The Power of The Atonement

Family and Friends!

Things are awesome here in Inabanga! It's a great area and Elder Meliang is a great companion. I forgot how much I've told to you about him but he is the only member in his family and has been a member for a year and 8 months. He has been praying for his family that they will listen to the missionaries and we just found out that his older sister just started listening to the missionaries! I think you can imagine how excited he is. I'm so happy for him. What a miracle and a blessing. Another miracle and blessing happened yesterday. We had set some goals for the total lessons and new investigators and by Saturday night it wasn't looking like we were going to reach it. We prayed that we would and we made a plan of how we were going to accomplish it and we accomplished our goals! We were so excited. It was just getting numbers, our numbers or lessons were quality lessons. It was a great week and I'm so excited to go at it this week. 

Elder Meliang is a great missionary and like I've said before, he brings the strongest spirit into the lessons. It's been really fun to teach with him. We still have lots of things we can improve on but it's been really fun. I'm starting to learn how to really listen to them, then listen to the Spirit and then speak or ask a question. It's been really challenging and I'm still not good at it but I'm getting better and it's so much fun. The lessons and the work is just better and more fun. I love it and I'm so grateful for the Spirit and it's role in our lives and in this work. What an amazing gift we have been given. I know that it will guide and direct us in all that we do if we are worthy and let it guide us. 

We only had Michael come to church yesterday which was great that he came but disappointing that all of the others didn't. We are working on a way to help them come. Anabel continues to run away from us but we continue to teach Juvi, her "husband". He is the man and wants Anabel to start listening and joining him at church and in reading and praying so bad. I love them. 

We had a zone training meeting last thursday and for president Tanner's workshop, he showed a talk by Elder Holland about words. I don't know what general conf. session it was but I think it was 2007. Anyway it was an amazing talk and I'd encourage all of you to listen to it. He talks about how destructive words can be to someone if we are not careful. It inspired me to try to become better and not just refraining from talking bad about someone with others but speaking good things about them when others might be speaking bad. Lately I've been really praying for charity, for the pure love of Christ. The love that is long suffering and kind, that inspires to reach out and serve others, to lift those that are down. The love that never fails. Christ's love never fails us, it's always there. Elder Holland said in last general conf. "Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet." I love my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the love and the mercy They have for me and for all of us. I hope and pray that all of you can feel of Their love for each of you. I know They love you. 

I'm grateful for repentance. I've had the opportunity to interview quite a few people for baptism the last couple weeks and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. I love interviewing people and hearing their feelings about the gospel and most of all about repentance. One in particular sticks out in my mind. She was beyond excited to be baptized. i've never seen someone so excited. Her husband is in prison and one of her daughters is a member. She had done some things in her past that weren't great but she didn't know any better but as she was telling about some of those things she started to cry and talked about how she had repented and how through repentance the guilt and the heavy feelings were gone and she had peace. She said she used to get really angry at people and now she doesn't anymore. At the end of the interview I congratulated her and she got tears in her eyes again and they were tears of excitement. It was one of the best experiences so far on my mission. 

What a wonderful example of what repentance and the Atonement can do in our lives. What wonderful gifts we've been given and what wonderful blessings come if we use them. The Atonement is real and it's a gift that has been given to us for free becasue we are sinners. I love the Savior for He truly is my Savior. I love Heavenly Father for sending His Son becasue He loves me. They live and love us and I hope you all know it and can feel it. I love you all! Thank you for the prayers and the emails. I pray for all of you too. I hope you have a great week and that you can feel the Spirit and the power of the Atonement more in your lives.

Love, Elder Fox