“I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” -1 Nephi 4:6

This scripture sums up life as a missionary. We set goals, make plans, prepare, but once we’re out the door, we are completely reliant on the spirit. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first great principle of the gospel. It is a principle of action and power. We must first act, and then the power of God will flow into our lives. The power of God usually comes through the form of the Holy Ghost. This blesses us in so many ways! It guides us, brings us peace, joy, understanding, strength, hope, wisdom, it warns us of danger, tells us what’s right and wrong, allows us to feel close to our Heavenly Father and enables us to become like our Savior. That is why inviting people to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost is central to our purpose as servants of the Lord! It is a beautiful covenant that allows us to have the constant companionship of a God! I feel so blessed to have the gift of the Holy Ghost and would love to share 3 stories where I’ve seen this gift bless my life.

The first example is pretty silly, but sweet nonetheless! After a lesson, sister Thomas and I were back in our apartment and realized we didn’t have the phone. We were fearful it had gotten lost in the snow on our way to the lesson. We tore apart the apartment searching for it. Finally, we knelt down together and asked God if we had lost the phone. We expressed our total reliance on him and explained that we needed the phone to continue this great work! We asked Him to guide us to it. After the prayer, I honestly didn’t feel anything. So I acted in faith. I got up and walked straight to my shoe by the front door. I reached in the shoe and pulled out my phone. It made no sense that the phone would be in my shoe. But it was a clear answer that God is aware of us. He is all knowing. He is all-powerful. That simple prayer allowed the Holy Ghost to guide us to our phone. Sometimes we don’t immediately feel anything after a prayer. We wonder if God is really listening, but I know that as we go forward in faith, He will guide us!

The second experience is also sweet. We were teaching an investigator, Keyshla, in the barracks on Fort Drum the other day. Fort Drum is a military base so we aren’t allowed to wear our nametags or talk to people about Jesus unless they seek us out or ask. After the lesson, we walked by this woman on watch (CQ). We felt prompted to chat with her. She expressed how bored she was, so I whipped out a pamphlet (being a little rebel to society) and offered it to her to read- as a form of entertainment of course. She was actually super interested and we were able to teach her a quick lesson. Then another soldier came up and listened then he got other guys to come. Before we knew it 4 soldiers were gathered around us asking questions. We said, “look, we gotta get going, but we can share this important message with you in 3 minutes.” They seemed a bit surprised, so we said, “no, for real, time us!” They did! The Spirit kicked in and we shared a powerful testimony of the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I literally felt the power of God flowing through my veins and filling the air. It was not my words. I felt God giving me the words to say. When we finished Keyonce stopped the watch. 2 minutes and 59 seconds on the dot! It was sweet. It was not us. It was the Holy Ghost! They all asked for pamphlets and although we weren’t able to teach the men, we got Hudson’s number and set up a time to share more! It was really awesome. At the end, they pulled in another guy walking past and all said a prayer together. I felt like I was in Zion! Although we were each so different and only met each other minutes ago, I truly loved them all and we all felt so close with the spirit wrapped around us, knitting our hearts together! That is the result of the Spirit, unity. That is the power of acting in faith. We didn’t know how we would share the gospel in the barracks, but the Lord provided a way as we placed our trust in Him!

Finally, I will share how the spirit changed the heart, mind and life of Jim. Jim is a man I met in my last area. He is the one who was baptized at age 30, then left the church within a year. He had never had a calling, gone to the temple, received a patriarchal blessing or the priesthood. He has now done all those things and more! The first time we met him, he didn’t even know if he believed in God. He laughed when we shared about Joseph Smith and said, “Do you really expect me to believe that bag of baloney!” Hahaha. He wouldn’t even pray the first several visits. But we felt that we should be persistent! The spirit showed us Jim as God saw Jim! So much potential. As we acted in faith and continued to visit with him and testify to him, the spirits power came in and softened his heart. The first time he came to church, he said he felt this weird vibe. He felt this pull to Christ and these vibes kept running through him. I was able to witness Jim come to church, receive the priesthood, bless the sacrament, fulfill his church calling, and I just received news that he has a patriarchal blessing now and just 2 days ago he went through the Palmyra temple and received his endowments! I cried with joy! THAT is the result of acting in faith. THAT is the Holy Ghost in action! I am so filled with love for Jim and for the Lord for allowing me to take part in that process! How blessed I am to be a tool in the Lords hands and being able to witness mighty changes of heart!

In conclusion, I invite you all to ACT in FAITH! You don’t know what lies ahead. None of us do, But the Lord does and He will guide you through His spirit. I testify of that truth. Remember those covenants that you made with God. You promised Him you would act in faith by following His commandments, taking Christ’s name upon you and always remembering Him. He promises you a sanctifying of sin and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Ponder those promises. If you haven’t yet made those holy covenants, make them! I know we will always be lead as we walk in faith.

Also, checkout this sweet video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slTa15a3mp0

Peace and love!