Even though this has been another droll week and I think people are avoiding us, that doesn't mean it was unsuccessful. We had a baptismal date fall through that we had with an older lady because one of her nephews or sons or something thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses and kicked us out. Things have been, however, been progressing smoothly for other individuals that I won't name for certain reasons.
Ah,
specifics would be so handy right now... So what can I say instead? I
will say, it is interesting how the Lord humbles people to appreciate
what they have and the Spirit others carry by suddenly changing a small
part of the person's usual environment.
Of course, those same laws apply
to me as well, and I've had similar experiences bring me closer to
God's love and truth. I've felt a lot of love from the members of the
branch and close friends lately, so much so that even though I would
like to leave West Memphis as a change of pace, I will miss the friends
I've made here. But work is work, and sometimes you have to work around
friendships to get things done. I understand that if I leave, it will be
for my benefit, and those friends will still be there for me.
Bro. Jones, the Young Men's President, is out of
town for the next couple of weeks, so he's given Elder Mortenesen and I
the responsibility of watching over the young men on Wednesdays and
Sundays. I'm grateful for this chance since I haven't been interacting
with J.T. a lot lately, and wanted the chance to do so. HE DID get to go
to the temple for the first time this past week, though! That was
awesome. He absolutely loved it. We went along to provide priesthood
backup.
On Sunday we taught the young men (all 3 of them, which is more
than usual), and I got to hear J.T talk about how he wanted to convert
to the gospel for himself, not just because his girlfriend was a member.
Hearing him say that himself made me so happy.
I also asked the
Collierville sisters how Blake was doing a couple weeks ago. They kinda
laughed and said that he was solid, without a doubt. I'll need to give
him a call soon. With the baptisms I have under my belt, I'm so glad
that both of these young men have remained faithful to the church and
have good families beside them!
This week, we get to help the local library set up
for a book sale (it's a community service thing), and maybe they'll let
us set up our own stand to hand out BoMs. Elder Mortensen and I have
also attempted and plan to attempt to extend our outreach more and do
some more street contacting, since I'm uber shy and I'm not much of a
fan of meeting strangers.
As we were biking the other day, an older
couple called us over and started asking about what other books of
scripture we read from besides the Book of Mormon and the Bible. it
turns out the man has several brothers that are leaders or have been
leaders in the church, so they know a lot about the church already. We
offered to come by their home, but they declined. However, we gave them
our number and an offer to help them with whatever we can, which they
seemed very eager about. It was a tender mercy to see their eager faces
and answer to their curiosities.
I want to improve myself as a missionary. I feel
that a change in area will bring that about, but I know that's the lazy
answer. I've felt myself grow so much already, but I'm not where I'm
supposed to be as a missionary. The mission has provided several
opportunities for us to make the changes we need to have the Spirit more
fully in our lives. I need to make the choice to act on my faith to
follow through with these methods. That's all it takes...
I love you guys! Thanks for all the support I receive every week! Stay safe, and enjoy the autumn weather and sights!
-Elder Staib
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