Dear Family and Friends,
What a week I have had this week with my companion full of adventures and somewhat crazy days! Also everyone keeps asking if I will be transferred this week or next and the transfer day will the 17 of this month, so by the end of next week I should know whether or not I am leaving or not. It is so crazy how time just flies as a missionary! I hope that you all had a great week and here is how my week went!
Week January 25-31 2016
Monday:
So today was quite the crazy day for us! We started off our day by a little bit of studying and then we headed to the post office to mail my packages home, and it was really nice to get those out of the house! Also as the day went on it became more tiring and more tiring, but in the best way possible! So we were able to play a lot of really fun games as a zone and we even got to set up the Volleyball nets and play volleyball, and it brought back a lot of good memories of my time before the mission playing volleyball!
So as we finished the day off and got ready for our Family home evening, our zone leaders came in an freaked out at us for no being outside working and contacting and we were just running behind by like 15 minutes. They told us not to do it again, and it was just a little stressful and hard to understand what was going on. I was not put down or mad, but now I just think about what a leader is and what it means, and I wonder how they lead and what they need to do different!? Not to judge, but I don't even know my zone leaders well and they don't understand what Spanish missionaries go through!? But so is life, apparently we don't do stuff completely right !? However our Family Home Evening was amazing and we were able to learn a lot about the Atonement! I am amazed every week by the things we hear from the kids in family home evening. Tonight we asked some questions about the atonement to the kids and I was thinking that I didn't even know those things when I was their age and I wish I would have! The main focus was how sinning gives you scares and scares don't go away, but as we use Jesus Christ our scars begin to disappear! It is a great program, but good to get over because those kids really are so crazy! The kids run and run and scream and you can't calm them down! Kids are the best!
Tuesday:
Today was a very cold, but very fun and successful day! So today we had the opportunity to go and give service at the Denton Community Garden for about 3 hours and our job was to dig weeds around the blackberry bushes so that they could spread a thick layer of bark over it all! It was not an easy process, and to add to it all we have over 7 rows to weed and it was very cold! However, for me it was very relaxing and enjoyable! I just really miss working in a garden and this is about the closest thing I have gotten so far, and it was fun! As we were leaving the service today a guy by the name of Dean said something that really caught my attention. He said, " I just love seeing you guys! Every time that I see you I can just see such a bright and positive vibe around you and I love it!" It really made me feel good. And I think it is just that we are always on the Lords errand and trying to be happy that he is able to see us as more than just the normal person, but a servant of the Lord!
So today after the service we got the chance to study and I focused my studies on a topic I will be teaching in District meeting tomorrow, "Developing Faith to Find". I think the biggest thing I learned was having an attitude of success that ever person you talk to will listen and want more! As I had that in mind we had the opportunity to go and try it out by doing some finding! As we tried it we found a family of 6 all together and the mom and the dad were very open to learn! They are the Rodriguez family and the couple are what you would call in love! Everything they do is for one another to help each other out! We got to know them really well and we taught them the first part of the restoration of the Gospel! They we very talkative and even set a return appointment! We had a blast getting to know them and for me it was a great way to spend the evening! Something that I heard from the bus driver on the way home as we were talking was, "in a gym you see lots of buff guys working out and it intimidates you, but once you realize that they go for themselves and you go for yourself then everything is solved and you are able to become stronger!" That I kind of twisted around in my head to say, "In the Gospel you see a lot of Spiritually buff people sharing their beliefs and it intimidates you, but once you realize that they go to church to strengthen themselves and you are going to strengthen yourself then everything is solved and you are able to become focused and stronger!" Never forget that salvation is a personal thing, but you will always have a personal trainer, Jesus Christ to get,you thought the hardest parts and make you stronger!
Wednesday:
I just love when the days are full of things to keep us busy and the day flies by faster than expected! Today was such a wonderful day that started out with a really good District Meeting where I taught about Having Faith to Find people to teach and my main focus what what I called the Cycle of Faith to Find. It starts with Trusting in Jesus Christ and God and the goes to Pray, after which comes the Action and then the hope! As I taught this Principle I used the video of Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on water and teaching how first he trusted Jesus, and then probably prayed in his heart, after which he took the step of faith and hoped for the best! As I taught this I helped them to understand that this cycle is way amazing as you repeat it over and over, but it is possible to even jump this cycle to a bigger one as we have the Spirit to direct us to the people to talk too!
