This week has been unreal...

Howdy everyone! 

This week... oi. This week has been unreal. So, for our goals, like I said last week, we set some incredibly high goals. As we started this week, my companion got really sick, and had to stay at home. So, I was basically covering both stakes by myself. Now I realize why the Lord sends us two by two, rather than just one. It's been an incredible learning curve, but I'd much rather have my companion with me. We didn't reach our goals, but I learned a lot about WHY the Lord does certain things the way He does. 

Today Elder Stevenson and Hodges are heading to the mission office to get checked out. Hopefully, whatever they have will go away quickly, so if y'all could keep them in your prayers, it would be very much appreciated. Last night, I got a phone call from President McCune, asking how I was doing with the deaths that I learned about last week. I honestly told him, I'd been too busy getting people to go on splits with me, or just setting up the schedule in general, for me to really be thinking about it. He told me that that was probably a good thing and that I needed to not worry about it, that they were in a MUCH better place, but that I should still remember them.

This week has been such a time for me to really lose myself in the work, and I must say, time truly does fly when you're busy. We have two baptisms scheduled for later this month! :D I'm so excited! I was talking with the WML (ward mission leader) of the ward they'll be baptized in, and to the best of his knowledge, they will be the first convert baptisms in years for this ward. Hopefully, later on, we'll be getting a date for another girl we're teaching as well to be baptized. :D The work truly is progressing quickly, and I don't want to get left behind. 

For the spiritual thought this week, I was re-reading Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk, "Lord, I Believe", and I came on the following quote from it:

"A 14-year-old boy recently said to me a little hesitantly, “Brother Holland, I can’t say yet that I know the Church is true, but I believe it is.” I hugged that boy until his eyes bulged out. I told him with all the fervor of my soul that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act, and he need never apologize for “only believing.” I told him that Christ Himself said, “Be not afraid, only believe,” a phrase which, by the way, carried young Gordon B. Hinckley into the mission field. I told this boy that belief was always the first step toward conviction and that the definitive articles of our collective faith forcefully reiterate the phrase “We believe.” And I told him how very proud I was of him for the honesty of his quest."

As I read this, I thought, how much do I believe, and how much do I know? At this point, I believe a whole lot. I know a whole lot. Those things that I believe, but I don't quite know yet, I'm working on knowing, and I have an invitation for everyone. I invite you to come to a knowledge of the things you believe, whatever they may be. Spend time in the scriptures, spend time in prayer to Heavenly Father. He wants you to know things, not just believe. I earnestly ask everyone who reads this to keep those things in mind.

I love you all, and please just try my invitation. I've seen it work miracles with me, and if it can do miracles for me, it most certainly can for you! :)

Much love,
Elder Conrad Hamilton

P.S. If you want to read the entire talk from Elder Holland, this is the link:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng