Elder Derek Croft

Surprise, I'm writing a little bit early. This week our P-Day was changed to a Monday which I forgot to tell you all about. It's because we have a mission tour this week with Elder Packer from the Seventy. Hopefully it will be an exciting one. However, that means it's only been a little while since you all have heard from me, but still many miracles have happened since then. I had the opportunity to go on exchange once again, which is always an exciting experience! I was with an Elder who has been struggling in a variety of ways throughout his mission. It was good to be with him and to be able to see some of the things that he brings to the mission and then point them out to him, much like President Eyring spoke about in Priesthood session. It's something that I have grown to love on the mission; seeing the stories of each missionary and why they're here as well as why they've decided to stay. We were able to set some goals that will hopefully be able to help him not only in the mission but throughout the rest of his life. I also had the opportunity to give my first interview to a white guy! Haha I know that that sounds super weird but it's true, he's a really prepared individual and honestly it was slightly intimidating. He's in his mid-thirties and has served in Intelligence in the military, been on "secret missions" etc. yet here I sat interviewing him for his baptism. It was quite the humbling experience and I was glad that he was prepared to be baptized and make a covenant with our Father in Heaven. It always is such a miracle to see how people have come to know the gospel and to see how they've changed in just a matter of weeks! We also had a ton of crazy miracles at church this last week! We had a ton of non-members show up! The father of our 18 year old investigator came to church for the first time, a number of less-actives with their non-member spouses also came, and then a youth also invited one of his friends. Haha it was mind boggling as people just came through the door and just kept on coming. Not all of them were interested in investigating, but hopefully they were able to have a powerful experience.
We also had a miracle on Saturday evening which was quite incredible. We have a member referral that lives on the edge of our area which is about a 45 minute drive from where we live, therefore it's always a gamble to go out and check on them, especially since no one lives even relatively close to them. However, Elder Clapier felt inspired that we should go out there and after calling them a number of times with no answers we finally decided to go and commit ourselves to a long drive. We got there right around 8:20/30 which is the time when you're supposed to head back to your apartment if you aren't teaching anyone. Luckily, or miraculously they were home! The man of the house had just arrived and he invited us in and we were able to speak with them. It turns out she's incredibly interested in the church and the following day came to Sacrament meeting and then invited us to come to their house later on this week for lunch and a lesson! It was a blessing to once again recognize that it is the spirit that is doing the work.
I've also been studying the Atonement recently and I have come to realize more and more of its depth. It seems like every time I study the Atonement I'm able to understand our Savior just a little bit more, to gain a little bit clearer of a picture on who He is and what He's done for each individual. What I've learned is unfortunately not something you can really put into words as a new piece of doctrine or anything, it's more just a greater appreciation and reverence for the Atonement. "I stand all amazed" is the phrase that consistently comes to mind.