Two Baptisms / THANKS for all the Letters & Prayers! (posted by mom)

Thanks to all for the fun valentine cards and letters!!

Thanks to everyone who prays for me and/or who has written me over the past several weeks/months/year. There are many! I really appreciate it! Sorry I have never written back.

This week was a lot of fun!! Elder Lin and I have wonderful adventures every day... :) The greatest of course was the two baptisms we had on Tuesday. It is amazing to see the change that happens to people when they hear and accept the gospel message.

Missionary work is going well in our area. Our district has many progressing investigators right now. My companion and I have two week Bs. They have each come to church over 3 times. The only problem is they have been unable to meet more than once a week. We are using the Fundamentals from Preach My Gospel to strength them. We are also encouraging them to pray and read the scriptures daily. The future looks bright for the both of them!!

My companion and I had dinner with some members the other day. The dad is less-active. The nice thing about wearing a white shirt and name tag is you can ask the questions that no one else can. Questions like, why have you stopped coming to church and what would help you feel the desire to come back. As a missionary you can be really direct and specific in inviting people to change. Although this father is not ready to come back to church yet, he has agreed to hold a family home evening weekly.

Oh yes, We had a power cleaning day this week. Let me tell you--It was powerful!! The kitchen, bathrooms, and balconies all received much needed attention. Clean really does make a difference!

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Elder Spencer Harris

Another Baptism & A New Companion (posted by mom)

We had a baptism on Saturday!! It was for a 73 year old woman and was one of the best baptisms I have ever attended. Her son is a member. The ward put together a really nice program. But the greatest part was her testimony at the end. She bore testimony of how she came to know the church is true. She reads the Book of Mormon daily. We started reading the Book of Mormon about the same time, but now she is way further than I am. I am always suprised at how much she understands. She was really affected by the baptismal interview process. Through it she truly feels forgiven and renewed. She is such a nice lady--her prayers are so sincere.

Move call just happened and I'm staying here in GangShan. I have a new companion Elder Lin Jia Hao. He is native to Taiwan.

This past week we had a Power Week--this means we leave the door an hour early and eat lunch and dinner on the go. It was a powerful, long week, and a lot was accomplished. There were 92 people at sacrament meeting. That is A LOT for this ward; more than the chapel can hold.

Love you all 300!! Elder Spencer Harris