The Mahjoubs... We committed Cindy to baptism last week. We went over last Monday night with the Overmyers for a lesson. Unfortunately, Cindy forgot about it, and hence forgot to tell Ali about it, and they were in the middle of dinner. We rescheduled for the next Monday (today). We reminded Cindy about the R.S. broadcast on Saturday, and she said she'd be there. We stopped by Wednesday afternoon to give her a map so she could find the church. We stopped by again on Saturday afternoon to make sure she remembered and was still planning on it. She said she was and she was really excited. Sweet! We were really excited. However, she called us about 30 minutes before the mix and mingle buffet thing before the broadcast, and she left us a message. Bad news. She said she talked to Ali about going to the broadcast and about being baptized and he FLIPPED OUT. He told her he didn't want her to come to the meeting, and he cancelled our appointment for tonight. :( She's been "spoused". However, there is still a ray of hope. In the message, she told us that Ali normally flips out about things and then after some time will mellow out. She said she would talk to him and that she still wanted to meet Monday, but it probably wasn't a good time to press the issue right now. She told us to call her back. We called her Sunday and she said she couldn't really talk because Ali was there, so she asked us to call back Tuesday when he was at work. I was so bummed that she couldn't come to the broadcast. She was really looking forward to it! If only she would've waited 24 hours to mention the baptism thing to Ali. Oh well. It's good that she's open with Ali about it, since we can't baptize someone without spouse permission anyway. I'm glad Cindy is still wanting to go forward with things. Hopefully Ali's heart will be softened and he'll mellow in the next few days.
We had an appointment scheduled with Vanessa again on Tuesday with Sister Guymon. Her dad was in the driveway and he told us that it wasn't a good time - his wife had just passed away on Friday. Oh sad! Vanessa had mentioned last Tuesday that she wasn't ready for her mom to die yet. We were sad we didn't get to see her and let her know personally that we're here for her, but we asked her dad to pass that along. We stopped by Friday to see her and just hugged her and let her know we're here and we care about her. She mentioned that she'd like to meet again later next week. Good sign! I know that this gospel is just what she needs right now. I hope that she can recognize that and soak it in. They had the funeral Thursday and she said it was really nice - a celebration of her life rather than mourning - and she knew that her mom was in a better place. I'm so glad we got to see her personally and that she suggested meeting again. I still have high hopes for her.
I love Sister Huntsman! They moved here from Utah about 2 months ago. She called us and said she had had some opportunities to talk about the Church and she felt totally unprepared, so she wanted us to come over and help her out and role play with her. Wow - a member suggesting a role play... that never happens! We were so excited to go and talk to her about missionary work and help her find ways to talk with her friends. She's just awesome. She's so excited about all these new opportunities to share the gospel that don't necessarily pop up in Utah. She then asked us to come back another day and teach her son Kimble in preparation for his baptism next year. Oh I just love them!
We met with Farduce again. It's been awhile since we've seen her - Ramadan is a busy time for Muslims. It was interesting to hear her belief that we can't know who is right until Christ comes back and reveals what is true. She talked about the importance of not judging others because we can't know what is true, we just try our best until Jesus comes back. I brought up the First Vision to help her see that Jesus DID come and showed us what is true. She likes to talk a lot and goes off on tangents some times. She brought up that she's taught some of the women in her mosque about the Book of Mormon and how they should read it. Yes! We asked her if anyone was interested because we could get them an Arabic copy, but she said no one had said anything to her yet. So, I wonder if Muslims throw people out for teaching about and from the Book of Mormon in their mosque... Interesting. Then she asked a question with a tough answer - she asked if we saw Mohammed as a prophet... How to let her down lightly.... We explained simply the calling of prophets and receiving that Priesthood authority, and how there are a lot of people who do great things and bring people closer to God, but they aren't considered prophets in our lingo. She went back to the idea that we can't judge people because we won't know what's right until Christ comes again. She did say she needs to know more about Joseph Smith and his experience. She prays for God to show her truth. But she says she knows 100% that Mohammed was a prophet. How do you tell someone that that's wrong?
