10.22.12
Dear Everyone,
I've been out here in Goose Creek, SC for about 2 weeks now. It's a ton of fun and the Lord is really blessing me to get my mind caught up in the work that I've been called to do. We were having a bit of a difficult time finding new investigators and spending way too much time teaching the three that we had. So Elder Zurita and I started to revise this by making goals. Holy Smoke goals are so stinkin' affective. Oh but first some funny and interesting things that happend to us this week.
-We got chased by a big dog, Elder Zurita was like it'll be fine I think that's the nice one. And I was like no it's not look at the way it's looking at us! Then it started bolting at us. But we were far enough away to get away.
-We got bit by two demon chihuahuas on the way to the place where we got chased by the dog. And then again on the way back from being chased by the dog.
-We saw the biggest spider in the world! Serious the biggest I've ever seen in the wild aside from the tarantula I saw at powell. It's butt was the size of those big black grapes without seeds. HUGE!
-We watched a deer jump onto the highway run across and nail the side of a car. A nice sized buck too.
I think that's about all the fun stories for this week. But there is something that I learned this week, people don't always follow even when they've had extreme witnesses that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a woman we have been teaching and she is living every single commandment except attending church and she's been requesting Sundays off to be able to go (that's what she says at least). And we've asked her several times to be baptized and she says yes and then no every time. I dont' know what it is that has been keeping her from it.
But any way, we had two super killer lessons with her where the spirit was so thick you could taste it! In the first lesson, which I wasn't there for I was on exchanges, I guess she started getting upset and one of the sisters that was there with the missionaries was super bold with her and said you need to stop. How can you feel the spirit when you're upset ranting and raving? Or something similar to that. And the spirit was super strong.
The second time we invited her to a ward activity. She showed up and we planned to do a church tour with her if she showed up so we started on it. During the party thing we found her sitting in the chapel crying. We didn't know what to do so we started talking to her very softly and calmly. We then started the church tour. She loved it, saying, "lindo" and "bonita" all the way through the church halls. We then got to the baptismal ?faunt?, opened the doors and said, "This is where you'll be baptized." We started talking, she liked the church, she liked the idea of being baptized there. My companion started talking to her and I was trying to listen and be able to put in my two cents here or there. (Mind you, this is what I do most of the time....It may sound like a do tons but most of the time I'm quiet and try to listen to what they are saying and more than half the time I don't even know what's going on.)
So after a little bit, I started to feel the spirit leaving the room. I stopped everything and said, "Podriamos regresar a la capilla?" (could we return to the chapel? I think) Then Heidi said "por favor" and we went in. I lead the way they went and sat in the back and I went right to the center of the chapel and sat down. I waited for them to join me. They (Elder Zurita and Heidi) came up and sat down. I just looked ahead for about 2 minutes of silence (at least that's what it felt like). Turned to her and started bearing my testimony. I don't remember what I said, but I do remember the spirit prompting me to describe the way she was feeling right then. I described the way she was feeling, and she exclaimed, "HOW DID YOU KNOW!?" I then bore my testimony of the Holy Ghost, so on and so forth....
Elder Zurita then invited her to be baptized. She stopped and waited, I felt the spirit leave, and she said, "No." I was going crazy! How could you have such a witness from Heavenly Father and then not do as he instructs?!?! GAH!
That is just a cool story that happened. We met a woman named Eli from Mexico, she's here until December then she has to go back to Mexico. We went back to visit her at what we thought was her house ran into her nephew, taught the restoration of the gospel and invited him to be baptized. He accepted and is getting baptized on the 10th of November. And that lesson was in English so the Lord blessed me to be able to contribute more.
Elder Zurita and Elder Hanson went on exchanges and I went with Elder Hanson's companion Elder Herrera and they got to find Eli again. I didn't get to teach her, but she commited to a baptismal date in the first lesson. It just goes to show, that some people are so stinkin' ready for the gopel and others have things that they let keep themselves away from the gopel. One thing I have noticed is that there are people everywhere that are prepared and looking for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The other day Elder Zurita and I were knocking doors and we had a huge muscled out black guy come out. We told him who we were, what we were there for and asked him some questions about himself. He answered a ton of them then Elder Zurita had said,"have you ever wondered...this...this...and this?" I don't remember what they were, but they weren't the classic where did we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going? questions we usually ask. And he said I've wondered everything that you just said. We then testified about the authority of Jesus Christ being restored again and set a return time.
The Lord has servants prepared to do His work today. Make sure you are one of them, because I testify that this work will go on with or without you. I am glad to be one of the Lords full time missionaries, preaching, faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end to His children today. I know that missionary work cannot happen properly without the help of the members, so help your missionaries in your area.
I have to go. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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