet Joseph Smith.

I know that even through opposition, nothing and no one can stop the work from progressing. Remember that! I love you all, and have a great week!