We had a really good week. We are continuing to make progress with Jose. He is committed to living the word of wisdom. He was already keeping it in fact. Mike is doing pretty good except he was out of town for the weekend do go to some Lutheran witnessing camp. He still says he wants to be baptized thankfully. He needs to exercise more faith though since he got his answer. This week, we are thinking it will be a good idea to have dinner with him at our bishop's house and have a testimony meeting afterwards. This kid needs to get baptized so bad! The timing needs to be right though. As for our other investigator named Mike, he found out that he will be able to get Sundays off for the next month so he can come to church! We are excited about that. We also found a new investigator this week named William. We had a great member present lesson with him. He had a kidney transplant recently and so he has been humbled. We knocked on their door during exchanges. They were a potential last transfer but never answered their door. But we felt we should knock on their door again and this time we talked with William's significant other named Brittany. We shared with her how the gospel blesses families and now she is willing to come by and teach her, William, and their two daughters. I remember praying a few weeks ago that we would be able to find a family to teach and I feel that this will be the family. Last night, we found a young single mother named Kaitlyn while tracting in Carlyle. She recently got separated from her significant other and she is left with a newborn of 3 months. We ran into her while she was at her families house. We were actually looking for her brother Thomas that we ran into a couple days ago, but he moved. Since she actually lives in Centralia, we referred her to the sisters. Kaitlyn was very receptive and eager to know more about the gospel. I wish we got to teach her, but it will work out better with the sisters since she is single.
As for our less actives, Brother Barfield came to church for the 5th week in a row! During sunday school the Bishop pulled him aside and extended a calling to be a ward missionary! He accepted. We think he will be instrumental in helping us in the work in the Nashville and Okawville areas. Another less active member named Jennifer came to church for the 3rd week in a row. She is getting ready to go to the temple. From what we've talked to her about, she sounds worthy to go to the temple, but she thinks that she isn't for really small reasons like drinking caffeine and watching shows like Vampire Diaries. She recently got a calling as a family history consultant which she loves. That will keep her coming to church.
The Centralia Ward is doing awesome!
As for our less actives, Brother Barfield came to church for the 5th week in a row! During sunday school the Bishop pulled him aside and extended a calling to be a ward missionary! He accepted. We think he will be instrumental in helping us in the work in the Nashville and Okawville areas. Another less active member named Jennifer came to church for the 3rd week in a row. She is getting ready to go to the temple. From what we've talked to her about, she sounds worthy to go to the temple, but she thinks that she isn't for really small reasons like drinking caffeine and watching shows like Vampire Diaries. She recently got a calling as a family history consultant which she loves. That will keep her coming to church.
The Centralia Ward is doing awesome!
As you are aware, I was in a doubting mind set on Monday. I'm not sure where it all came from. But I'm doing much better now. This week I ended up reading a lot of good talks about believing and faith. Also, for sacrament meeting, I accompanied the Sisters in I Believe in Christ. I think the Lord is trying to tell me something about believing. We finally got a copy of this month's ensign to finally read all of the conference talks! The first talk I read was "Lord I Believe" by Elder Holland. I like how he said that it's okay to have questions as long as we don't lead with our unbelief. We should all say to ourselves "Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief." I also read Neil L. Andersen's talk "Faith is not by Chance, but by Choice." This one was cool because it explained how faith is an actual "substance" of light to our spirits that we obtain by our obedience. Our faith never remains stagnant, but is either increasing our decreasing. He said that "Faith never demands an answer to every question but seeks the assurance and courage to move forward, sometimes acknowledging, 'I don’t know everything, but I do know enough to continue on the path of discipleship.'"
Our faith is like a fire. It can become extinguished if we allow doubt to take hold of us. The fire of our faith needs to grow because " The difficulties of mortality blow against [us], and evil forces lurk in the darkness, hoping to extinguish our faith" 
The other talk I read was by Whitney L. Clayton "Choose to Believe". He said: "We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to believe, just like we choose to keep other commandments.Sometimes progress in spiritual things can seem slow or intermittent. Sometimes we may feel that we have lost ground, that we have made mistakes, or that our best efforts to find the Savior are not working. If you feel this way, please do not give up—ever. Go right on believing in Him and in His gospel and His Church. Align your actions with that belief. In those moments when the light of your faith has dimmed, let your hope for the Savior’s love and grace, found in His gospel and His Church, overcome your doubt. I promise that He stands ready to receive you. Over time you will come to see that you have made the best choice you could possibly have made. Your courageous decision to believe in Him will bless you immeasurably and forever."
So I like these talks because it's okay if you don't know some things. I BELIEVE many of the things of the gospel and there are many things which I of course now KNOW. But you should always focus more on what you do know than what you don't know. If we desire our beliefs to work within us then as Elder Holland has said: "what was once a tiny seed of belief [can] grow into the tree of life. so if your faith is a little tested in this or any season, I invite you to lean on mine. I know this work is God’s very truth, and I know that only at our peril would we allow doubt or devils to sway us from its path. Hope on. Journey on. Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe. Never apologize for only believing. The Lord said "Fear not, only believe."
Love you all! I'm going lazer tagging again today. Yay
Elder Soutas
Elder Soutas
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