Last Wednesday we planned some people to see, and as we drove into the neighborhood and drove past Eric & Kristina's house (potential gators), I felt like we should see them. I ignored it long enough to go to the first person's house, but then I felt it again, so we decided to backtrack slightly and see if they were home. Eric wasn't, but Kristina really wanted to talk to us. The Sisters had left her with a Plan of Salvation pamphlet a few weeks before I got here and they had set up an appointment, but Eric had to cancel it because of work. Kristina had some questions about the 3 degrees of glory, so we taught her a brief lesson on the Plan of Salvation. She said it's different to her, but she likes learning about different religions. We talked to her about the Book of Mormon, and she was just about to jump out of her seat when we told her she could have the copy we were showing her. We shared 2 Ne. 3:12 with her about the purpose of the Book of Mormon, and then I felt prompted to share 2 Ne. 9:21-24 with her to put her mind at ease and realize that though we do have some different doctrines, we still teach the gospel of Jesus Christ that she knows and loves. She really liked those scriptures. I had come across both of them that morning in my personal study. Yay for being guided by the Spirit in what to study, and in where to go. It was pretty neat. We have an appointment with her tomorrow. She told us that before we got there, she had planned to sit down and read a book, but now she was going to read the Book of Mormon. Awesome!
We went down to Bloomington that evening because I had a podiatrist appointment the next morning. Pres. Corey gave us permission to see some people I had worked with. We stopped in to see Bill & Aggie, who were just thrilled to see us. Aggie told me she doesn't think the elders know as much as I do. Ha. That was really funny. I'm sure they'll get used to the elders and all will be well. We saw Sharon Flake, the Thayers, and Sister Brinegar (a widow who loves missionaries but now can't have the elders over) and it was neat for me to see their excitement and hear of how people missed me. It's nice to know that I had an impact on people's lives, especially since most often, we don't get that opportunity to see some of the fruits of our labors. I'm so glad for the opportunity I had to serve them.
Paul Hodge is an investigator who I almost thought didn't exist. He's the one that I finally met right before conference and then he came to an hour of it. We had a sweet lesson with him and Bro./Sis. Rock on Thursday. He had some questions about the functioning of our congregation and the leaders and we talked about callings and service, and his questions led perfectly into the Restoration, which we had planned to teach. The Spirit was way strong, and Paul said he's felt the Spirit a lot as he's been praying to know what church to join, and he feels the Spirit guiding him. We commited him to pray about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. He came to church Sunday and really enjoyed it. He received good fellowship, and he said he'd be there every week from now on! He's awesome. We have 2 appointments with him this week.
Friday was zone conference and it was amazing. Pres. Corey taught us about the Spirit World. Even though most of it came from the scriptures I have read over and over, I learned so much. He answered some specific questions that we had, and it was a really neat learning experience. I wish he would instruct us like that more frequently, because it sure was awesome. He's definitely a man of God.
We were supposed to have a lesson last Tuesday with Tonya. Well, she called and cancelled, saying she didn't have a chance to watch conference yet and she wanted more time to do that and pray and understand things more. She said maybe we could meet in 3-4 weeks. :( Sunday night there was a Why I Believe meeting - a testimony meeting for investigators and recent converts where recent converts share their stories. I called Tonya Sunday to invite her to it. She thanked me for the invite, but she had family plans. We talked for a bit and she told me she believed most of what we talked with her about, but then there'd be one little thing that she didn't agree with/understand. She believes the BOM is true. She asked if we believed that non-Mormons were going to hell. I told her "no" and explained that more on that topic was what Sister Summers and I wanted to talk with her more about. She said that really made her feel good, and she set up an appointment for Thursday. Sweet. I'm really looking forward to it.
We've been trying to work a lot with the ward this week (and weeks to come). For some reason, there's been a gap between the ward and the sisters for some time, and that really bothers me. In Bloomington, we were really integrated into the ward. So we've been working on getting to know the members, and it's been great because we visit with them, get to know them, bring the Spirit into their home, and then they want to have us back for dinner. Awesome. I love visiting members. It definitely makes the work progress.
Well, can you believe that that's all I have for now? It's true. :) Take care all. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
sister smurf
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