Week 42: Miracles And Struggles

This week I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Barely anything went as planned and I am exhausted in every way.

First off, Lita. Oh Lita. We had a 2 hour lesson with Lita and it was pretty rough. She told us she knows that what we teach her is true but she just doesn't want to be a "Mormon". We told her it's not about being a "Mormon", it's about following Christ and what we know to be true. We were very bold but loving with her and we really poured our heart and souls into that lesson. By the end we had really made no progress but Lita said she was going to take action on something. We asked what it was and she said it was personal so we have no idea what it is. We'll see!

The other week we talked to this guy in his driveway and he told us his neighbors might be interested in hearing a message and talking about religion. So we stopped by yesterday and this preacher guy answered the door and started throwing a bunch of information and questions at us. He ended up inviting us in and we probably talked to him for about an hour. Apparently he's read some of our literature before and he has a lot of problems with it. I honestly didn't feel like I had very good answers for his questions but it didn't shake my faith one bit. He was actually really nice though and he invited us to read something so we invited him to read some things and watch general conference. He wasn't able to watch it live but he said he'll watch it soon. We'll see what he thinks about it. 

Every Monday we do 3 hours of proselyting and last Monday I wasn't feeling very motivated to do it. Sometimes the rejection and disappointment can weigh me down. I didn't feel like biking or doing anything physical because I was really tired, but I forced myself up and went out because I knew it was what I needed to do. When I thought where we should go, a certain neighborhood popped into my head. I felt like it was pretty random but my companion said it sounded like a good place to go. When we got there, we locked up our bikes and saw someone walking toward us on the street. He was just about to head into his house when we got close enough but we striked up a conversation. I asked if I could read a scripture and he asked, "from where?" in a snarky tone. I said, "The Book of Mormon" and he immediately said, "no". He proceeded to tell us that the Mormons have it wrong so I asked why. He said, "because Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, not whatever you believe in". We told him we completely agree and asked if he had ever read the Book of Mormon. He said no and that we are still wrong and promptly went inside. Elder Neddo and I were pretty frustrated and I was being negative about the whole situation. Then about 5-10 minutes later down the street, a car pulls up next to us and the same guy hops out and starts walking toward us. I was almost positive he was going to argue with with us or beat us up haha, but something I never expected happened. He came and apologized to us. He told us that he misrepresented Christ and that he actually doesn't know much about our religion. We explained some of our core beliefs and he said he wanted to sit down with us and learn more!! How crazy is that?! We set up an appointment, exchanged numbers, and thanked him for his humility. I was also very humbled by that experience and repented for my bad attitude and judgement. I learned how powerful the spirit is and the influence it can have on people, as well as the blessings that come from giving our time and effort to the Lord. Sometimes it takes awhile to see the results of our efforts but they will come in God's perfect timing. Now there is a catch... we set up a lesson for last Wednesday but Austin had to reschedule. So we set up another lesson for yesterday at a coffee shop (kinda ironic right). When we got there we saw a text from him that said the coffee shop was too busy, so he asked if we could relocate to somewhere else.

We called and texted him and he wasn't responding so we rode by his house and his car was there. Sooo we're not sure what happened but I have faith it'll all work out. 

Lately we've met a lot of people who seem very interested in our message but then they ghost us or change their mind. This is hard for to me deal with and sometimes it makes me question if I was truly lead by the spirit to them. I might've already mentioned this before, but I struggled a lot with this in my first area and my mom always told me that just because that person may change their mind or not accept the gospel right now does not mean that I wasn't lead by the spirit to find them. They have their agency and I have no control over that. I hear my mom's voice in my head say that every time I start feeling that way and it keeps me pushing forward. Thanks for your wise words mom.

We had General Conference (a worldwide broadcast that happens twice a year where the prophet, apostles, and other leaders of our church speak to us!) this weekend and it was amazing as always! I really love this quote by Henry B. Eyring, he said, "Jesus Christ has given you the invitation 'Come unto me.' He invites you, out of love for you and for those you love, to come to Him for peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. He knows perfectly the storms you will face in your test as part of the plan of happiness." In a world of so much contention and loud voices, we can find lasting peace through following Jesus Christ. If we want to stay firm in our faith amidst the commotion and enticements of the world we have to continually fortify our foundation on Christ. I invite y'all to think of one way you can strengthen your faith and devotion to Christ and start working on it! Don't know where to start? Shoot me an email and I'll give you some ideas :) Love y'all!

- Elder Christensen

P.S. We had a lesson with Tia on Tuesday and it went really well! She and her kids also watched conference! Keep praying for them!

I barely took any pictures this week but this is what I've got:

1. Elder Neddo and I were walking down the street and these people were loading furniture on their car and I thought it was very intriguing so I asked if I could take a picture. Oh and we also got their numbers!

2. Good ole Texas streets 

3. Bamboo?? In Texas??

4. The pollen here is making my head explode (aka I'm sneezing every two seconds). Here's proof of the insane amount of pollen