So today we had the opportunity to go and do a little bit of family history work and learn how to best teach our investigators and recent converts, and I was able to find over 15 names to take to the temple in just 1 hour! It was a great experience! After family history we went to another room and taught an 8 year old boy named Jordan with a member, Hno. Hildreth. It was a great lesson about prophets and Jesus Christ and we pray he can remember what we teach so he can be baptized! As we went by an investigator Emanuel's house to teach him, we found he was stressing getting medicine for his daughter, so we set a time to give her a blessing in the morning and set a new date for a lesson and we went to the house of Daniel Rodriguez and his family and had a great lesson on temples and going to the temple often! That family is so amazing and his kids know so much it always surprises me! Today was such a spirit filled and wonderful day that just seemed to have gone way to fast!
Thursday:
Today we had the amazing time to be able to plan for the week that is coming and as we were planning we kept thinking about just how fast the transfer has really gone and how much fun we have been able to have as we preached the gospel to God's children here in Denton. It is crazy to think we most likely will be changing our companionship in only roughly two more weeks!
So today we had the chance to have our weekly planning and then go to dinner at an investigators house! We ate dinner with Modesta Martinez and her husband Jose and the food was amazing, after which we taught them about the Book of Mormon and she just seemed to take it like anything else, we don't know how to get to her to where she will open up!? So we have to praying to do to know what we need to teach her to help her progress! So this evening we went on a double exchange and it was actually really fun! I went with Hno. Saldaña and we went and knocked on some doors and got so,e return appointments set out while Elder Otuafi and Sam Strasser went to some newer apartments and got 2 other lessons and even found a lady who was super interested in learning more! We felt like it was a huge success! As we got home tonight Elder 'Otuafi had a breakdown, because he said he saw the prettiest girl that wanted to learn more, but he was so distracted by her he wrote down her number wrong, so hopefully we can get back and find her again! He flipped out so much I have never seen anyone of this age act so baby like! Haha good times in the mission!
Friday:
Today was a really fun day for me! We had the opportunity to go to give some more service today at Our Daily Bread, and all day while we were their I was either organizing a freezer that is about -20 degrees Fahrenheit, or I was washing dishes! It really was fun, because I was something different and just a different atmosphere in each thing! For instance it was just a calm thinking process in a freezing cold room as we cleaned and organized hundreds of pounds of meat and then washing dishes was just a wet mess where it was always going like crazy without any kind of break! As we were washing dishes I met a kid that is attending The University of Northern Texas in our area and come to find out her is from Nicaragua and his first language is Spanish and he has been here for 3 years for his studies! He was a very nice guy and just had a similar personality to me! We really got along and as I was talking to him I invited him to come to church and to learn more and he thanked me for inviting him. Sometimes I wonder how many people are just waiting for that simple invite to change their lives!? I can think of multiple times in my life when I should have just invited so that when I stand before the Lord I can say that I did my best! One of the things that the missionaries always say when knocking doors here in Texas is, the first knock is for your own salvation and the second knock is for their salvation, and they don't answer then you knock once more for their damnation! It is just a jock, but it really makes you think about taking the knocking more serious!
So this evening we got tired of knocking the same doors for the same responses, so we went to once last area we haven't really knocked in and we found a sweet older lady who let us in with her husband and her to teach a small message. We taught about how Jesus Died for us so we could become like him and she asked the Question, "How can we become like him?" What a question that really is! It is simple, except the gospel and then live it! You may not be perfect, but if you are perfect at trying then God makes up for the rest! We found out one of her biggest issues was her health, so we told her we would love to come back and just explain the blessings that Come from the gospel! It really was a fun night!
Saturday:
Wow today was a very nice and very weird day for me!
So today we started off the day and had all of our studies and they were so amazing.
As we finished up our studies we got picked up by one of the sons of Hna. Strasser and he took us over to his grandparents house, the Perry's, to give service by cleaning out their garden plots and by planting a few new plants. As we were there and hard at work in the perfect 75 degree sunny weather the Hna. Perry invited us to stay long enough for a lunch with them. So we accepted and had a wonderful lunch with them eating a macaroni soup with home made salsa that was to die for!
