Week 72: Breakup Season

People have been breaking up (saying they're not interested) with us left and right and we've also stopped teaching a large number of people this last week. Queue "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift. Jk they'll get another chance. 

Oh and fun fact: We got locked out of our apartment Thursday night. Our apartment office lady came in clutch though and got us in. I thought we were gonna to need to use our pizza boxes as blankets haha.  

We started teaching a guy named Michael and he's awesome! He met a member in Alaska while he was working there and then some sister missionary in England somehow started talking with him and then she referred him over to us. The missionaries here have been trying to set something up with him since the end of July and we were finally able to meet last week! In our first lesson he said he wanted to get baptized and in our second lesson we set a date with him! His dad and grandma joined the lesson as well and absolutely loved it. The Spirit in the room was undeniable and the things I said flowed out so well. It was definitely not me speaking. They all kept saying that what we said just made so much sense. Well duh, cause it's the truth!! Michael said he wants to get baptized as soon as possible so we set his baptismal date for November 20th but we'll probably need to push it back a little cause he got sick and didn't make it to church. 

We will also be pushing Cynthia and Robert's baptismal date back because they didn't make it to church. Come to find out, they are super flaky so we're gonna have to set some expectations with them. 

We also started teaching a guy named Mario who was taught by a member (Brother Pargeter) in our ward that served here as a missionary over 20 years ago. How crazy is that? Mario and his family came to the ward trunk or treat and met Brother Pargeter's mom and then got to talk to Brother Pargeter on the phone! It was pretty wild.

On Saturday we were knocking doors and a lady answered the door, said she was really busy, and told us to come back another time. We didn't think much of it but I wrote her apartment number down so we could stop by again. Then just 2 minutes later she came back out while we were knocking the apartments above her and she asked why we knocked on her door. We told her what we do as missionaries and she said she's never had missionaries come to her door before. Then she asked us what makes us different from other religions. We taught her briefly about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon and she said she'd like to learn more about our faith. We gave her a Book of Mormon and later on in the day she texted us some questions she had. Not sure where this will go but it was a cool experience!

This one is kinda long so feel free to skip it haha. We had a lesson with a couple (Mary & Juan) and a few of their kids and their kids. Yup 3 generations. When we first got into their house they acted like they didn't really want us there and the lesson was pretty dry. We got to the end of the lesson and Juan declined my invitation to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. He said that he gave up on prayer a long time ago and he will never try it again, partly because he feels that God never answers his questions. I got a boost of courage and asked him some pretty bold questions. His daughter then asked me why I pray so I told them I pray to have a relationship with my Father in Heaven (+ more) because if we don't talk to someone we aren't able to have a relationship with them. I think that got him thinking. I also (in essence) told him that God is not a vending machine that dispenses whatever we want whenever we want. It requires patience and effort to find answers to our questions but God will always answer our sincere prayers. The whole family was still being very passive and unwilling to do anything so I asked them point blank: "What are you willing to do?". I was honestly kinda scared they were gonna get irritated with me haha but it actually worked! We got on the subject of church and they said they've given up on going to church because they've gone to all the churches and everyone always gives them weird looks and won't talk to them. I asked if they had ever gone to our church and they said no. So I told them they need to give it a chance. After they discussed it for a bit and realized they had no excuses for not coming they told us they would come the next day. Mary and her son Ruben came but the rest of her family got sick. They all came to the trunk or treat the night before though! Our ward was so welcoming and nice to them so I hope they keep coming.

And last of all... Laura was baptized! Once again, sweetest lady on planet earth. She gave up coffee like a champ despite how challenging it was for her because she knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and that God does not give us unnecessary commandments. Though we may not understand every reason for the things God commands, we can know that it's true by study and by faith. And faith is something I have seen Laura exemplify in so many ways. What a blessing it's been to see her accept the gospel and enter the fold of God. 

While studying this week I came across a quote based on Moroni 6:4 which says that  Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. It says, "The word author is defined as 'one who produces, creates, or brings into being'. In our fallen state, we must look to the Savior for the acquisition and development of faith. Hence, the fourth article of faith specifies as the first principle of the gospel 'Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.' The word finisher has several meanings that apply to the Savior’s role in our process of developing faith. First, “one who finishes; one who completely performs.” We can trust the Lord to completely perform His role as we continue to strive to become more like Him. Second, 'one who completes or perfects'. As we do our best to keep our covenants, it is through His grace that we can finally reach perfection, the ultimate goal in our journey of faith. A definition associated with finish is 'to polish to the degree of excellence intended'. When we come to the Lord in faith as His sons and daughters, He will help us become our best." 

As we strive to to follow Jesus Christ He will be with us every step of the way. He is our source of strength no matter what stage of faith we're in. As you rely on His unfailing love and you will find power to overcome any obstacle that may come. 

- Elder Christensen

Pics!

☆ I don't really have an explanation for any of these photos so here ya go