Trust in Christ and Endure!
Another week gone! Wow, we are already on week 5 of this transfer! Its flown by!
Well our numbers looked pretty poor this week. We had A LOT of appointments cancel and sadly 2 of those were with our baptismal dates, Chrissy and Terry. Just like last week we were not able to meet with them. On Monday we were supposed to meet with them but they canceled. Luckily Bro. Doray and Chrissy made it to Book of Mormon Class. We read with them and we had a good discussion but it was afterwards when Chrissy really started talking. We have been texting daily scriptures to some of our investigators and less actives and the ones we have sent to the Dorays, Chrissy said they have really helped her and she is starting to read more often. That was really good to hear, because that was a big struggle for her, reading the scriptures. It was always, "well I was really busy or really tired". So set up a time the next day to see her and they said that would be fine....but after we drove all the way out their, no one was home, we called all their phones and no one answered....it was really disappointing. We saw them at church. but Chrissy was not looking good at all, and they only stayed for 2 hours. She was feeling sick and had to work later that day. Hopefully our appointment with them tomorrow will hold and be able to see her with Brother Duffy.
Yesterday we were able to go to Kathy's home for a lesson and dinner! She is so great about feeding us. She will do all the prep work so that it is cooking while we are having the lesson and then we get to eat right after. Mason (her husband) has essentially sat in on all of our lessons since before her baptism. So he has almost heard all of the missionary lessons including lesson 5. He has been to church for sacrament meeting probably 6 times as well! He is really quiet and is really hard to read. He simply...listens. He will follow along in pamphlets and the Book of Mormon when we read form it and so on. But when our focus has been on Kathy I feel like he is beginning to actually gain his own interest for all this. So far everything he has done has been for supporting his wife, Kathy. He is such a good husband to her. He cares for her, shows that he loves her and will really do anything for her. That is why I think he has done as much as he has with the church and the lessons. But within the last month and a half he is now participating more, asking questions, and opening up a lot more than ever before. But the most he has ever done this was last night when we were at their house. He was cracking jokes with us, small talking a lot more than normal, and really just being his real self.
During dinner we talked about Chrissy and Jonathan (Brother Doray) and apparently they have been having some rough times with their relationship again...and its really been hard on Chrissy, which I why (we are sure) they have been so flaky on us recently. After that conversation with them and a discussion together before planning last night, we decided that we need to drop their dates for now and start teaching them as a family. We have been really struggling on teaching them, because they are all at different points in their learning, addictions, stages of life, and testimony. So we need to help them be strengthened as a family first.
There is no reason we would try to get them baptized right now, because they simply aren't in a position to be ready for a covenant like that! Baptisms are not just a number you keep track of in your journal! It is a sacred covenant that if people don't keep up their end of the covenant, they WILL be held accountable for it! We know they will be ready for baptism at some point, and we looking forward to teach them as a family now and help them get to that point!
When we were talking to Kathy and Mason about Chrissy were able to explain that our priority is not to get people baptized, but to help people. I was glad we were able to explain that in front of Mason. I don't want him to feel pressured into any of this, but I know he is starting to take more interest in it all. I am so happy to see him open up to us!
Well on another subject, we had a church tour on Wednesday! We did it with the sisters, and Donna and James came! They were the ones at our family history workshop. They said they have been spending a lot of time on familysearch.org! We were able to answer a lot of their questions that they had about our church and were able to end on the picture of the 1st vision and gave them a short version of the restoration together. It was really great, but I don't think they were really interested in having another visit, but were really nice, and said they would come to our other workshops though. Which we just set up! April 23, we are going to be doing another one. We are going to help people transfer records and information from other genealogical sites onto Familysearch.org and show them other associated sites such as Puzzilla, Createfan.com! It should be pretty cool! Hopefully I will be here next transfer for it!
Mark is still doing well. But still can't come to church because of his house arrest. He really wants to come. He said in our last visit "I would come every week if I could!" He is such a great guy, and we got to hear him pray in our last lesson. Norm has letting him get used to us before he said he would put him on the spot but he asked him to say it this last lesson! He was apprehensive about it, but Norm said, "Just start with 'Heavenly Father'.." So he did, and he just kept going! He did a great job. He probably hasn't prayed out loud for many many years! It was really cool!
Our investigators are in some rough spots, but I just hope they choice to lean on the gospel and let their heavenly father help them get through it all. Endure to the End is something we have teaching a lot this week and I have been studying and it really requires everything we have to do it and keep on the path that our Savoir has paved for us! But if we do all we can, and trust in His Atonement, I know everything turns out for the better!
I love my Savoir, Jesus Christ. He lives, and stands at the head of this church!
I love y'all!
-Elder Swalberg
No comments:
Post a Comment