July 7th 2009 What A Week

Well, it's good to have some time to write and say hi and tell you what's been going on the last little while at the MTC. First off, thank you to everyone who's sent me letters. I love getting those letters and hearing what's going on back at home. Also Mom and Dad and all others, thanks for the Spiritual thoughts. I really love them and it helps keep me focused on the work.

Anyway, here are sone happenings from the week.
I had such a fantastic experience teaching Lesson 1 about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My companion and I were teaching another companionship in our district in Spanish. Let me preface this a little bit, each companionship was given a little slip of paper with a specific problem on it that we were supposed to find out as a companionship and adapt the lesson to meet that problem. We had no idea what the problems were, and didn't find out what their problems were until after the lesson. So, we're practicing adapting our lesson to the needs of the investigators and I was very prayerful because I wanted to find out what this problem was and help them out. I was about to go to Romans 8:16 at the start of our lesson. It's a scripture we like to use to start out that lesson at times. I guess not every time though, because as I went to go turn to that scripture and ask them to read it, I felt such a strong prompting not to read with them that scripture. I felt it kind of odd, but I felt prompted not to do it. So I said something like "I don't want to share this scripture with you right now. I don't know why, but I don't want to." So, under the guidance of the Spirit, I proceeded to ask a few more questions about their belief in the Savior and what that belief prompts them to do. As we got talking I felt prompted to turn to another scripture in 3 Nephi that talks about baptism. I read that scripture, we talked about it, and went on with the lesson. All the while, I have no idea why I did that, but I know that I had to do that.We talked about it after the lesson and it turned out that the scripture I shared in 3 Nephi was the exact scripture that talked about their problem. Their problem was that they didn't see why they had to join a church. They thought they could just believe in Jesus Christ and they would be saved. The scripture I shared talks specifically about how baptism in the gate and how we must enter that gate in order to come into the presence of the Father; baptism is essential in order to enter the Kingdom of God.I had absolutely no idea that this was their problem at first, all I know is that I followed the promptings of the Spirit, and that the Spirit guided that lesson. It was not my knowledge, my wisdom, my understanding AT ALL! I had no idea what was going on. I just followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost and it all worked out somehow.I know that the Spirit is real and knows all things. I know that if I follow those promptings that everything will work out how it is supposed to. I know that even though this was a practice experience, the Spirit told me those things I needed to do to help them solve their problem. I know that the gift of the Holy Ghost is a real gift and power and that if we follow those promptings, we will be lead to do and say those exact things that we need to do and say. I know this without a doubt and testify of the truthfulness of the restored gospel.That was a fantastic experience this week.
Love,Elder Benjamin Hoglund