Chapter 15: Commanded Not to Teach

 Heeeeyyyy!! I am running short on time! So I'm sorry if a lot of this doesn't make sense, I just wanna get this out... 

First! I WENT TO THE BEACH! Last Monday we went to Botany Bay as a district. It was so fun! I LOVE the ocean!! I literally felt so giddy, seriously. I'm pretty sure I felt the same way a six year old does in a toy store. And my district is the absolute best! They're so so fun! I definitely feel blessed being a missionary here in South Carolina. So many beautiful and exciting things.

(Find more beach pictures at the bottom)

We had double exchanges this week! It was lots of fun! During one of those exchanges we went to a lesson with one of our friends who had a lot of questions the last time we visited. This time we came prepared with the message of the Restoration because a lot of his questions and concerns would be answered through it. But it ended up being a bash. He didn't let us talk and he just went at us for an hour, telling us that what we believe is false Doctrine that goes against the Bible and that we need to repent from the Book of Mormon. It was really sad actually. The Spirit was not there the whole time. And we cannot teach without the Spirit, so we sat silent for most that hour and tried to ask him if he wanted to hear our message. We ended up leaving him with our testimonies, but telling him that we wouldn't be back. At least not right now. He's not ready for the Gospel. And while that experience was hard and crazy, I'm actually kinda grateful for it. Looking back and pondering on that interaction helped me realize how grateful I am for my testimony. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that it goes hand in hand with the Bible to teach us about Jesus Christ. I know this because I have prayed. I have asked God. God is not afraid of questions. He wants us to ask and learn and gain a witness for ourselves. If you haven't already, pray now. Ask God your question with real intent and an open heart. Then patiently and earnestly seek the scriptures as you wait for His answer to come. I know He will answer. And I know He has so many blessings to give to each of you if you just turn to Him. 

God is my strength. Christ is my Light. With them I shall not fall.

Love Sister Ray