(Dear Reader: please read to the very end. This post has an interesting story.)
Monday, May 18, 2015
Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,
While doing my
genealogical research, I did come across Brent Fraze and the story itself, though the reason is unknown. I do have some good news about genealogical work; it is not something that I found or discovered. It is indeed a small world after all. But, I will get to that in a moment.
Transfer calls did happen; Elder Day and I are staying. Elder Hansen is leaving, which is quite unfortunate. It was not until that happened that I realized how close to home I am. It is a sharp, harsh reality, because, well, I love it out here and the work that I do. At the same time, I realize there is a time to move forward.
I have goal to work hard until the end; I am making sure that I take pictures with families that we have dinner with, so that I do not have to go hunt them down on my last Sunday.
Thank you for not flipping out for my diet, or me striving to live the Word of Wisdom a bit more. I truly appreciate that.
It has been a good week; we have been pushing hard and trying to find. A lot of the time we were finding, but other things did happen.
Monday, we decided to go out to Verona, a nearby town in the Staunton area, to go
visit an antique mall. That antique mall is absolutely huge, big. There was much to see and they had a huge book section (and different pockets of book sections). We spent a large amount of time there, exploring. So many good books there. After our preparation time, we had a lesson with a Ms. Mary student who has moved from the area for good. We encouraged her to develop her
testimony, which will be an anchor for her, especially for all her questions.
Tuesday, besides finding, we had four major less active visits. The last Ms. Mary student (the drama student) officially went home, though for the summer. We also encouraged her to develop her testimony. She is strong, but still needs to remain strong. From there, we saw a man and his wife, who had not been in church for over a year. Recently, he came to church (and yesterday, they both came to church). They are from Alabama and have a son. We shared Because He Lives and encouraged them to keep on moving forward. Then, we talked to this lady, who used to be in the area (or something like that), and she chatted for an hour straight. She had a lot to vent about. For the last few minutes or so, we told her to keep holding on. Last, a less active man for the day, is a man whose family left him and he is in a battle with his circumstances. I have to be honest; his face and mannerisms, slightly, remind me of Sean. (Elder Todd's older brother.) It is strange. I was able to hear the story; he had been ignoring us for a while.
Wednesday,
we had a big day of finding. Then,
we helped the young couple, who had complimented us the trio, move things in their house and open boxes. Some of their items were damaged by water. They definitely loved that we had helped. It was good to fellowship them.
Thursday, we had district meeting; it was a lot about personal study and finding our own way to study. We had a lesson that day with a new investigator (referral given by the Spanish elders). She is a young mother who lives with her sister (and her fiance). She took time for us, even though she knew that she would be late to work if we stayed long. She seemed interested; she wants to raise her child in a Christian church, because her last church was, to her, less than Christian by their deeds. We did an overview because we were short on time. Then, we helped the one lady who we gave service to (where I cleaned chairs for the duration of time). She was getting rid of her bed, because her husband needed a hospital bed. She also got a hospital bed. As she said, "I do not want to give up snuggling." How sentimental. Later that night, we visited the less active who has back pains and, as usual, needs to come to church. He was excited to come to church, even when we checked up with him on Saturday. Sadly, he did not come.
Friday, we planned. We had a lesson with the young mother who knows
the Book of Mormon is true, but needs to come to church among other things. She is still at a standstill and has yet to progress even more. After that lesson, we had lesson with another new investigator, who is in her 60s. She had some negative experiences with church, but
she is still seeking for the right place. She had run ins with missionaries in the past, but more recently with her son, who received a blessing while he was ill. She was excited to come to church and excited to learn more. She will definitely continue to progress.
The bishop needed some help on his farm, moving some wood off of his truck. He has a broken foot, so he cannot do much. That night, we visited the recent convert and his family (the young man who was baptized when I got here). We finished the Plan of Salvation (and later, the Gospel of Jesus Christ); he recently was interviewed to received the Aaronic Priesthood. He is definitely going forward.
, we did the progress record. We checked up somebody in the hospital; not much happened there. We had lunch with the bishop. We had dinner with an awesome older couple. We learned that Elder Hansen is leaving.