We tracted into Amy on Memorial Day back in May. We mentioned something about the Plan of Salvation and we gave her a BOM. Then we were never able to get back in touch with her so we dropped her. Tuesday night it was a nice evening, so we decided to walk to the people we were going to try to see who lived in the same area. None of them were home. On the way back to the car, I noticed a girl (Sidney) in her front yard looking at us, but trying to not let us know she was looking at us. We got closer to her house and she was still looking at us, and I noticed it was Amy's house. Then I noticed that Amy was on the porch. So we stopped by and talked with her. She said she had read a little bit of the BOM around the places we had marked, but then she read something that was different than what she believed. She said it was so long ago that she couldn't remember what it was. Sidney is a very tall and animated 4 year old (from her height, I would've guessed she was 6 or 7). We asked Amy if she still had the BOM, and she said she wasn't sure where it was because Sidney took it from her. Sidney then went inside and got it - she knew exactly where it was. We talked just briefly and set up an appointment with her for this Wednesday night. I love it when kids can bring their parents around. Sometimes they're a lot more in tune than adults are. I told Sidney that I saw her looking at us when we were down the street and asked what she thought of us and why she was looking at us. She said she was thinking about us coming to her house. Hmm. Pretty neat.
Wednesday we taught Norma again. We taught her the first part of the Plan of Salvation. She really liked it and said it made sense to her, especially the pre-mortal existence. She said she likes talking with us because it helps her understand things better. As we talked about the "answers to the test of life", we invited her to be baptized. She said "so you want me to be Mormon?" and we responded that we wanted her to be part of God's kingdom. She said she thinks she's already part of God's kingdom but she'd think about it. I know she has doubts about the Catholic church being the right one, but she hasn't been given a reason yet to see our church as the true church. She hasn't been reading in the BOM like we've asked her to. We need to help her see the importance of it and help her feel the Spirit.
Paul is getting so excited for his baptism - as am I! We had a lesson at the Newill's home Wednesday night about gifts of the Spirit. He also had a question about a verse in the BOM that talked about the restoration of the Jews, so we talked about that and the Abrahamic covenant. Paul just soaks everything up. He has such a thirst for the gospel. He told us he can't see how anyone could become complacent because there's so much to read and learn! He got off probation Friday morning and then had his baptism interview with Pres. Collins that afternoon. What a great day! We could just see him glowing. He was so happy! Oh I can't wait for Saturday! We attended an 8 year old's baptism this Saturday with him and he got even more excited. He was grinning from ear to ear. Everyone in the ward is way excited for his baptism too. We're probably going to hold it in the chapel because of the primary room won't fit the whole ward. :)
We had a great lesson on faith with Bill Keyes Thursday morning. We talked about taking that first step into the darkness and allowing the light to follow. I initially thought that we'd give him a hard baptism commitment (set a date), but after talking with him about his hang ups, I decided against it. He mentioned that he had wanted to attend church but his wife said no. He then said if he talked with his wife about his desires and thoughts, she'd tell everyone at church and they'd all think he was crazy and they'd work against him. He's got a tough crowd. Sister Fattic shared an experience of one of her friends whose husband didn't want her to join the church. She lived according to the principles for a time, and then something happened, and she requested a Priesthood blessing. She then decided it was time to join. She told her husband, and he protested and said he had all these questions, and she said she was going to church and he could join her or not, and he could sit down with the missionaries. Today, they are both members of the church. God works according to His own timetable. I realized it was not my position to set a date for Bill. However, I did feel prompted to commit him to pray himself about a date to be baptized. He said he would. He said the closing prayer, and it was so awesome. The Spirit was so strong. He got emotional. He asked the Lord to tell him when He wanted him to be baptized and asked for help to be obedient. We invited him to Paul's baptism and he's going to try to come. We left and we were talking about how hard it is with no family support and actual family opposition. I felt impressed to do a U-turn and go back to his house. I felt like he should listen to "Conversion of a Catholic" which shares an extreme example of family opposition. His family disowned him and said he was a child of the devil. Quite harsh. But he went through with his baptism and shares some amazing mission stories. I felt impressed to let Bill listen to that. We'll see what happens
We saw Roni & Michael that evening. We tried to go in the same general direction with them as we did with Bill in talking about faith. It started out good, and Roni finally understood that enduring to the end means remaining faithful to the end rather than a salvation by works idea, but it soon got derailed as Michael opened his mouth again. Ahh. I wish we could just talk with Roni. She's quiet during the lessons most of the time because Michael talks so much. I think she's more receptive than he is, but then he brings up a question/concern, and then she realizes she agrees with him. We decided to commit them to read the BOM all the way through in a month and a half. We promised them that if they would do so, they would see the whole picture, and their questions would begin to be answered. Michael said he would accept the challenge if we would do our part in answering his questions about the details, and Roni said she would try her best to meet the challenge. We told them that to accomplish it, they would not be able to focus on the minute details that they had been, but they would come to gain a stronger faith in Jesus Christ, and their questions would be answered as they looked at the big picture. So far they've been missing the forest because they've been analyzing the needles on the pine trees. Hopefully they'll take this challenge seriously. We made up a reading chart for them and took it over to them yesterday. Hopefully that will help motivate them to stick with it.
