Family!
This week has been a week of continuing finding people. We have met with some of the families in our wards- teaching them the Doctrine of Christ and then having them apply it to the importance of missionary work. We have been preparing the "soil" here. The fire of missionary work is slowly being built. We both bore our testimonies in Fast and Testimony Meeting in all of our wards yesterday. Hopefully the people that we haven't had the chance of meeting will refer their friends after seeing how strong our testimonies are. We can only have faith and pray. We have had the impression that the reason why missionary work isn't really going forward is because the members have to do the finding and we teach. The people that we find end up not enduring to the end of taking the lessons. Member referrals are a lot more solid.
We were OYMing at a park near by and we started talking to this man. It ended up that he was a member and was setting up for a Stake Youth Fireside that evening from another stake close by. He was invited us to come back and while we were talking to people in the park to invite them over to the Fireside. We came back after dinner and as we were walking up we heard this man talking. "Earlier today I was walking out of the bathroom and three woman started to talk to me. Trying to convert me. They were the missionaries with a girl that was going on her mission in two weeks! One was from Chicago and the other was from New Zealand..." Perfect timing! As were were walking up as he's saying this people start turning around and asking us if he was talking about us. The man talking asked if we were there and people started clapping and looked at us. We're Celebrities! lol. They started singing their opening song so we went to go OYM to some men playing volleyball. We walked all around the park talking to people and inviting them to go to the fireside and also the usual invitations that we give. After they had ended and we were just finishing our round of the park, the man came up to us and said "I had invited you both to bare your testimonies, but you were talking to the men at the volleyball net! That was a lot more important than talking to us." We were disappointed that we weren't able to address the youth, but we did have several youth come up to us and give us referrals of their friends. It was a great night.
We had a lesson with Mathi last week where he dropped us. He is not ready to take the next steps. We think the reason is partially living with his son who does not like us coming over and that he's not ready. We have his address in India, so we will refer the missionaries over there once Mathi gets back to India. If he does join the church, it will be at his own house. Thank you for your letter, Dad. It was exactly what we needed to hear even though the letter came two days after we had dropped him. I am not discouraged- I look forward to finding those people who really are ready and interested in learning.
We now only have one semi investigator- Michael. He's a single father so it's really hard to meet with him because we can't go inside without another female and he keeps on canceling appointments. His neighbor is the Ward Mission Leader in the ward. We have both been working separately with Michael and now we are working together. We feel that the reason why Michael keeps on canceling the appointments is because he doesn't realize our purpose as missionaries and doesn't have us as a priority. He's thanked us for being persistent and asks us to continue. It's been a tough time for him because his wife had just passed away a year ago and he has two daughters. We are looking forward this week to start teaching him properly.
Sister Farthing is going home a week earlier than the transfer because she starts school the week that she goes back. It's a long flight back to New Zealand. I still don't know what I'm going to be doing or where I'm going to be during that time that she leaves early. There is another Sister who's going back to her mission at the Salt Lake City Vistor's Center at the same time, and her area boarders ours. So I might be companions with the other Sister and most likely we'll be covering two areas for a week- at least we're close by. I'll know by Monday- hopefully!!
I read Helaman 13-15 and 2 Nephi 22-24 today for part of my personal study. Samuel the Lamanite is preaching to the wicked Nephites about how righteous the Lamanites are at this time and the coming of Christ. In 2 Nephi, Isaiah is foretelling about the Second Coming. While reading these chapters, I was pondering the Second Coming of Christ and how I want to be prepared. We don't know when He's going to come, but we sure do not want to be destroyed before He does come. I want to be part of the group in 3 Nephi that meets Christ because they were more righteous. The Nephites knew that in 5 years He would be born and the majority of them did not believe Samuel that He would. These are wonderful chapters and I can not wait to read about Christ coming to the America's in 3 Nephi. Let us continue to Endure to the End so that we can be worthy to live with Heavenly Father again.
Love,
Sister Collins