We've had so much happen this week, it was wild. On one particular day while waiting for someone to answer their door, I buried my face in my arms and leaned it on the support beam of the person's house and said sarcastically, "these really are the best two years!" Elder and Sister Lemmert laughed. To them it's just the best eighteen months.
There's a quote in Preach My Gospel where the Lord is talking to Joseph Smith that goes, "It is not needful for...mine elders to be moving swiftly...whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." --D&C 61:3. Basically, that quote was us this week. Luckily, a guy named Gary that we found on the street won't be perishing in unbelief because we stopped to talk to him! On Sunday (everything that happened this week is going to be very shuffled and not chronological) we taught Gary and his friend Deanna the Restoration. They both are very receptive and seem to love learning about the gospel. We set a baptismal date for the 21st of March. Haha, that's my 21st birthday, go figure. Their spiritual birth is on the day of my physical birth! That should be a good birthday present. If not them, then someone else will be baptized that day. I'll make it happen.
On Thursday we had five appointments back to back to back... I don't know how I made it through that day because we were running around in different member's cars all day and calling up people to confirm appointments and rides and meals, down to the wire! We took a huge breath once that day was over. Things are still doing well with Zavior. We taught him the Law of Chastity to him. It seems like I always teach that lesson to pre-teens. That was a rather interesting lesson because the people in that household weren't always the most...chaste people, so we heard ALL kinds of stories of their past lives that we had never heard until then! Zavior should be well prepared for the evils of this world.
Anna, our 83-year old investigator, already claims us as her grandchildren. She's a riot. She forgets things a lot. We taught her the Plan of Salvation this week, and we spent a whole lesson just on reading the introduction to the Book of Mormon. We had to explain to her on three different visits the purpose of the Book of Mormon and why we have it. We had an amazing miracle with her though. She asked us this question, which induced the following conversation:
—Anna: "Now do you boys ever get that lovely, peaceful feeling right in here (she points to her chest)?"
—Us: "Yeah! That's the Holy Ghost!"
—Anna: "Well I get that feelin whenever I do what's right!"
—Us: "That's right, Anna, that's the Holy Ghost! You can feel that as you read the Book of Mormon!"
—Anna: "Well I think I already have."
—Us: "Did you pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true?"
—Anna: "Why yes."
—Us: "And what did you feel?"
—Anna: "Oh I already know it's true!"
And there you have it. No matter how many times we have to explain to her a certain concept, she can at least recall the feelings she's felt in her heart. On Friday we got to do some service for her. We raked her leaves--in January, haha.
We had an elder from our district go home early... He'd been fighting anxiety and depression for a while now. It was sad, but on Thursday we got a new elder to work alongside with. He's awesome and he'll mesh well with the rest of the Ada group. That threw everyone's schedule through a loop. It was craziness that added to what we already had. But we pulled through and made it.
On Wednesday for FHE we played Castle of Mad King Ludwig with the Buckmasters. The game's all about designing your own floorplan for a castle! That's my kind of game. It was pretty fun.
On Saturday we went with the Lemmerts to try some people in the outlying town of Stonewall. We met one of our investigators, Jolynda, for the first time. Elder Fuller and I had tried her a few times, but to no success. We finally met her and have an appointment for Tuesday! We'll see how that goes. More of the puzzle pieces of outer Pontotoc County are coming together it seems like.
And with that, that was our week. I'm so grateful for the downpour of blessings we've been receiving in this area. It sure makes Elder Tanner and I grateful for what we have and for the blessing that it is to serve a mission. We should hopefully be seeing some fruit this coming month and hopefully for the next few!
Elder Garner
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