Seen better days - 09/17/12

I've seen better days. But, it's important to note that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all that exercise faith.

 

On Monday, I was sick, but Elder "A" still hit the streets and talked to 20 people. Typically our daily goal is for each of us to talk to 10 people, but because my voice was crackly and croaky, he did almost all of the talking. And so, we were obedient and got our 20 OYMs even on a P-day, which has been difficult for us in the past. On Tuesday, I got my companion sick. So we stayed inside and were miserable for most of the rest of the week. Oddly enough, I was sick for over a week with this sore throat and cold that wouldn't go away, but Elder "A" caught it and got over it in only three days. Lucky him.

 

Well, we felt pretty bad about how we started the week with such diligence, and then were kept from achieving it by our health problems. But the Lord knew the desires of our hearts, and blessed us with five new investigators even though we only taught 3 lessons to investigators this entire week. My favorite new investigator is "L.A.", an anesthesiologist with a good friend in Orange County that is a member of the church. The Jurupa 2nd Ward elders found her at the store and she asked them to be taught. So we got that referral, called her, and she showed up to church the next day. On Wednesday, she took us out to eat and asked to be taught "Lesson 1 in Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel". Yeah, our investigator bought herself a Preach My Gospel. How cool is that? Whoever this friend of hers in Orange County is, he is the best member missionary ever.

Our other new additions to the teaching pool came from some elders in Norco ("R.G."). She cleans the church buildings there, and she wants to get her and her family involved in church. We taught her, a 17-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, and a 8-year-old daughter on Saturday and they all teared up at the First Vision story and committed to baptism. Can't wait to teach them again!

I also thoroughly enjoyed teaching "C.H.", a child of record in a recently divorced home. She has a severe auditory handicap, and even with her hearing aid in, it's hard for her to hear unless she can read our lips as well. But she's very smart, and very excited about getting baptized if her Dad will let her. We're still waiting to hear about the custody battle. Oh, and "J.B." is on date for baptism now. That was our third investigator lesson this week.

I also had the distinct pleasure of going to a mission conference this week and learning at the feet of a General Authority, Paul B. Pieper. He stressed the importance of understanding the doctrines of the gospel and the associated principles, which explain the "what" and "why" of what we do in missionary work, while the application of those principles are the "how". The way we do missionary work can change based on who we're teaching and what their needs are, but the truths we teach and the standards of the church never change.

I had a lot of time to contemplate and ponder while sitting at home sick as a dog this week. I've come to really appreciate the love of my family and friends that pushed me to keep moving forward and not give up on myself. You guys are great for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I am honored and amazed at the love Jesus proffers me, and at the priceless opportunity that I have to serve a mission for the Lord's church.

 

Have a great week guys!