When you have to be Bold, Do it with Love- October 8, 2012

Dear Fullmer Family,

General Conference was amazing!! I absolutely loved it! It was a huge shock to all of us when we heard about the change in ages for the missionaries. It's really cool to realize how the work of the Lord is increasing so rapidly. When I started my mission, there were about 52,000 missionaries in the field and in the press conference, Elder Holland said there are about 58,000. It's growing very fast and I can't wait to see what happens now. I doubt I'll be here when 18 year olds start coming in but it'll be interesting to see what happens. General Conference was amazing though. So many wonderful talks and messages that really were exactly what I needed. I love being able to listen to the words of the prophets. Sometimes I wish I had one of them as my companion so I could always be uplifted like that on a daily basis. Haha. It was a really great weekend.

Plan B to watch Conference. His last minute computer rig job.

We watched conference at the chapel. For most of the sessions it was only us in the chapel. We hooked up the satellite to a projector and watched it. For some reason though there was a loud hum that we couldn't get rid of. The Branch President thought it was our fault but we did all we could do. I felt like Stephen this weekend too because no one else really knew how to hook things up... I REALLY felt like Stephen though on Sunday when the Morning Session's closing song was finishing, the Satellite went out and we heard a loud "BOOM" along with the lights flickering... Turns out the Satellite got struck by lightning. We were hoping it would come back on but to no avail. I really wanted to watch the last session of conference. I said a prayer that we'd be able to get the things working (this was just after President Monson's talk about the JumboTron so I had faith.) So I got to work... I took a computer out of the Family History Center and ran the internet cord into the chapel. I hooked the computer up to the projector and then the sound up to the speakers in the chapel. I got everything working 30 seconds before the last session of conference started... And there was no annoying hum :) It all worked out and I'm grateful I was able to hear the last session of conference and hear the words I needed to hear! Thanks Stephen for inspiring me. I just thought of our basement with computers all over the place on the carpet. Good times! My favorite talk from this past conference was either President Eyring's Priesthood Session talk about finding our gifts or Elder Hales' about becoming more Christian Christians. It really was filled with things I personally needed to hear. 

This past week another elder and I had an interesting experience. Last Monday, we went and visited a man to teach both he and his wife the Plan of Salvation. We had been trying for weeks to meet with his wife who works a lot and we were able to meet her! We sat down and began the lesson when the door opened and his cousin walked in who happens to be a minister for another church. Right when he walked in I knew we were going to have an interesting night. He saw us and said, "Mormons huh?" He walked over, sat right in front of me and asked, "Who is Joseph Smith?" I went on and explained the Restoration and all that and he tried over and over to disprove the Book of Mormon. We told him multiple times how we aren't here to contend but to teach but he didn't want that. He said, "you need to be able to back up what you teach!" So I let him have it! However, the main focus I had throughout the whole night was to love him. I knew that if I didn't, the Spirit wouldn't be there and he wouldn't learn anything. He worked so hard to try and "prove" we were teaching another gospel to that which Christ taught but couldn't do it. At one point of the night he raised up his hands and said, "alright, I'm a sinner! Teach me how to come to Christ!" I took this moment and ran with it. I just opened my mouth and began to testify of what I know to be true. I testified of the Atonement of Jesus Christ which is available to everyone who will repent. I testified how much I value and strive to become like Christ and what it means for me. I was saying things that I had never realized I knew to be true and the Spirit was stronger than I had felt in a very long time. He broke down into tears and tried to deny the feelings which he felt and still tried to deny that we teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in it's fullness. I know he felt the Spirit and I know this work is true! As we were leaving he left the closing prayer, which was more like a closing shout, it was weird, and you could noticeably recognize the difference in the Spirit between him and us. That's what I hoped the man we were teaching was able to feel. The other elder went back two days later while I was on an exchange with another elder and he told mim, "Man, my cousin has been trying to convert me for years... I don't feel anything in his church. I want to learn from you! I feel something different!" They gave him a Book of Mormon and the man committed to read it. It was a great learning experience for me to always follow the Spirit and when you need to be bold, you have to do it with love. 

Our other investigators are doing alright. They both said they would come to General Conference but neither of them came... It's hard in this area to get people to act. They don't have much in their lives but getting them to act is hard... We'll still keep working with them though.

One of my favorite quotes from conference was when Elder Hales said, "faithful servants of Christ are blessed with challenges and opposition." I never realized it's because of our faithfulness that we are blessed with challenges. If you look at all of the Prophets and Apostles in history, they all were/are "blessed" with challenges and opposition. I know that it's never easy and it never was intended to be easy but that's why the Savior came. It wasn't easy for Him either. But as we trust in Him, it doesn't become easier. However, it becomes possible. That's something I'm beginning to understand. We are going to have trials and problems and we are faced with two options: Go with Him, or go without Him. Satan tries to confuse that option but it's always the same. As we act and move forward WITH Christ, all of our trials and challenges come with understanding and He helps us learn and gain the perspective necessary to move past them. I'm so grateful for my testimony and hopefully I will continue to grow in my testimony until I can truly become converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all that I do. I love you all and I'm so thankful for my wonderful family. You truly are a blessing from my Heavenly Father and I really cannot (nor want to) imagine how life would be without you. Thank you for everything that you are and do for me. I love you! Have a wonderful week!

-Elder David B. Fullmer

Here are some pictures of a crazy storm that they had