So this week was amazing to say the least. Unfortunately,
we haven't been able to tract at all for the last 4 weeks straight, but
we've picked up 7 new investigators anyway in that time, and 3 of them
were just this last week.
One of them is a former investigator that has been coming
to church with his member wife and kids. He struggles with the word of
wisdom. He loves his wine. The elders a year ago apparently never
answered any of his questions to his satisfaction. On Sunday
we just went over with his home teachers and we asked him if he'd like
to continue with the lessons. He responded "What would we do different?"
I blanked, but my companion jumped right in and said sometimes we just
need to hear the gospel from a different perspective before it makes
sense to us. Different missionaries, different flavors of perspective."
We set up a lesson after that. we could tell he wasn't totally enthused
but he still had some interest. We went over and started answering
questions a few days later. His wife had kept a email list of all of his
questions over the years and gave them to us after our first visit and
having answered three of his big questions right then and there. That
perked his interest in having us over again, because he was finally
getting the answers that he was looking for. After our second lesson
and being able to show him in the bible about everything he was hesitant
about he was visibly changed. He's taking the invitation to pray to
know and be baptized much more seriously now. It was amazing to see his
countenance change over the course of the week. I felt truly endowed
with power. It was the coolest thing to not be able to ask anyone but
myself and my companion what we could possibly pull from the scriptures
to show as an evidence. I can feel my knowledge of the scriptures
starting to explode because everybody we teach keeps asking fantastic
questions. The great thing is being able to have the faith that I can
find the answers even though I may not have them right here and now.
Every time I am validated in what I've been teaching. Every time I find
the scriptural doctrine behind what we do. It's not just something that
Joseph Smith made up. It's God's truth.
In another instance we were able to continue to teach
A. (the part time minister) the plan on salvation. It was crazy.
She'd keep throwing out our scriptural references as void or not
concrete because her NIV (simplified bible translation) bible says
something different and then we'd share another couple of scriptures
that she couldn't refute and she was astonished. There were a couple of
references that we used that it backed up our point more in her bible
than in ours. I was so happy about that. It's cool to see the wall of
resistance in her heart being slowly torn down brick by brick. She
doesn't think that we're Christian still. I don't know how. She still
thinks that we differ from Christianity. Not sure how. I love to see her
gears turning. I also love knowing that I will never be lost in a
lesson with her.
D. is an ANIMAL. Just so you know. At 6'7" he towers
over you physically, but his conversion is even bigger. I dare say that
he has a stronger testimony than 80% of the missionaries in my mission
(yes still in the Oregon Portland Mission, same mission pres and
everything, nothing has changed for me other than now we can listen to
EFY music. Maybe if you could load some of that on the USB as well when
you send it back, that'd be awesome!) There is a reason why D. has
seen visions as a part of his conversion. In every way D. is the
perfect leader. I have done nothing in his conversion other than be
there to teach doctrine, he did all the actual work by himself. He would
make a fantastic stake president someday, if not something more.
In our lessons he teaches us just as much as we teach him. He
is like Travis, just more athletic, as was evident in our
chopping wood two days ago. We thought it'd be a fun idea to invite him
along to serve a few members. Little did we know that we brought the
energizer bunny in lumberjack form. He chopped EVERY LAST LOG/STUMP
there was. Even the wood that they were going to save for a few weeks
later to dry out cut cleaved into pieces. I thought he would need a
chain saw in many cases, but he just used a splitting maul for even the
thickest portions of stumps. Sometimes a stump was so big that we would
take 5 or 6 swings in less than 10 seconds and the stump would then be
in 7 or 8 wood stove sized pieces. He's amazing, and he really made a
good impression on the family that we served. Apparently we did too. I
guess this family has asked missionaries to come serve with them in the
past and the missionaries just wouldn't show up. I was baffled. I find
that more than rude, but a critical failure. You don't just do that.
When you say you're going to do something, then you show up and do it
until the job is done. Which is what D. did with us.
I've loved being here. I hope I get to stay. Transfers
are coming up this weekend and I've been here for 6 months already.
We'll see what happens. I love you guys, and I know this work is true. I
would dare even say that the truest form of conversion is how much the
people around you learn from you when you are not speaking. love you
gtg!
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