The Hemet Crazies

Hoooola mis amigos!

 

This week was actually pretty boring. Seriously every lesson we had with an investigator or a potential investigator either cancelled or didn't answer when we went. Super frustrating. Super depressing.

 

So Sister Allen and I decided we are going to start doing "surveys" when we talk to people. She actually had to speak in Sacrament meeting so we started asking people in the parking lot what they thought the purpose of this life was. We got some pretty interesting responses! A lot of people actually said that they are here to serve others and to serve God. But a lot of people also said that they have no idea why they are here! It was a pretty cool experience because we were able to tell them why we are here and help them understand it more. Again we didn't find any investigators from that, but I think we are going to do it again this week with another question and see what happens :) It always amazes me though, as we are talking to people, that they choose to start to tell us their whole life story right in the middle of the parking lot. I'm a complete stranger, yet they tell me everything about their family and about their past and all this stuff that I really dont need to know.. But people have done that over and over and over again to me. People are so strange. A man in our ward calls us Elderettes instead of sisters and another calls us sister elders. Why is is so hard to say sister missionaries!? Sister Allen and I are good. She snores like a man at night, but hey that's the fun of it right? Transfers are this saturday however! So we'll see what happens with those!

 

We taught Sister Allen's grandma, Evalyn, this week. We went over with the intention to teach her the Restoration. Sister Allen was doing most of the teaching, and we got to the Book of Mormon and she just began to cry. The Spirit was definitely in the room as she was bearing testimony of that book. Evalyn listened, then brought up the Priesthood and how she doesn't believe that it was ever lost. She was talking about all these things against the church, and poor Sister Allen cried the whole time. I felt so bad for her, to have to listen to her grandma who she loves so much say all these things about the church and all this false doctrine. It was even hard for me to listen to. Our RS president was with us and she asked if she had been baptized, and Evalyn said that she had never thought of that, that she didn't think Jesus told us anywhere that we had to be baptized. I, of course, turned right to John 3:5 as they were talking where it clearly states that we need to be baptized in order to enter into God's Kindgdom. When she finished talking she said "Sister Anderson do you have anything to say?" I paused. Looked at my scriptures and was going to share the scripture with her, and I clearly got a prompting not to. The Spirit just said "don't share it." So I didn't, and I just shared with her my testimony and we ended it with that. I thought that was interesting. The next day, Sister Allen got a letter from her grandma saying that she wouldn't be able to join our church now, but that she has permission to do the baptism for her after she has passed away. I thought it was so sad, that she clearly felt the Spirit and knew that what we were teaching was true, but couldn't accept it. Again I was grateful for my knowledge of the truth!

 

Since we don't have very many people to teach right now, we have been asking our ward members for referrals. 99% of them say "I don't know any nonmembers" or "I never leave the house so I don't know anyone." Well. I am sick and tired of getting that response! In this last conference, President Monson quoted President Kimball in saying, "We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters." SO. Since we as missionaries have to get 10 OYMs everyday, we are starting to commit our members to do the same. We have started challenging them to get 5 in a week. Talk to 5 people. That's it. It's as easy as doing it in the grocery line, or while getting gas. There are people all around us who NEED the gospel. Sister Allen and I were talking about the 2nd coming, and how the scriptures say that Christ will not come again until every person has heard the gospel. Now. I have talked to a lot of people on my mission. But I have not nearly talked to everyone I have seen. There are so many people who need the gospel, and guess who's job it is to teach them? That's right-- YOU AND ME baby. Christ is read to come! He is just waiting on us to do our part! And I don't want to have to stand at the judgement bar and explain why I didn't talk to people about the gospel. Let's get down to business and teach! So I challenge all of you as well to talk to at least 5 people this week about church. About eternal families. About anything about the gospel! If I can do it, you can do it!

 

Love you all and have a beautiful week sharing the gospel!

 

Elderette Anderson :)