Hola Buenos Dias!
So the search continues... We talked to incredible amounts of people all week long and invited them all at least to the Easter Pageant, which was great in English as well. We went with a bunch of people from the Dobson Ward and some of them brought neighbors, but sadly none of our investigators were able to make it. We're continuing to search for the elect and build up our investigator pool and some cool things started to happen yesterday. So we were praying all day for an Easter miracle because we simply need something more, we just need more people to teach. And then, when we went to the last half of the classes in Liahona 5th Ward, two different members came up to us and talked to us about friends that had asked questions and wanted to either talk to us or come to church! This kind of thing never happens in Spanish work - well, at least, it's been a super long time since it has. One of them actually said he has a bunch of friends and co-workers that have been asking him questions and he'd like to invite them to something. I guess one called him up because a relative in Mexico died and they couldn't go down there, but wanted to have a memorial type of thing here for her. The member didn't really know how to go about it, but it looks like this week we're going to meet with them and set it up so that we can do it. I guess there are lots of people and families that would come to it, so we're pretty excited for the opportunity to do something a little different and testify about the Plan of Salvation. The member said it was interesting, because this friend wasn't interested in the tiniest bit before, but now he is. Everything can change so quickly, and hearts can be softened, perspectives can be changed. So we're looking forward to do that soon! Elder Lindquist said that in Chandler they talked to the funeral home place there and put down the missionaries' info so that they could be contacted if people (specifically Spanish-speaking people) needed a funeral and sermon and everything. It's way expensive to do it through most churches and most people just don't have that kind of money. Plus, it's an excellent opportunity to testify about restored truths and our Heavenly Father's plan. They did a couple and he said it went really well. So we might try out something like that here to switch things up a little bit.
Other good news is that Milta is progressing really well! We went by a couple times this last week and she has been able to get started reading in the Book of Mormon. She says she doesn't doubt that the things she's learning are true, but she's trying to figure out how to deal with her family's reactions. People are already trying to say all kinds of things to her, and tell her she needs to send her 2 grandkids (who are staying with her) somewhere else because they're baptized Catholic. It is a super tough change when your entire family is against you, but the good thing is that she feels the love and support from us, the members, and especially her Heavenly Father. She still hasn't committed to a baptismal date yet, but is doing really well and we hope to talk about one soon. She's a way spiritual lady, and it's so nice to teach people that are open and that truly and sincerely listen.
I also finally got to have my interview with President Howes! I've been waiting for quite a while and it was nice to finally be able to talk to him one-on-one. We talked about doing some things to infuse some energy into our area and we'll see how it goes. We're probably going to pray over some former and potential investigators, make a list, and switch areas with the sisters here (in the Liahona 5th) to contact them, get lessons, and so forth. It'll also help to get some new faces in there, and just mix things up a little bit. I've been in this area for quite a while and it'll be nice to see something new for a day. After that, I talked to him about how I haven't felt any crazy attachment to people I'm teaching right now. In the past I've felt like there's certain families and people that I specifically needed to teach and baptize (specifically Alberto and Adriana's family, Reyna's family, and then Hugo and Johana). I haven't felt like that this transfer, and he basically just asked me if I ever thought I might not be here for me, my area, or my companionship. I hadn't really thought about it like that. He said that this zone is incredibly critical to the mission - this Mesa Zone and the Tempe Zone are the "heartbeat" of the mission. He has to have missionaries here that have a super strong sense of urgency and that can really keep the zones moving. It's not about my wards reaching their baptismal goals, but rather all 4 of the stakes in the zone reaching their stake goals! There's a much bigger picture and I'm going to have to focus a little more outward and look for ways to work with and inspire the missionaries and leaders in those stakes to help them reach their goals. I've never felt the sense of urgency like I feel it now. We can't waste time, we can't not talk to people, and we certainly can't not give absolutely everything we have! I really want to teach people and families and see big things happen, and no matter what it takes, it's going to happen.
So that's about it for the week. We had a super good leadership conference this week, and got to do some fun things to spread around some ideas and build some unity. This is going to be the biggest week anyone's ever seen :)
~ Elder Carlson
No comments:
Post a Comment