They got a lot of new investigators, which is always good, because it keeps things fresh and interesting. Mike wants to be baptized, but has to wait until he gets off of parole. That seems to be the case with a lot of people in his area. They have three people that want to be baptized but can't because of legal troubles. But Nick says that's okay as long as they make sure it happens when their parole is up.
Nick got sick with a bad flu--he had a throbbing headache, a crazy fever, chills and was achy. He was taking naps whenever he could for a few days, then got so bored that he went to two lessons and held his district meeting. It lingered on for quite awhile.
They had Annalyn's baptism and it all went great. They were talking to her about how a lot of recent converts fall away from the church due to the pressure of being new members, and she promised that she will never be less active! She wants her three year old daughter to be baptized when she turns eight. Another really cool thing about the baptism was that a family he was teaching in Kuna, the Ericksons, showed up. They haven't been baptized yet, but told Nick they are close and will be soon. Apparently the same people who introduced Annalyn to the church also introduced the Ericksons to the church, so they invited them to see the baptism.
The last week in January was wild! Everyone got a mass voicemail telling them to keep their entire Saturday open. Then a few days later they found out that there was going to be a leadership training in Twin Falls with Elder Nelson (of the 12), Elder Gonzales (of the 70), and Elder MacMullin (of the first bishopric). They agreed to the mission before the training meeting. It was kept pretty quiet so that only missionaries would be there. Nick said it was pretty cool, and that they all gave great talks, but that Elder Nelson's talk was definitely the highlight. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear from someone like him. He spoke about faith, answered questions, and described a little bit about what a day in his life is like. Nick said it was too crazy for him! Elder Nelson also told them that their real missions begin when they get home and start a family. It was pretty crazy, but Nick loved his talk.
They had transfers on the 25th and he'll be staying with Elder Vakauta. He's fine with that because Elder V is pretty cool, laid back, and they get a lot of good work done. Their area was the whole stake, but this week the mission split the area and added a new set of missionaries. Nick says that's good for a couple of reasons. It means that they did good in getting a lot of work (necessitating additional missionaries), and now they'll have more time to spend with the wards they cover and the people they're working with within the wards. Usually when they split an area, the companionship splits in half and one goes to each half. But Nick's glad they're staying together and he thinks they got the better half of the area.
One of his friends, Elder Denning, left after this transfer. So they went to a farewell lunch at IOU Sushi. He was a good friend and Nick was sad to see him go.
The last week in January was fun. They met one of the coolest families ever, the Fathke's, and they're super fun. They were baptized a year ago and are really solid converts, which Nick said is always inspiring to see. The kids answered the door and the 13 year old son said it wasn't the best time. The 7 year old girl said "of course it's a good time. Mom, the missionaries are here and Austin won't let them in."
They were tracting and a guy named Joshua let them in. At first Nick thought he was a golden new investigator because he seemed interested and asked what the church believed. Then he asked them to read a scripture from the bible and Nick could tell exactly where it was going. He wanted to bash. Nick thought he was so rude, that he couldn't resist. He believed in the trinity, and Nick said he's studied it a lot and that it's his mission pet peeve. Nick just talked really calmly so it wouldn't become a heated argument. Then Joshua said a closing prayer and asked "please let these men see the truth so they don't burn in hell." Then Nick really wanted to kill him!
They had one lesson with all four of the missionaries in their area because it was with two related families, one from each of their new areas. The parents are members in one family, and one of the missionaries tried to commit the kids to baptism. Nick said you have to be much more careful when teaching kids because they don't have a way of getting to church unless the parents take them, so you need to be careful about how you handle it.
They continue to get more work in the area and it is good to see their hard work pay off.
No comments:
Post a Comment