That Was Terrifying

This week Elder McFarland and I went on exchange together. Elder McFarland came to the mission at the same time as me, so we had two missionaries together who have only been in the field for 7ish weeks. He likened it to the moment when your parents leave you had home alone with your brothers and you realize that they aren't watching what you're doing anymore. We worked together really well though--it was awesome. It was terrifying though, because we were in Gloucester and I had to be the one that knew where to go and who to go visit and how to get around and not get lost. One investigator we went to go see, I didn't know how to get to his house. And it wasn't on the map because it is in a new area of town. But then we found it somehow.

Also terrifying was telling our Jamaican friend Daryl that he wasn't actually baptized by proper authority. We talked all about how the Church was restored through Joseph Smith and read about the Priesthood being restored and everything and the necessity of it being in a direct line from Jesus Christ by the laying on of hands and I showed him my line of Priesthood Authority. We went around in circles around it enough times and he didn't seem to get it, so I just had to tell him that he wasn't baptized by proper authority. He took it really well, relatively. Although he wanted me to be sure that I have not been deceived ("the thing about being deceived...is that you don't know that your being deceived" he said--he is so hilarious). So I made him a deal that he and I would both go home and pray to know if the true priesthood authority of God is found only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is when it got really terrifying. We made a deal that if he prayed and came to know this to be true, he would be baptized. If I prayed and didn't feel that it was true, I would go home. Well, I'm still in England. So that tells you I got my answer from the Lord. Daryl is still studying and praying about it. But I am very grateful that he was man enough to take the challenge. And he will be as well.

Love,

Elder Poulsen