Hey y'all,
This week was a little more of a struggle since we are kinda in that transitional phase, the time after the spring semester and before the summer semester starts up in June. Regardless, it was a great week! We were able to stay busy and find some great people to teach. One nice thing is that though there are less people, (way less haha) those that we find mostly have time and are willing to listen :) We have also been able to get in contact with some of the other missionaries that we sent so many great referrals to. That has been really cool to hear the progress.
Update on our Muslim Brothers: Sufyan officially moved back to Lebanon in the middle east and is trying to find some lds church buildings over there. BYU Jerusalem is really close to where he is going to be at this summer, so he is in good hands. Tarif is in Washington D.C. for an internship, and we are getting him in contact with the missionaries there. It was so amazing to be able to teach them and get them started on this joyful path. They both should be back here in the fall too, so they will be good to go. Easa is still living here in Baton Rouge close to LSU campus, but just working at a local plant. He is slowly but surely coming along!
For our exchange this week I got to go over to Lafayette with Elder Flores. He came to LSU last time and we had a hilarious time. He is from Mexico and is a Spanish missionary trying to get better at his English as well. He is so funny! We tried finding some more Spanish families to teach so that was a lot of fun for me to tag along haha. It is interesting to run into those parts of town where there are just small pockets of Spanish people that all congregate.
A couple miracles this week:
We have been really trying to find more people to teach that are around this summer, so we went to an apartment complex that we haven't ever hit before. We ended up hitting a bunch of doors of people that moved out, and just as we were about to turn back we met a guy named Kinsley. We knocked on the door and he answered in his blanket and everything. Totally woke the guy up haha. We were like, "Hey man you gotta get up, it's 10:30 the birds are chirping and everything." haha just kidding we were nice and we found out that he had been recently trying to get back to believing in God and praying to him. As we shared the restoration of the gospel and testified of the Book of Mormon his eyes opened wide open and he threw the blanket off and turned on all the lights. It was awesome!! He felt something special and we asked him to give the closing prayer to ask if it was truer. Probably one of the most heartfelt prayer I have heard an investigator say on the first lesson! He is moving to Houston soon though, so we are going to get him started.
We have been in contact with this guy named Brennan who has been studying for the MCAT and had to take his last Thursday. It has been cool to be able to relate even just a little bit since Josh had his on Friday. We have been trying to help him start reading, but he has just been so "busy." It was awesome though, because we read some with him from the Book of Mormon in Alma 37 about prayer and then told him the story of how Sufyan read the B.O.M 5 minutes before his exams and totally aced them. He was like, "Are you serious Clark?" Hahaha we were like yeah man! When we left we looked back and saw him reading the B.o.M through the window :D That was pretty cool!
We met with George and Bentley several times this week and they are doing great. We had wonderful lessons with them and really tried focusing on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is so cool that as I have the opportunity to teach and bear testimony of his life and the things that he did for us I gain such a stronger feeling of gratitude. I know that He lives and loves us. It is only when we are willing to give up everything for Him that we find Him. He is there and is always reaching out to us, but it is up to us to extend our arm towards Him. George is struggling to give up his belief of polytheism and Bentley is struggling to give up his drug addictions. We all fall short and struggle, but when we choose to follow Him everything in our life changes. We have a mighty change of heart, and our will becomes swallowed up in the will of our Heavenly Father. They both were able to make it to church on Sunday, and seemed to really enjoy it. Every step in the right direction makes it easier to continue. George is a little nervous, but planning to be baptized this Saturday. Our Heavenly Father is working miracles in that family's life right now, and it is so humbling to think that I have had the opportunity to play a small part. Please keep them in your prayers.
I love y'all so much and am so thankful for you. I hope you know that. I love you and pray for you always. However, there is no other place that I would rather be, than on the Lord's errand.
Love,
Elder Wilson
