Hey y'all,
This week was just a superb week!! We are really trying to help our investigators make the steps to church as well as just finding tons more people to teach. Alvin's fiance, Desiree has 4 daughters and we were able to have a great lesson with them and bring some members with us to invite the 16 year old to the stake dance this coming weekend. We are praying she accepts! That family is great and just trying to help them. Also just trying to keep following up with all our other investigators. It has been a bit tough with Mardi Gras and vacations, but we are making it work. We also had our final technology training for smart phones in the mission. Luckily it hasn't been too much of a change, and has been nice having the few apps to help the missionary work. We also have been sharing Mormon messages too so that has been way cool. Another tidbit about Elder Jensen: He butters his bread with the bread already in his mouth... We're doing great haha.
If anyone knows the south they would know that the people down here don't mess around when it comes to Mardi Gras. Like the celebration lasts the entire month haha, it is unreal. And I'm not just talking partying with fruit punch and apple sauce, even if it is Smuckers. I'm talking all out butter. Bless their hearts I love the people here. So what do missionaries do to share the gospel and adapt to the culture while still striving to maintain the sacredness of the call to serve? Well, with full approval we got ourselves in the Covington Parade to show a little Mormon publicity. Just trying to get the name out here honestly! Fear No man! We just started hip hop dancing and my days back in the Fried Rice dance group and China town in Sacramento really came in clutch. What can I say, the people seemed to love the Mormon missionaries :D Also, Elder Jensen just out of nowhere starts doing back flips and it was intense. Talk about using your talents. I made sure to keep him safe though, no worries. Many members took pictures so I will attach those at the bottom :) Throughout the week people kept approaching us asking if we were the ones in the parade too which led to some great conversation starters and transitions to the gospel. Just baby stepping, and in this case hip hop stepping. I think I may petition to add that into a new "Finding Tool" for missionaries ;)
On to a more spiritual note, this week was one of learning. We attempted to graciously drop an investigator that has been calling us from Colorado (referred to us by SLC--still not sure why us other than it was Elder Jensen's first week and anti always seems to be a part of Satan's weaponry) After many tries at bringing the spirit to answer questions, we were reminded that only a sincere heart can receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true. Though opposition it brought conviction. On Thursday we had planned out our entire day and who we were going to try and visit. However, after the plans were set the spirit seemed to prompt a need for change. We felt like we needed to scrap all our plans and just tract/knock doors the entire day. After a little hesitation we did. We prayed about 2 different complexes to go to and started pounding. We met a few very nice people and taught several great lessons. However, it just didn't seem like anything extraordinary although the spirit was felt and we really thought that was where Heavenly Father wanted us to go. I have been pondering about this for several days now, and throughout the rest of the week I felt like I received an answer: Just like members that have to trust the missionaries before giving them a referral of a close friend/family member, the Lord does the same by testing us a little bit to see if he can trust us with his special children to find and teach. By showing our faith and willingness to follow His promptings regardless of the result he then begins to trust us. I believe that through that trust we can ultimately end up in with a referral from the Lord. Ether 12:6- "And ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
Miracle: We have been trying to take the advice of Elder Costa of the seventy in inviting members to reach out to neighbors and friends. We decided to pray all week about a family to reach out to this investigator family (John and Jessica) we met. We wrote Sister Helm down in our notes before going to church, and then at church she gave such a powerful prayer about missionary work in sacrament meeting. It was then that I realized that Heavenly Father was preparing her all week for the invitation to reach out, and we didn't' even know it. We approached her after sacrament and then went over to their house in the afternoon after church for a very short visit with a short spiritual thought. We told them about the family and the promptings to have them reach out. Sister Helm later that day brought the investigator family a plate of cookies and invited them over for dinner and a lesson when Jessica's husband comes back in town. LET's GOOOOO!!! We are going to make them out to be heroes next Ward Council and try and pump up other members!!
Sorry this became a little lengthy, but I want y'all to know that I know that the gospel is true. There is no other witness needed than from the Holy Ghost. I can't imagine my life without it or without the blessing of being a missionary. Life is good in the vineyard of the Lord no matter what.
Love,
Elder Wilson
