November 10th, 2009 (Email)

Hello yet again!
The coolest thing happened last week. Elder Harris and I were instructed to go down to Hawaiian Gardens last week to get vaccinated for the H1N1 (swine) Flu. I got anxious because I hate getting shots. We stood in line forever and then one of the volunteers came and checked our info and told us that we were getting "the nasal mist." So the vaccination wasn't a shot at all. They just sprayed some stuff up our noses. It was painless and awesome. I'm glad we got it because tons of people are catching the swine flu over here-- even some of our investigators.
Daniel Clay and his family are still progressing. They came to church for the third time in a row. The kids (Jilani Jemilia and Jinelle) LOVE primary. Daniel and Jilani are both way excited to get baptized. We decided to push back the baptism until the 21st because they need a little more time for Daniel to overcome his smoking habit. He's made a lot of progress but sometimes these things take a little time. We both feel pretty sure that they'll be ready by the 21st. Preach My Gospel encourages us to wait for the head of the household to be ready before baptizing the rest of the family so that's why we pushed back Jilani's baptism too. Plus he's just 9 years old so we think it would be good to make sure his dad gets baptized with him.
Yesterday one of our investigators "anti'd" us. Her name is Paula and we dropped her yesterday because she just downright opposes everything we believe. We all concluded that our biggest difference came down to the 1st Article of Faith. Elder Rodriguez once told me something he learned from Elder David A. Bednar while he was in the MTC. Elder Bednar gave the missionaries a promise that if they came to really know and understand the Articles of Faith they would never be confounded. I know the true nature of God the Father, His Son and the Holy Ghost and I recognize that I wouldn't understand that doctrine if God hadn't restored it through the Prophet Joseph Smith. While Paula was bashing our beliefs the thought came to my mind that there was really nothing we could do for her right then. Towards the end I just told her that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true and then she responded that she knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that it's false. It was interesting. She brought up a lot of arguments including blacks not being able to receive the priesthood and the supposed false prophecy in the first several verses of D&C 84 that the New Jerusalem was to be built in Missouri during Joseph Smith's generation (look up the footnotes), but she ended up just saying again and again that she knew that no matter what she said we wouldn't change. She didn't understand and she said it made her sad. Elder Jones, one of the elders that lives in our apartment, had an interesting insight about Anti-Mormon stuff. "Anti-Mormon literature is like pornography for your testimony." Once you've read it or heard it you'll never be able to forget it. And if you dwell on it enough and let it bug you enough it can easily destroy your testimony. HOWEVER if you remember what you KNOW without a doubt to be true-- and there are several doctrines and truths and blessings that were ONLY made availabe to us through the Restoration-- and if you remember the first time you received your personal witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that this Church is Christ's (great advice given to me from Pres. Hatch)-- you won't be blinded by the mists of darkness. The best thing to do is to remember those things and to stay away from what the opposition has to say because when placed in the shadow of some of the doctrines of the Restoration the opposition just can't stand on its own two feet. Elder Callister and Elder Holland's talks from conference are good ones to consider reviewing.
Elder Harris and I have both come to an agreement that our little sisters should be pen pals. Elder Harris' little sister's name is Allyn Harris and she's only four days older than Hannah. She has red hair and she loves horses and reading and fairies and nerf gun wars.
Okay so thanks for going ahead and arranging to send me a new epi-pen because it turns out that the "i'm not allergic to chicken anymore" fling was just that: a fling. Out of the five meals of chicken I've had two of them made my chest hurt. So I'm not going to eat anymore. I think it's really really odd that I have to be allergic to chicken but I guess I'll just accept it and keep dealing with it. Gracias!
Yeah Elder Rodriguez has been home for 5 weeks now. I sent him a letter and he sent me an e-mail. He let me know that he's trying to find a job and he's applying for BYU and BYUI and he's bored.
Elder Kemp was transferred last transfer so I haven't seen him for a bit but while he was here he was doing fine.
David Ramos e-mailed me today! He sounds like he's still doing great. His family's still active and he says that he still wants to be a missionary. I wonder when he'll go through the temple. His year-mark as a member is coming up in a couple of weeks and after that it's possible for him to go through the temple.
I'm glad to hear that Hannah's doing great in school. She's a good kid.
All I know is that the prophet is definitely the only one allowed in the Holy of Holies so I've heard from many that he cleans it himself.
I could be getting transferred next week but we'll see. Both Elder Harris and I are at risk. The last week of the transfer is always filled with horrible suspense because you never know what Pres. Sexton will feel inspired to do with you.
"Have a Book-of-Mormon-errific day!" -Robbie Reed
Love,
Elder Tyler Lewis
P.S. so far all I've been able to think of that I'd be grateful to receive for Christmas is another pair of black slacks because last week I used a different Laundromat and now I have a weird stain on black ones you sent me last :( Sorry and gracias!