Week 5 Happy New Year

This week was full of lessons, devotionals, and great experiences!

For our Sunday Devotional, we had David Archuleta come and sing, which was so cool! Richard Elliot, the organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was also there. They both played and sang amazing Christmas songs, and David Archuleta bore his testimony of Missionary Work. It was really really good!

On Sunday, I also got the experience to Consecrate Oil, Bless the Sacrament in Spanish, and to stand in the circle for a few blessings for the 8 Missionaries in our Branch that were leaving the next day for Argentina! I'm going to miss them, I became really good friends with them and they were great examples to me throughout my first few weeks here!!

Elder Bernard, my companion, has had knee problems in the past (2 surgeries), and this week, he hurt his knee again. I was really worried for him. We went into the Doctor here at the MTC and everyone that was talking to him made it seem pretty bad, they kept asking questions like: "So where were you going to serve?" and it really sounded like he was headed home. We were driven over to the BYU Clinic for MRI's. They set up an appointment the next day to go over what should happen. That night, I told him that we should give him a blessing. He asked me to do it. I was really nervous, it was the first blessing I had ever given. But what a powerful, amazing experience I had. The words didn't feel like they were mine. I don't remember some of the things I said, but I do remember promising that he would come to know and accept the plan that the Lord had in store for him. It was such a Spiritual experience for me. I wish I could remember more of the blessing, but right afterwards, I had forgotten so many of the things I had said, it didn't feel like I had even spoken during the blessing. The power of the Priesthood is real, I found that out in an amazing way this week. The next few days, throughout many appointments, he became cleared to stay on his mission for now. He will be doing Physical Therapy and hopefully improving the knee.

This week, we read a lot about the Psalm of Nephi in Chapter 4 of 2nd Nephi. It is such a great scripture, and really has helped me if I ever feel down. We were told in one of the devotionals that "Missionaries should be the happiest people in the world." Sometimes that seems so hard, but then I realize what I am doing is really worth more than anything else I could be doing. I'm serving the Lord.

Hope everyone had a great New Years!

- Elder Leavitt

David Archuleta's testimony of Missionary work was awesome!