WEEK 17 KALKASA (WEEK 35 OF MISSION)

Another blessed week in Kalkaska!! i dont have a ton of time today so i will have to make it quick!! but it is like 16 degrees, so you know i am wearing no coat today!! haha no joke though, if it ever gets above 10 it feels soo good outside!! so it is a beautiful day! 

so updates! steve was taught while i was on trade offs this week and it went so well! he loved the restoration! he texted us later that day and asked if he could be baptized!! only problem is his legal issues... so we will have to wait those out to see if he can be baptized anytime soon. 

ryen is going to be out of town this weekend with her dad, but she wants to make sure elder norton and i are the ones at her baptism (but we have transfer calls this friday so there are no guarantees after that) so we moved the baptism to this thursday! thatll be awesome, i am really excited for that. we will be over there this evening to continue teaching her. 

my last update goes hand in hand with my thought for the week, so i will express them both briefly here. the more experiences i have out here, the more i understand there are two forces in the world, and two only: one that encourages you to follow Christ, and one that does not. that is it. it is that simple. we had 6 people planning on coming to church this week and all of them cancelled because of freak accidents: danielle (getting swine flu) steve (pipes froze because his electricity went out in the middle of the night) just to name a few. when we read in the scriptures about the forces of evil and things, it is real. Satan does not want us to be happy. 

depression is real. doubt is real. they are satan's most pervasive tools. he uses them on the faithful, or at least those who are striving to be faithful. we must combat him with the tools the Lord has given us, namely prayer, scripture study and coming to church. we cannot afford to give place for the enemy of our souls (2 ne 4: 28). He tries to make a place for himself by wedging his way into our thoughts and feelings. dont allow him. Focus on Christ. you may not be able to force yourself to have faith, but you can force yourself to not doubt. do what is right. avoid things that drag you down. only think about what you can control, then control it. 

love you all! have a great week! 

elder green