Man, I don't even get how the weeks fly by. We didn't get to teach as much as we were running around getting stuff ready for Erin's baptism on top of going to and from transfers. Not too much of our zone changed, actually. Only two missionaries left, so our zone is pretty comfortable with each other by this point.
I have mentioned Adell once or twice, but she is actually one of our big focuses. She joined the Church a few years ago, she has two early-teenage children who joined the Church around the same time, and their father is in the hospital, struggling to recover from a serious car accident. Since that accident, their life has been hectic and trying. Daelee, Adell's daughter, is probably the strongest as far as faith and testimony go, and she holds a calling in the Beehives presidency, but she sorrows for her father constantly and rebels against her mother from time to time. She has been visited by elders very frequently for the past few years -- pretty much since she joined the Church. Most of these elders have been disobedient to the third male rule, meaning they enter the house without another male, and Adell has grown comfortable with that. Well, that is a pretty big no-no and Elder Lovell and I decided to put our foot (feet?) down about it. We basically laid it down for Adell, and told her we need her help being obedient. Well, you'd think that was a great way to present it, but she flipped. She was upset that the Church doesn't seem to trust her (the bishop said he wasn't going to keep hugging her at church meetings) and cussed us out (well, she does that all the time - it's just Adell). We have been praying a lot that her heart might be softened, and since then she has had a lot of major breakthroughs. She told us the other night that a thought hit her while she was walking: that God doesn't necessarily inflict us with trials so we can be miserable; that's just life. He knew this life would be difficult, and that's why we're here. It's up to us to do what's right anyway and follow Jesus Christ. That's how we grow.
Again, Elder Lovell and I just do nothing, and she has a breakthrough revelatory experience. I love missionary work.
The morning of transfers, we had a lesson with Linda, a good friend of Adell's. She met us at the library while we were typing up some reports for the mission, and admittedly, we didn't think she would show. But she did. And we had an awesome lesson. I mean, awesome. She wants direction and fulfillment in her life. She feels that all too often her hands are idle, and thus, the devil's playground. She wants to be involved in something more. She wants to be part of a community where she can serve around those who have "good goals in life". By the end of the lesson, since we were talking about goals anyway, she committed to a baptismal date of February 8th! The library sure is a place for learning. ;)
The Denogeans came to church yesterday! It was sweet! We still haven't even taught them a lesson (trying to align schedules), but from what Brother Broyles (his friend at work) tells us, they're already talking about how they can pay tithing and live the Word of Wisdom. When they attended the conference with Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, they misunderstood and thought that they had been invited to attend a "sales pitch". He described feeling disappointed at that, saying "We're already sold." Ha! So there you go. Heavenly Father blesses His children. Go figure.
Welp, zone meeting is on Wednesday. We have a lot to prepare yet. Wish me luck!
Lurve,
Elder Martin
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