Josh's Mission May 3 2015

My dear family!!

it was really a wonderful week!!! We saw a lot of really great miracles and blessings :) it was wonderful to go down to Nauvoo this week for interviews. I was also down in Keokuk on exchanges with an Elder down there. We had a great week full of meeting good people who the Lord really blessed us to meet with. 

So we went down to Nauvoo and had great interviews with Pres and Sister Jensen. we also were able to take a little time and walk around Nauvoo, unfortunately we didn't have a whole lot of time, but it was still really great! elder Wardle has never gone all around to see everything, so hopefully we can go another time to see more.    oh okay, I couldn't really remember where they were, but next time we go down there, we'll have to look for them. That'd be really great to try and find Hezikiah's grave as well. Oh, so yesterday we met a new couple missionary that is serving in the temple, but is assigned to the Burlington ward. He said that he is related to Emer Broadbent, so that was really cool! :) I forget what his name is though.... I'll have to let ya know next week. also, there is a member here, Brother Forest Rackum that served in Dad's mission, but it would have been after he was there. But that was really cool to have that connection with him :) 

So I have to tell you about the exchanges that we went on. I was with an elder down in Keokuk with is right across the river form Nauvoo. We just saw a lot of really great miracles and wonderful things happen. We met this member who is going through a lot of really hard things; her daughters are going to be baptized next week though. While we were there with her, we were able to give her a blessing to just get through the hard things that are happening. it's was really wonderful, then the next day we went over to her house to clean her entire house, because she was having some inspections, it was a messy service project but it just made me think about in Mosiah 2 where it talks about serving others. :) it was great! I don't describe very well what happened, I just thought that it was a wonderful opportunity that we had  to serve a good sister who i trying to come closer to Christ. that is really what it is all about. :) 

Oh, and then yesterday in church, we talked a lot about the Priesthood, especially about the power and authority from Heavenly Father that we have on the earth. It's so amazing to think about how blessed we are, this power will never be taken again from the earth... ever! :) it's so great to be living in this day :) I also just realized that the power and authority are inseparably, like it talks about in D&C 121, and I also really like the scripture that says, "the power of god is manifest" in the ordinances that we perform. it's so wonderful to have a weekly reminder of the covenants we have made with Heavenly Father, but it's more than a reminder, we recovenant with God every week to take His name upon us and to live the commandments and covenants we've made. I've never really thought about thinking specifically about the ordinances throughout the week, that's a great Idea though!! :)

So, we did get the doterra box, thank you so much for that!!! it is so wonderful to have those again. :) 

and about next week, we should be skyping around 4 (our time here), hopefully... that's what we have planned right now. does that work alright??

the women's conference sounds like it went great!!! those are really great thoughts!! thank you so much for sharing them :) I especially love the last one about Joseph Smith and asking questions. Pres Jensen always says we need to be more like Joseph Smith, he was the great question asker, is what he says. And also, yesterday there was the YSA devotional, which was so great!!! Elder Robbins of the presidency of the Seventy spoke and he talked a lot about that actually. Especially about how we need to ask questions and that they should lead us to faith building experiences, they should not steer us to doubting.  it was really wonderful!! 

Well, that's it for this week really :) the Lord truly does bless us so much as we faithfully endure to the end. It's so amazing to see the work of the Lord move forward, there is so much for us to do and no time to waste at all. thank you so much for everything that you do!! I can't express adequately how much I love and appreciate you!! I hope and pray that all is well!

ij iokwe eok!!

Je teaime beaucoup

Elder Broadbent