12 July 2010

Hello Hello Everyone!

Well, my first transfer in the mission has definitely been exciting... eventful, and full of things that I never would have expected. Things have been a little interesting this week!

We have some great things going on here in Norfolk. When I came in, we had one, kinda two progressing investigators, and our teaching pool was pretty small. In the last four weeks though, we've increased our teaching pool a lot, and all the people that we are working with have a lot of potential. Our main progressing investigator is still Ed Clemens. I'm sure that I wrote about him last week, but he is awesome, and he is so close! He has come so far even just since I got here. When we were over there on Friday night, we talked a lot about repentance and baptism. He really has a sincere desire to be doing things right before he is baptized, and i think that is some of his hang up, but I know that he will get there! We also talked a lot about his fear of water. I asked if doing a dry run in the baptismal font would help him with his fear of water and he said that he thought that would probably help a lot. We are working on getting a time set up with his son where he can come down and practice that! It's so amazing to see how the spirit really can work through people! I'm so excited for him and for his family to finally have the chance to be together. It's also amazing to see how different experiences can affect people. Brother Clemen's parents both died when he was really young, and at that time he really stopped believing in anything, but now since his wife has died, he has started to believe again.

We have several other really good investigators that have a ton of potential. There is one that just moved here from over by SVU, and so he has had a lot of interaction with church members in the past. Getting him to understand the word of wisdom and the law of chastity will take some time, but once he understands the reason for them, it shouldn't be a problem. He said that he has quit smoking and drinking cold turkey before. He just doesn't really see any reason not so, so he goes back. He is going through a bad divorce right now, and so he only gets to see his son occasionally which is really hard on him. I'm really excited to see what happens because I know that he is really searching for some happiness in his life right now. He is the one that keeps bringing church up with us, and continually tells us that as soon as he is in town for the weekend he is going to be there... that should be this Sunday :) I'm really looking forward to it. Another investigator that we've met with a couple of times is Diane Pleasant, she is the sweetest woman in the world and is really struggling to provide the best for her 14 year old son who doesn't seem to care. It's heart breaking to see her trying so hard and doing everything she can, and still feeling like she is failing with him. She is an amazing person! The really cool thing about her is that her mom and brother are both ministers, but yet, she is looking for something more. She really wants to go to church for her, and find that place where she has a real connection with God. I really hope that we can get her to church this coming Sunday, and that she will feel the spirit!

We really are working with some amazing people! I'm so excited to see what happens here in the mission, especially with the new mission president, and the new way we are teaching. By the end of the year, all of the missionaries here in the mission should have been trained in the way we were in the pilot program, and it's supposed to change the whole culture of the mission! It's such an exciting time to be here. The new way of training... well not really new... just that they are really trying to teach preach my gospel the way it was intended, and take it above and beyond whats been being done. It's all about teaching by the spirit, and teaching doctrine and then inviting. No nagging, no scolding or lecturing... simply teaching for an understanding of the doctrine and then inviting them to something better. President Perry said that preach my gospel is a guide to how the first presidency and the apostles live their lives. I really recommend studying is and learning how to use it. It's a great tool!!

I got to talk to President one on one for nearly an hour last night, and really get to know him as well as open up to him about whats going on here in Norfolk. It is wonderful to see his vision, and to see how much he really cares about the missionaries that he is serving over here!! This experience is not something that I'm going to forget soon! It was a great chance also to step back for a little bit and remember to take some time out for ourselves. Everything is go go go on the mission, but every once in a while, it's healthy to take a step back and remember that we are still human. In Mark chapter 6 the Savior tells the apostles to go and rest and take some time to themselves. It is important to remember that we really do need that time in order to stay sane. I wish that I could go through all the things that I learned last night, but I would be typing here for hours. It really is just amazing to listen to them talk. They have had a ton of interaction with the quorum of the twelve and the first presidency and aren't afraid to share everything that they have learned from them! I could sit in their home night after night and still be learning. It's so nice too that they are very real. The family is a family... they aren't afraid of their imperfections or of learning and growing together. They aren't afraid of stepping back and relaxing a little bit. It's not really what I expected from a mission president, but they really are the perfect people to be here for me!