We got back in touch with Melvin finally! We talked to him on the phone on Tuesday. He said he was depressed because he was failing - not doing the things we asked him to do. I could tell in his voice he was just really down. I encouraged him that we all make mistakes and life is about learning to pick ourselves up again. We had a lesson with him Friday and focused on the Atonement and how Christ can help us with our weaknesses and temptations. It was so neat to see the new ray of hope in him. He had told us that the other night he had started to read the BOM from the beginning and he didn't want to put it down, but then he had to because he was falling asleep. So far he had just been skipping around, reading chapters here and there. But he said it was really interesting from the beginning. We got him a copy in Chamurro (sp?), so maybe that will motivate him even more to read. We gave him a list of things that will help him to live the Word of Wisdom, including prayer, church, scripture study, and getting a Priesthood blessing. We set up with the elders to have a joint lesson tomorrow to pass him off to them and give him a blessing. Melvin is such a great guy. He wants to do what's right, he's just been faced with some really big temptations. But what's important is that his desire is still there.
Sister Vanderhooft (on exchange) and I met with Devon Friday afternoon. We planned on teaching him the REST, but he said he only had about 10 minutes. So we talked to him about conference and the opportunity to hear from a prophet and apostles. He thought that was really neat and wants to come. Then there was some silence, and we could tell Devon was thinking, so we sat there. What happened next was the best thing ever. Devon said "I need to be baptized." YAY!!! The Spirit was working on him. We had the opportunity to teach some principles from the REST about Priesthood authority, and we committed him to be baptized on Nov. 6th. He said yes! Wahoo! Devon is such a great kid. He's on the right track with his relationship with God, reading the scriptures, going to church, etc. Oh, what a great lesson. Sister Vanderhooft is also a greenie and that was her first baptism commitment. She was so excited!
Saturday morning we stopped by to see anti Lisa again. She hadn't read 3 Nephi 27 like we asked, but she suggested we read it together. So we did. She liked part of it, and disagreed with other parts. She's similar to Michael in that she reads it so literally and gets hung up on the wording sometimes rather than trying to understand the meaning. She doesn't see that anything is necessary for salvation besides faith. So obedience, baptism, etc, all those are works and they have no effect on our salvation. False. She doesn't understand what faith truly is. Sister Vanderhooft and I testified of the Holy Ghost teaching us truth, and that it was more than "just a feeling" because it was revelation from God. Lisa said she couldn't refute that because it was what we felt, but she didn't accept it. She then wanted physical proof that the BOM is true, such as is present for the Bible in literary tests, and a bunch of other things that I stopped listening to. To her, physical proof is more important than a witness from the Holy Ghost. She's done some research and brought up some things in books from McConkie and Joseph F. Smith and some things about how God was once a man and we can become gods, etc. She refutes it all because it's not in the Bible. I'm so sorry for her. She's so not ready. She's so close-minded. We invited her to come to conference, but I doubt she'll come. She said she'd read the BOM since we told her it wouldn't contradict the Bible, but she doesn't see it as scripture, and I know she's going to find contradictions because she's looking for them, and she's not reading with the Spirit, and she has faulty interpretations of what the Bible teaches.
The exchange with Sister Vanderhooft was a lot of fun. She's a great missionary already. We talked and laughed a lot, especially at our dinner appointment with the Davisson family. Brianna (7) talked to us a lot and she kept us laughing by the things she would say and how she would say them (such as "parents never know anything"). I hope some day I'll get to serve with Sister Vanderhooft - it'd be a whole transfer full of fun. :)
I loved the R.S. broadcast. Pres. Monson's talk was just what I needed! I can't wait until the Ensign comes out so I can read it again.
Explanation of subject line: while tracting, Sharon (a JW we met tracting a while back) and 3 other JWs came to visit someone on the street we were on. We stopped to talk with them, and Sharon proceeded to teach us a lesson. She wouldn't let us get a word in. That's the 2nd time we've seen her out witnessing while we're out.
Well, time is short. Take care all! Enjoy conference! I'm stoked!!
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