Hey
Family!
I
am just chilling in an ABQ library.
There is a guy next to me looking up hot babes on his computer, and
pictures are popping up left and right.
He is super old. I don’t know what is happening to the world these
days. Another week down out here for me, and it was a really good week. I enjoyed it tons. It was a hard week
at first, but it soon picked up, and we were able to find some new contacts and
get some baptismal dates set. This area has really picked up, and I love
it out here. It sounds like you’re having a blast in Green Bay. It
looks like an amazing trip, and you are on an adventure. I sure do wish I
was there with you. But that is okay, I
am on an adventure too. Life is good out here, and I am enjoying it.
Transfer
news came this week, and it was really crazy what happened. During the
week we got a text from the AP’s asking if Elder Peterson was able to
drive. We said “yes” and they were like “thanks”. The next day our
vehicle coordinator came down and had him fill out paperwork to drive. I
was wondering what was going on. I kind of thought that I was getting the
boot from this area, and they wanted Elder Peterson to drive. Saturday
morning rolled around. We were just
about to close morning studies when the phone rang. It was President Miller. He
called me to be a Zone Leader, so that threw me for a loop. I didn’t
think I was that good enough to do those things. I expressed my gratitude
and thanks for extending that assignment to me. I then for sure thought I
was going, so I went over and fixed the handle that broke three transfers
ago. We went on throughout the day and worked. Saturday night
rolled around. We got transfer calls,
and I thought I was going to leave. But,
instead Elder Peterson is leaving. They are switching the Zone Leader
areas down here. My area used to be an English area, with
English-speaking Elders as Zone Leaders, and now it’s Spanish. I didn’t
see that coming. So I am staying and being a Zone Leader out here in the
South Valley. I never thought that would happen to me. I am excited
and nervous, but it is going to be a good growing experience for me. I
just hope I do my very best, and I am excited but sad to receive a new
companion. I love Elder Peterson a lot, and he and I have become really
good friends. He has taught me a lot, and I have grown a lot from
him. He is a stud missionary, and I am sad to see him go. He is
awesome.
This
week started off as a really hard week, but then it turned out to be a really
good week. Last P-day we went bowling, and that was really fun. I
bowled really well my first game, but my second game I stunk. Our week
went on, and we weren’t really teaching anyone. That was super
frustrating, and I was asking myself, “What am I doing wrong?” Nothing
was working, and I was upset. I was praying super hard for guidance and
help. We were walking around Thursday night out in the rain, and I just
felt this peace and voice telling me to start knocking. We didn’t
knock that much that day because we had correlation in 30 minutes, and it was
dark. The next day on Friday at Zone Training, the zone leaders told us
that President Miller wants us to keep track of knocking now. I realized
that it was the Lord telling me what I needed to do. That day in the
afternoon we went out. I was super rusty because I was just used to
talking to people in the streets. We knocked the first door, no answer.
We went to the next one, and I said to my companion, “Let’s move on to
the next house, there is no one home.”
My
companion didn’t care, and he went straight ahead and knocked the door.
The guy opened immediately, and before we could even talk he said, “Come
in.” I was like, what is going on? We taught him the first part of
the restoration, and it was sweet. He had to go, so we asked him if we
could come back, and he said yes. It was a cool and humbling experience
for me. He is a stud. We had more success and found two more contacts
that day from knocking. We also got a lot of referrals for the English
Elders. It was a cool experience that we had from it. The Lord is
right, I just need to knock.
A
new thing President Miller has started is caroling. We have to carol to
one person every day. It is definitely getting me out of my comfort zone,
and we found a new contact from it. The first day we had to do it was
Friday. We went out around 6:45 to find someone. The first door we
knocked we had no luck, no one answered. I was getting all pumped up, and
when it came time, no one answered. We went to the next house, and this
lady came out. I said, “Good Evening, we are going around spreading
Christmas spirit, can we sing to you tonight?” She immediately shot back at
us, “I know your beliefs and what you do, I don’t think you can tonight!”
My companion and I were begging her, and so she finally gave in. She told us that she would sing with us.
We broke out singing “Silent Night” with her on her door step. At
the end of it, she said, “HALELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD, and AMEN!” I was
standing there trying to not laugh, and she said, “Thanks guys, and Jesus loves
you.” We walked away. It was
pretty funny and a good way to start our caroling adventure. It has been
interesting. My voice sucks, but that is
okay, I guess. It is what the Lord wants right now, so I can do it
even if I have to grab myself and just sing sometimes.
The
miracle of this week was that we were able to get three people committed to a
baptism date. We have Magda, Osvaldo, and her child on date right
now. Yesterday we had a super awesome lesson with them at the
church. We watched the Bible video about the nativity, and then afterword
we were talking about it. My companion read the scripture in John 14:13
were it talks about if you love me, you keep my commandments, and Magda blurred
out “I want to be baptized!” We set a date with them for the 17th
of January. I know they can make it, they just have to get married or
separated. Magda will make it, but Osvaldo is going to be the
project. That was a miracle when we set the date with them. It
caught us off guard, and we didn’t expect it. That was another
miracle this week.
Our
other investigators are doing great, and they are slowly progressing. A
lot of the new investigators we have found have dropped off the face of the
earth, so that is a bummer. I am hoping the news we have found will
continue to progress, and we will find more. Life is good out here, and
that is my email for you in a nutshell.
It
sounds like you are having a blast in Green Bay. I wish I was there! I hope the Pack beat
the Falcons tonight, and cheer them on for me! Just a heads up. I don’t really need anything for
Christmas. The only things I really want are two books - one “Lectures on
Faith”, by Joseph Smith, and also, “The Infinite Atonement”, by Tad R. Callister.
If you also find a super good gospel book that is better than those get that
instead. I am just trying to study my heart out right now. Also,
can you find me a journal with the Green Bay logo on the front of it?
That is going to become by Zone Leader book for meeting and everything!
That is all! Thanks for everything, and have a killer week! I miss
you tons and think about you daily! GO PACK GO!
Love,
-Elder
Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment