Another week another blog!
shout out: Grant Waters! good job getting the Symphony Scholarship!
This week has been fanFREAKINGtastic!!!!!
We've still been teaching Cheyrel. She's SO ready. I am quite humbled
to be able to teach her. This has been one of the greatest blessings
that Heavenly Father has given me. honestly. Because of Cheyrel, I
have become closer to the spirit. Her testimony has helped me, I
believe, more than mine has helped her. She has such faith, and her
faith has made her and me whole.
What I'd like to talk about today is what she assigned me to speak on
at her baptism: "One in the Crowd."
We all know the story about the woman in the crowd who had a blood
disease. She touched the hem of Christ's robe and was healed. We all
know the story, but how does it apply to us?
The crowd was full of people, mostly curious people, some Pharisees,
some, maybe, there to mock. None the less, there was a crowd, and then
there was the woman. There was one among the crowd who applied what
Christ taught. She had the faith to be healed.
Do we go about our lives in the crowd? Do we hear Christ speak and
think "Well that's a nice idea," then go on with our lives never
changing ourselves? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to change us.
What Christ did, was, and is means NOTHING concerning you unless you
change.
Remember that there was only ONE in the crowd who truly believed.
Christ is becoming increasingly less popular as the world falls
farther and farther from him and the knowledge of who he truly is.
WILL YOU BE THE ONE? Will you have ears to hear and eyes to see?
I challenge you to be the ONE. I challenge you to be faithful. Act on
what you believe and that's how you will receive blessings.
I testify that to be the one is worth it. There is peace and joy that
comes from it. I know that.

Honoring God
Elder Decker
picture: we went and hiked the menan bute last week (the hill with the R)

This week has been amazing! and this is why:

-We've got a baptismal date for April! It's with Cheyrel. She is amazing. She had a work accident that cut her arm off, but it was miraculously reattached by the doctors. She can move it and has good use of her fingers. This experience really brought her to God and she is the most spiritual person that I know. One of the things that she's been doing in recovery is physical training and her physical trainer was a return missionary! After a while he referred her to us and it's been amazing. Pray for her. We thank God for her and for our opportunity to teach her. I am filled with joy. 

-Also, yesterday was Easter! I LOVE EASTER! Because of Christ I, you, and we all will live again, we have the opportunity to return to live with God again if we repent, and we can become CLEAN! Christ's sacrifice is the most amazing thing ever and I am forever and always grateful for it. I testify that he lives and that he loves you. I testify that you can find joy because of Him. 

This past week has also been super hard and this is why: 

-I fell off my bike and destroyed a suit, and my knee ( here are pics from 4 different angles *studio C*) 

-We were given a TON of sweets, so we've wanted to kill ourselves with stomach aches. 

FUN NEWS:

Tomorrow we will start a no carb diet! woot! I've been gaining some weight that I don't want, so we'll be dieting and working out harder! yay! Pray that I have the will power to do such things! :D I want to be 150 again. :/ I'm currently at 168. I know that I can do it! :D 

So, if care packages are sent, please replace sweets with......... jerky or dried fruit. :)

I love ALL OF YOU. Know that I know that this is the true church!

Honoring God

Elder Decker

Rexburg is still the best.

Happy late birthday to my dear sister Andrea! :D 

SO, first item of business, EASTER IS THIS WEEKEND! :D

And with Easter, the church has created a new website JUST FOR THIS WEEK. It's called:

http://easter.mormon.org/

PLEASE check it out. It has the best video on Christ ever! Seriously, I almost cried the first time I watched it. not even joking. It's just 2 minutes long. It is the best 2 minutes that you could spend on anything, ESPECIALLY this week. It's better than any old spice commercial ever, and that's hard. It's EVEN BETTER THAN GUY ON A BUFFALO (if you don't know what that is, look it up on youtube.) The purpose of this new church website is to share it, so SHARE IT! At the top right of the website is the share button things for facebook, twitter, and google plus. DO IT! Do it to help others remember what he did for us. Because of him, we will live again. all of us. Because of him, we can change. Everything is because of him. 

I know that Christ lives and loves me and you and all of us little people on the earth. The only reason that he could bear that great burden of our sins, griefs, and sorrows is because he knew that that was the only way that we could live again. That was the ONLY WAY, and he was the only one who could. How amazing is that? 

I want to end with my favorite scripture:

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

There would be no reason for me to live if there wasn't Christ. If I didn't have his Spirit to comfort me, I seriously don't think I'd be living right now. He has helped me through all things, and I know that he can and WILL help you if you will just take his hand that has been outstretched toward you forever.

Honoring God

Elder Decker

So, I still remain in Rexburg! *and there was much rejoicing* 

If anybody got the Monty Python reference you get an air five *AIR FIVE*

Shout Out to E.D. Who I saw in The choir in General Conference! woot!

Other Shout Out to Shannon Ward Who got her mission call to Chile! :D and is going to the better (mexico) MTC! Felizidades! 

I had an amazing experience in General Conference. I loved how they just started it off with Elder Holland who gave an AMAZING talk! For those who don't know who that is, he is an apostle: one of the 12 apostles in the restored Church of Christ.

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the restored church that Christ established while he was on the earth. He Called the 12 apostles and gave them authority (Matthew 10:1), he called others (Luke 10:1). Christ did establish a church with Power and Authority, and I know that that's true. I also know that that authority was lost, but now it has been restored again. 

Honoring God

Elder Decker

So..............

I'M IN REXBURG/ MORMONLAND!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really, it's that great. 

Transfers went awesome and now I'm here with my new comp Elder Tidwell from Atlanta. He's SUPER awesome!

I cover Rexburg North Stake and Spanish work for the whole town. The Ward Mission Leaders are AWESOME and the wards help and support us. They do a thing called "ward days." 3 Days out of the week one of the wards in the stake plan what we do. The Ward Mission Leaders set appointments, get us service opportunities and EVERYTHING! It's SO AWESOME! I'm super stoked. 

We're getting a new car sometime this week (we're hoping a Jetta), so they took our car on Thursday. The weather's been great, but of COURSE it snows when we don't have a car. Yesterday it snowed, so we had to beg rides from people, we couldn't take our bikes. So yesterday we pretty much went to church in 2 wards, walked to dinner, then cleaned up the area book. It was an alright day. 

We had a baptism on Saturday. It was great! We got a referral from it too! 

We're SO happy and experiencing a lot of success up here. We're finding all the non members in Rexburg! ;) haha

As we have patience in our afflictions, we will become relieved. 

I'd just like to share the story of how I came to know that the Book of Mormon is true. I was challenged at the beginning of the summer after junior year to read the entire Book of Mormon before school started. I did it. I finished it in my Grandparents' house in Logan. In the last chapter there's a promise,

Moroni 10:4-5

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I Decided that I would act on this scripture and pray to find, from God, if the Boom of Mormon is true. So I knelt down and started to pray. I asked If it was true. The Spirit overcame me with a great joy and I knew that God was answering my prayer that it is true. I knew and I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true, and because of that I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. 

Matthew 7:20 

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 In context, Christ is warning against false prophets. He says that a good prophet cannot provide bad fruit, and a bad prophet cannot provide good fruit.

The Book of Mormon is a good fruit and it is the fruit of Joseph Smith. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he restored Christ's church on the earth. 

If you do not know that the Book of Mormon is true, read it, ponder over it, and ask God if it is true. I promise that he will answer.

It IS true.

Honoring God

Elder Decker