Hello Everyone,
Alright so this week I do have a story to tell about an investigator rather than to tell you about what I have learned. You all know about Tyler well at least I think you do because I've talked about him much before and how awesome he is. The update with him is that we finally got him to attend church a couple weeks ago which we thought was the missing piece to the puzzle. He now loves church and really enjoys learning about the principles of the gospel. Come to find out, we found ourselves back in the same slump the following week of him not having a complete testimony of the gospel to be baptized. He was getting himself involved in the Old Testament rather than the Book of Mormon which caused too many questions for him about things not relevant to what we were trying to teach him. Elder Owens and I prayed and prayed about what to teach him and how to help him progress. The answer wasn't what we were expecting it to be; we were told to teach him about the word of wisdom. Now keep in mind Tyler is 23 and the most solid investigator I have ever taught on my mission and definitely the most prepared to receive the truth.
Our following lesson we taught him about the word of wisdom and found out he had an issue with alcohol and was pretty much getting drunk everyday. He understood the word of wisdom but was lacking the confidence he needed to live the commandment; he thought he would fail. The best part is we put it in his hands and told him this was the way to a full and complete testimony for baptism. From that point on we had daily contact with him to show our support and encouragement and at our next lesson 4 days later he told us that he hadn't had a single drink of alcohol! We were so excited for him and the best part is he had this new light about him that was fantastic to see. He seemed to be more excited about the gospel and more confident in his ability to live the commandments. Now, the best part of the whole deal is when we went to have our lesson last night. Tyler informed us that he had set down the Old Testament and started to read from the Book of Mormon and New Testament, he still hadn't drank any alcohol, and said that he is ready to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It was amazing to see the difference in his life as we watched the Holy Ghost completely take over and teach him the truth of the gospel. There is no better feeling than working with the Spirit to knock down barriers that will allow Him to teach and testify. There is a huge difference when an individual lives the word of wisdom and feels the Holy Ghost in their life. The promise is real, "And [we] shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." (D&C 89) Tyler will be baptized now on 11 June.
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Peace and Love,
Elder Tyson Rigby Walker
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