There are so many people here that have so much potential, it’s crazy!

Hello All!

So! I do not feel like I just had my fourth Sunday here, but that just happened! So update time! Monday we went to visit one of our most progressing investigators and when we got there she was crying, but invited us in. We taught her and tried to comfort her, but she just wouldn’t open up to us…we’re a bit worried there, we’ve been praying hard. 

Tuesday was cool as we worked super hard and had lots of lessons. We also made a return appointment with some street contacts.  Wilma Layo, who was super interested in our message, invited us back on Thursday. Wednesday was cool when we met Maria Christine, who is a former investigator who discontinued because she moved.  She is looking for, in her very words, “The true church of Jesus Christ.” We readily scheduled a return appointment with her as well. She is also neighbors with a member, so we hopefully will have a fellowshipper there! 

Thursday was fun as we had some ward missionaries work with us, and they’re all super cool and getting ready to serve missions. At the end of the day, I treated them to McDonalds, which was super fun as well!

Treating ward missionaries to McDonalds

We went back to Wilma Layo, who introduced us to one of her sons, Andrew, who just had his wife leave him and take his kid too, which has been really hard, but he really wants to learn and come closer to God. Friday we had a really solid weekly planning session, and I’m hoping our planning will pay off with better use of our time this week. We taught Maria Christine, which was hard with her little boys running wild, but the spirit came in when we got to the Joseph Smith story and the Restoration. We taught one of our investigators with the most potential, Sister Ravera, about the law of chastity, and we found out that she and her husband aren’t actually married. She’s been a bit shy to us ever since then…We went to a part member family in the evening where we met a very active member's nonmember, 20-something year old son. He is very receptive to us and wants to go to church with his mom, so he’s going to try to get work off there! 

Saturday morning we had no appointments, so we went door to door knocking for the first time in my mission! We did not have any success, but I felt American! In the afternoon we went back to the Layo family, where we met another son, Sonny, who had a CTR ring given to him by a classmate at the local university! They practically begged us to tell them what time church started, and we had an awesome lesson with them! Sunday the Layo family came to church, and they were the only investigators who did! We taught Maria Christine in the afternoon, who has received an answer that our message is true! Woot!!! The rest of the day we just got SUPER punted.  By the time 6:30 rolled around we had only had two lessons, and all of our plans and backups had fallen through. We randomly talked to a guy playing on his phone, and it turns out he and his wife are, get this, former investigators, and back in 2010 the missionaries apparently got pulled out, because they both transferred and no replacements came. They were really close apparently too! So we taught them, and they readily accepted a return appointment! There are so many people here that have so much potential, it’s crazy!

Earlier this morning, we had a fun zone activity…and that brings us to now.

As far as spiritual insights goes, I just want to second what the prophet Brigham Young said, that Jesus Christ ought to be on our minds all of the time, as the very thought of him is sanctifying. I bear witness that is true.  I’ve been trying to do that this week and I feel the spirit far more consistently, the spirit is stronger in the lessons, and I’m better able to follow the spirit and teach according to the needs of the investigator.  And also, Satan has been trying to tempt me and distract me by bringing up past mistakes in my mind, but instead of dwelling on them, I pause to think that Jesus Christ, for a moment, suffered for that very sin of mine, so that I don’t have to “droop in sin.” When I do that, the spirit fills my soul and I can’t help but feel His love for me, and for those around me. I love you all!  The Book is blue, and the Church is true!

--Elder Christensen

 

Brandon and his comp