Dear Friends and Family,

We had some cool things happen this week. First, the investigator we found last Sunday is a stud. He read 32 pages of the Book of Mormon in 3 days! He also called us the Elders and called the church building the House of God. So pretty much, he'll get baptized in a little bit, which is cool because we haven't even taught the first lesson yet. Some unfortunate news though, K_____ doesn't feel ready to be baptized yet so she'll probably be a few weeks after her daughter, who is getting baptized the 8th! We are so pumped! Great things are happening in Umatilla!

So this week, I was reading in the D&C and came across a few really cool scriptures. I already had this one marked but I still love its imagery. Its D&C 88:63, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." I love to picture myself as I repent and come back to the Savior, who is waiting to receive me with open arms.        

The same can be applied to all of us. As we repent of our wrongdoings, we draw near to God. Luke 15:20 says, "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran." God draws near to us, or rather, draws nearer to us as fast as possible. All we need to do is have the humility to repent, or turn to God, and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us. I bear testimony of the power of repentance and how God will change us if we but let Him. I love you all and hope you have a stellar week!

Love,
Elder Spencer Coleman