June 9, 2014

Hi Everyone!!

Elder Yu and I had a great week! Elder Yu is feeling better, so we've been able to get out and work this week. We don't know what President Meredith is going to say, but I might just stay in West Oakland for the rest of this transfer. Which will be fun! There is a lot of cool people here in Oakland. There are literally people from all over the world here. We met a man from Saudi Arabia the other day who seems interested in learning about Christianity. So we went to the mission home and picked up an Arabic Book of Mormon for him. He can speak English well enough, I think we’re going to be able to teach him. Since I’ve been in Oakland I’ve met people from Kenya, Somalia, China, Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, the Philippines, Cambodia, and all isles of the sea. Oakland is literally - Nations of the world, unite. 

My companion and I were walking around Oakland the other day talking to people. When we have time in our schedule where were not making visits, or teaching lessons, we like to "street contact" people - where we walk around and invite people on the street to learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, by asking them if they would like us to come teach them in their homes, or to go with us up to the visitors center next to the temple (aka - the glow in the dark church, Disney land, or the big white castle on the hill). When we make invitations, most of the time we hand out pass-a-long cards with our information, and a picture of the temple or Jesus on them. We rarely carry the Jesus cards on us, just the temple ones, because most people in Oakland can see the temple from their house. 

As we were walking around, I had one card on me that was a Jesus card, the rest were temple cards. For some reason the other day I couldn't give out my last Jesus card. People would accept the temple cards, but for some reason everyone that day refused my picture of Jesus. I was like - what the heck. How hard is it to give out a picture of Jesus?!

About a half hour into our walk, we came across a family from Peru. As we were talking to them I realized - oh, I have one Jesus card in my pocket, and I gave it to their little two year old daughter, who grabbed it with a smile. When I gave the girl the card, the parents said - oh, she doesn't know who that is. I said, that’s okay. She can keep it. 

She may have never been around religion, or pictures of Christ in their home, but I knew that that two year old girl knew who Jesus was. As we walked away I realized, wow, the reason I couldn't give out that card to anyone else, was because God knew that that little girl needed a picture of her savior. 

I know that Jesus Christ suffered and died, was laid in the tomb, and on the third day rose again, so that you and I, and all of our families could live again. I know that by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can receive peace in this life and eternal life with our families in the world to come. I know that in this church families can be together forever. 

I hope everyone has an awesome Father’s Day!

Elder Allison