Elder Noah Lawrence Featherstone: Email #48

August 7, 2017

Montgomery, Alabama

Happy Monday Everyone! It sounds like it was a blast of a week. It was so good to hear that my nephew Rudy was blessed this week! He is going to be a stud! Crazy to think he'll be walking when I get back.

This week has been so crazy. We spent a lot of time this week helping a member pack his Uhaul trailer and boy was that an experience. We were all pretty worn out after that one. After helping all day with moving, I looked back and thought about how we are called to bless those around us. There are so many opportunities to bless those around us if we will only take advantage of the blessings that God is giving us to be able to serve. At times the Lord blesses us with opportunities to serve, but it is our responsibility to take that leap into serving our God.

So on the more spiritual side of the missionary work this week, we visited a Less Active this week who we have been visiting a lot lately. We had an amazing experience with a man named Morgan! He is the son of the Stake Relief Society President here in the Montgomery Alabama Stake and he has been Inactive since he was about 14. The missionaries have been visiting with him nearly every week, if not more, for the last 7 or 8 months. Since I have been here in Montgomery, we have been doing a lot with him, and have started to teach his wife. This week they invited us over for dinner. We had a great time talking to them, and about 2 or 3 minutes before we were finishing up the meal and were going to share The Restoration with them, Morgan's Mom who is the Stake Relief Society President walked in. We then visited for a few more minutes and asked her to stay for a short lesson with Morgan and his wife. As we went through the lesson, we asked her to share her testimony and her thoughts about the things that we had shared. She bore witness of the divinity of the Book of Mormon and that we can come nearer to the Lord by abiding by it's precepts. It was a very spiritual experience. At the close of the lesson, I turned to Morgan and said, "Morgan would you be willing to say the closing prayer?" He originally said he didn't feel comfortable but we persuaded him into saying it. He said one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard. This man has not prayed in over a decade, struggling to know if God is really there for him. He received the answer to his prayer. He prayed to know and feel of the love of God. He prayed for us….that we would be safe in our travels, and he prayed that we would be able to recognize the spirit in our lives. As we closed and left the house, you couldn't help notice the impact that prayer made on his life. We walked out with his mother as she was leaving as well, and she said to us, "I have never heard my son pray like that. Thank you so much for your hard work and the love you show toward my son and his family." It was an amazing experience that strengthened my testimony of the supernal gift of prayer that our Father in Heaven has given to us. It truly is a blessing to pray to our Father in Heaven. My plea is that we all take time to "counsel with the Lord" (Alma 37:37) and make each one of our prayers everyday to pray for those around us and for opportunities to grow and learn. Our Savior is pleading that each and every one of us pray to the Father for His help and His guidance. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)

“Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.” -President Monson

I pray that you all have a great week, and find joy in the scriptures, and in following the example of Christ. Thank you for all the love and support that you show me as I am here in Alabama representing our Savior. I love you all and I appreciate each of your examples to me. Keep smiling and having fun! Love you!

-Elder Noah Featherstone