Lord Continues to Pour Out Blessings

Dear Family,

Thank you for all your prayers. The Lord continues to pour out blessings upon the Camden area and the Ft. Jackson Military Post.

This week I need to update you on Jerry Favor. Elder Taylor and I found Jerry as we were trying to find an old media referral. He was sitting on his porch and he let us begin teaching him as soon as we said we were servants of Jesus Christ. As we taught Jerry about the Restored Gospel, he stopped us right in the middle of a sentence and said, "I have never felt this way before. I feel uplifted." We then were able to bear testimony of the Holy Ghost and how he confirms the truth of the Gospel. We had him kneel down and ask God if what we had taught was true and he received an immediate answer. He has set a baptismal date of September 18th. On Tuesday of this week, I was on an exchange with Elder Hancock and we arrived at Jerry's house for our return appointment. We had planned to followup by reading the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but as we began to talk, I asked him the baptismal interview questions that correspond with what we were going to teach him.
"Do you believe that God is the Eternal Heavenly Father?"
"Yes"
"Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World?"
"yes"
"Do you believe the church and gospel of Jesus Christ have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith?
"yes"
As Jerry answered all of these without hesitation, I did not feel it appropriate to teach him something he already believes. I jumped right into the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we taught him about repentance, he really enjoyed it. He expressed that earlier that same day he was wondering what he needed to change in his life to come closer to God. It was a great lesson. Jerry was excited to begin to repent of his past transgressions.

We taught Jerry again on Friday. We taught him the law of chastity and the Word of Wisdom. Actually he sorta taught us. As we began to teach he already knew the things he needed to do. Jerry needs to get a divorce from his first wife in order to marry his girlfriend who he has been living with for the past 16 years. Jerry also accepted the invitation to come to church. He was so excited to come to church. On Sunday morning we got a call from Jerry and he apologized that he would not make it to church. His sister is in the hospital in Columbia and he was leaving to go and see her. We have an appointment with Jerry this week. I love teaching Jerry because of his humble heart and his excitement for the Gospel.

Update on  Annette. Annette had to cancel our appointment on Wednesday because her sink burst and she had to get some repairs done. She rescheduled for Friday at the same time that we were supposed to have dinner with one of the active members who lives down the street. We asked the members if we could invite Annette over and they agreed. On Friday evening we taught Annette the Plan of Salvation in the Parrot's home. It was a great lesson. Even know as I think of it--the environment, the lesson, the testimonies were perfect. We invited Annette to be baptized on the 25th of September. She accepted!! Annette attended church yesterday and Sister Dent, who helped us teach last week, took Annette under her wing and introduced her to everyone! After Church, Annette asked to see the baptismal font. It was a great church experience.

The Lord also poured out another blessing. A lady named Ana Baker came to church. Ana Baker is the grandmother of a young lady who joined the church in the military. Her granddaughter told her she needed to check out the church and so she came on her own! This was actually her second time coming and she loved it! She even stated that she is interested in joining the church!

Last update. The Military Post. I interviewed Walker before sacrament meeting. His battle buddy, BROTHER Allred performed the baptism. I performed the confirmation. I interviewed Brother Schuetter for baptism, but I was not able to witness the baptism because Brother Watkins wanted to visit with me. Brother Watkins feels that the church is true, but his parents have asked him to hold off. I invited him to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost but he is still hesitant. I hope and pray that the Lord will resolve his concerns this next week. Also, two sisters were baptized on the base. :) What an exciting time to be a missionary!

I love you all!
Love,
Elder Cowan