As we finished our lunch we went home and had just enough time to clean our floors that were super nasty before we had our dinner. As we were waiting for our ride to come we got a call and our ride told us they would be an hour late. So we decided to do a little bit of planning, because all of the Hispanics live a half an hour away from our house and it would have taken us an hour travel just to get there and back. As we got picked up by Hno. Huot, a white guy and his wife, we went to Applebee's for dinner. The food was amazing and they are both crazy loud and long winded talkers where by the time the dinner was over it was 8:30 and I had a major headache. However, we got a lesson in and it was a really good chance for them to think about the good things that have happened so far for them! Really today was a good day!
Sunday:
What an eventful day I have had today! So Sunday's are usually the days that I receive my dads emails and I just amaze at all the crazy calls he has had and wonder how he has energy to keep going, until today happened for me! So the day started off all normal and I had a great time in Sacrament Meeting and church where I learned so much and was just so happy with the new insights that I was receiving! Sadly no investigators made it this week to church, but life goes on and next week will be better. As we got to our third hour class all together with all the adults combined we found a great surprise. We found that the Lord truly directs his work through the Holy Ghost in these days! This week we emailed the ward in a ward email about the importance of the temples and going often, and then got to our bishopric conducted class in the third hour to find that they had been guided to talk about that same topic and the blessings that come from going to the temple and it just strengthened my testimony that God does guide his work today! As the class was coming to an end Elder 'Otuafi and I left to go and check on a sister outside when I told him I needed to go to the bathroom. I know I shouldn't tell you all this, but this was a huge part of something that happened next. I didn't have to go bad, but I decided to just take care of it and go. What happened next is what I found crazy! As I was using the restroom a member that was 28 years old walked in the door and leaned against the wall holding his chest and breathing hard, and I just thought, "wow he must have been running around and just a little out of breath", until I heard a thump and I looked over again to find him on the ground unconscious! My companion came in just as that happened and freaked out! So I finished and ran over to him to see if I could get his pulse and make sure he didn't hit his head and hurt himself badly. I got his head checked and got him comfortable as I found that he was breathing shallowly and so I told my companion to go get help! As I stayed with the member he came couscous and just began to hold his chest and arm in pain and was crying. He didn't know much English, so I began talking to him and just asking him questions to keep him awake and that is when a guy came in and began to call 911. As the medics showed up on scene I felt so much at home and I was just in heaven! They brought out the heart monitor and began asking all these questions and I told them everything that happened. As they took him away I was just running everything that happened again through my head and I was just thinking, I watched this guy pass out and I was not even nervous as I went to help him, but man I was full of so much adrenalin! As I thought about that I figured out the reason my dad can do it every day! What a hero my dad is and the best thing is that one of the greatest heroes behind scene is my mom for always praying that we are safe and having faith and courage that everything is in the Hands of God!
So the member got home this evening and they couldn't find anything wrong, but I know something happened to him and it wasn't just low blood sugar or something simple with the pain he was in!
So this evening we had the opportunity to also go to a Denton Stake Priesthood Meeting where we learned from some amazing men in the stake and man was it so uplifting to be there and hear from words of Great men. That is something I miss from home is the words of the Stake Presidency and the power I feel there! Also the organist was amazing! He is a college student majoring in the organ and man I was in heaven hearing the things he was making up! As we were taken home by a recent convert he thanked us for getting him to go and also for doing what we do. As we were leaving he asked us if we would pray for him and it really hit me, I haven't been praying as specifically as I should be doing! He is taking the residency test and also trying to got to the temple in the upcoming weeks and the test is just keeping his faith and knowing God will bless him. I am so grateful for recent converts and just every person that teaches me the simplest things that change me completely!!!! It was a energy draining day, but a day I have enjoyed completely!
I hope that all of you have a great week and know that I love you and pray for all of you! Also Melissa, best of luck with Charlee!! Please let me know ASAP what happens and know you will have to extra snuggle her for me!!:):)
Love you all so much!
Con Amor,
Elder Spendlove
No comments:
Post a Comment