Sister Ann Elgaaen in Houston, Texas South: May 25, 2020 Book of Mormon

Hello Family and Friends! This week has been amazing! We have been able to have tons of member lessons, and the people we are teaching are doing amazing!

This week hopefully I will wrap up reading the Book of Mormon for the 8th time on my mission. Each time I study the Book of Mormon, I choose a new topic. Some of the topics have been joy, atonement, the power of women, grace, pride...etc. Each and every time I study, I learn something new and deepen my love and appreciation for the Book of Mormon.

I would like to invite you to try and study the Book of Mormon on your own. Pick a topic that you would either like to learn more about, or a topic that is meaningful to you. As you study, you can make markings in the book, draw pictures across the pages, underline, highlight, add sticky notes or stickers. Make the study your own! I often use the Book of Mormon as a miracle journal, and I will add in experiences that I have had during the week on sticky notes or share stories as I read something that relates to an experience I have had. As I have studied the Book of Mormon, I have found greater joy in my life then I have been able to find anywhere else! I promise you that as you read the Book of Mormon and apply its teachings to yourself, you will find indescribable joy from the truths of this gospel.

I know that the scriptures can be hard to understand sometimes, but as I have read the book like a journal entry and talked about the people like they were good old friends, I have fallen in love with the Book of Mormon!!

One of my favorite people in the Book of Mormon, besides the savior, has to be Ammon! He was once a man who sought to destroy the church, then an angel came to him and his brothers as well as Alma the Younger and it changed his entire life! He then asked day after day for permission to serve a mission among the Laminites who were a wicked people. Finally his father granted permission for him and his brothers to go and serve. He has many experiences on his mission, but in the end, he is able to help a large group of Laminites to come to the truthfulness of the gospel. Ammon is so humble and filled with such joy. I hope I can be more like Ammon!

He is just one of the amazing people who share their experiences in the Book of Mormon.

Maybe at the back of the book, after you are all finished studying, you can write your own conversion story. You could write your own testimony of what you know to be true!

I hope you guys have the best week ever! This is the last week of transfers, and I will be starting the Book of Mormon again soon! I would love any suggestions on things to study in the Book of Mormon, and If you would like to study the BOM with me, I would love hear your thoughts as you study!!