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It's been a good week. On Tuesday we had a mission leaders council and on Thursday we had our zone training meetings. They went great.

Remember Chris Gomm? Well he came again this week and he taught us a finding tool that has been used in his mission. It's called "The Savior's Peace and Blessing." It's a priesthood blessing upon homes and families and it's a powerful way to bring the Spirit. We tell people at the door that we are representatives of Jesus Christ and that He has sent us to leave His peace and blessing in their home. When we are inside with the head of the household and his family, we teach them that this blessing is found in the scriptures such as Matthew 10:11-13 and Alma 10:10-11. We ask for their names and any blessings that they need while we write them down on an index card, as well as any other names that the family would like blessed. We invite them to kneel with us and after the blessing to pause for a few moments and reflect on how we feel.

Before the close of the blessing we bless the family with the ability to recognize truth when they hear and feel it. At the end of the blessing the Spirit is so strong and often times the head of the household is in tears. We help them recognize the Spirit and invite them to act (be baptized, read the Book of Mormon, etc) and teach them a message of the Restoration of the gospel.

The principle is the same as when we recite the First Vision of Joseph Smith: invite when the Spirit is strongest. This is a great way to work with members as well -- it builds trust, helps them invite their friends to learn about the gospel, and feel love for others.

Elder Stone and I are really excited about this. Chris Gomm told us that after his mission began to use the Savior's Peace and Blessing the baptisms increased in their mission. We are using this with our zone and next month we will report to President Lewis on our experience so that we can use it in the mission. This is awesome!

The Church is true!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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