Hey family!
This has been a
good week. Working with Sister Melton is awesome!! She really does
inspire me to be a better mission. Everything she does: the way she
prays, the way she teaches, is so sincere. It is really a good example
to me. Especially because after a year of teaching a lot of the same
things, it's sometimes hard to keep that sincerity.
This week we actually had the most incredible experience. We met
with a girl
who actually randomly called and wanted to meet with us. She already
knows SO much about the church and really wants to join, but she is only
15 and her family doesn't want her to have anything to do with it. So
she called and just asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon. We met with
her for just a moment to explain a little bit about the Book of Mormon.
But we soon found out she already knows A LOT about it. She was
wondering about all the different churches, so we started talking about
Joseph Smith and his experience. We were actually doing this all in
English because she speaks perfect English. So Sister Melton explained
everything leading up to the first vision and then she handed it over to
me. I then proceeded to say the first vision perfectly in English. I
don't know the first vision in English! Literally, I DON'T KNOW IT.
Obviously I have
heard it so many times, but I have never memorized it. I've never even
tried to memorize it. I have never in
my life recited it before. And it came out perfectly and the spirit was
so strong. I know that the spirit helped me just then. I had nothing to
do with it. It was an amazing experience. Actually our whole meeting
with this girl was incedible. It was hands down the most amazing
experience I've had on my mission. I'm so grateful that I was fortunate
enough to be a part of it! I wish I could explain my whole experience
with here, but it was amazing! I literally had chills for like 10
minutes afterward. Someday when I'm home I'll read you all my journal
entry about it, cause it's long.
We also had another awesome experience. There is this family
of members: a mom, and like 5 daughters. But, they are basically all
inactive. Four of them were just baptized a year ago, but now they don't
come to church. It's hard because they actually go to the school of a
different church, so they feel pressure to go there. I sent a picture of
a few of the girls kinda when I first got here. Anyway, we meet with
them and they know the Bible really well but hardly know the Book of Mormon. We have been trying to get them to read it forever. Finally, I
had an inspiration! Let's bribe them! So we told them that when they
finish reading all of 1st Nephi and know what is going on, we will take
them to get ice cream. Well, we told them that on Monday and they were so
excited. They are really quite poor and have never been to get ice
cream. We went back on Saturday and they had already finished!!! So
today for our p-day we are going to eat ice cream with them! I know that
is unconventional, but I'm so excited! They are so excited! And they
read the Book of Mormon!!!!!!!!!! And they kinda know what is going
on!!! I know bribing isn't great, but they are little kids with no
family support, and they are on the verge of total apostasy, so I'm just
doing whatever it takes!
We also had another cool meeting with another member. She and
her husband and kids have been members for like 10 years. He is an old
branch president, they have been to the temple, etc. Well, they really
haven't been coming as much as they should, so we stopped by to visit
the Ming. I kinda thought she was maybe the reason they weren't so
active, nope. We met her, and she was so sweet. She told us how for some
reason Lookpuu just has kinda lost his drive for the gospel like he had
before. They used to always do FHE and go to church and visit members,
etc. She told us how much she misses how her family was before when they
were strong. SHE GETS IT!!! She gets that there is a difference with
the gospel!!! She sees the blessings! We had a really good lesson with
her and just kept encouraging her. That was hard to see that her husband
is holding her back, but also so good to see how much she cares! And
they both came on Sunday!
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