This Kid Has Been Tough To Teach

The highlight of my week was seeing a 17 year old we've been teaching gain his testimony. We took him down to the Mesa Temple Visitors Center where we watched the restoration. This kid has been tough to teach because he gets very easily distracted. It also doesn't help that he is addicted to his screamo music and is impolite enough to not take a headphone out during some of our lessons. His reason is that he's schizophrenic and if he doesn't have his music in he get's freaked out by all the weird sounds and voices he hears. It's tough to relate to but we're being patient. He's an emo kid who paints his fingernails black, wears all black clothing, and dyes his hair black. We call him Johnny Cash. When we walked into the visitors center, he took out his headphones and got really quiet. While we watched the video, he was intently watching everything and was asking honest questions throughout the movie. When Joseph Smith had the first vision, he turned to me and asked, "Did this really happen?" I answered back, "Yes, it did." Immediately the spirit filled the whole room and testified to all of us that truly Joseph had seen God the Father and Jesus Christ and was their chosen prophet. 

After the video this is what he said: "When we walked in here I forgot about all my problems. I honestly can't even remember what they are because I feel so happy right now. Is this the spirit you guys have been telling me about?" We were able to testify that what he was feeling was truly the spirit. For me, seeing the spirit work on him is one of the most incredible things I've seen on my mission. There is a new light in his eyes and his whole countenance has changed since that experience. He's felt the spirit that powerfully twice since then, once at church and again at our monthly mission president's devotional.

I got to go on exchanges with my zone leader Elder Stiles to the Pima Indian Reservation this week! I wish I had time to tell you all about it but I can't! We were able to teach 4 families about Jesus Christ and give 2 priesthood blessings. We had the privilege of introducing the Book of Mormon to two individuals that day and it was really awesome for them to relate in a personal way to those who wrote the book.

I've never been so on fire during my mission than I have been this week! My love for sharing the gospel increases every day!

Have a great week!

Love Elder Janis