Well this week started out to be a bit of a bummer, but it ended up
being very successful! L. didn't show up to his baptismal
interview, so we canceled his baptism until his family shows more
commitment. He has a hard time remembering things like appointments
because of a car crash a while back. Apparently he just up and left
town, so we still have no idea where he is at! It's better this
happens now though, and not after his baptism. It was hard for me at
first to accept that it wouldn't be happening, but I learned a lot
about how important the covenant of baptism is. We promise to take
Christ's name, to remember him always, and to obey his commandments
for the rest of our lives! If people don't understand that or just
aren't ready to make that kind of promise, it's our responsibility to
make sure they don't make it. So I think everything happened for a
reason.
But on the bright side, we were incredibly busy again this week! We
decided to stay out in Williams last weekend to find some Spanish
speaking people. We ended up finding a new investigator who wants to
be baptized but just works too much, and we talked with a TON of
people. Saturday afternoon we spent a couple hours just walking around
in an area with a dense Hispanic population. It seemed like either no
one wanted to talk to us or they just weren't home, so I was getting
pretty annoyed and discouraged. We decided to leave, but as we were
walking back to the church I felt an impression to knock a door we had
skipped earlier. Honestly, I was sick of knocking doors so I ignored
that prompting and kept walking. But immediately another thought came,
something President Taylor had said: "If it's something you don't want
to hear, odds are it's the Holy Ghost." So we went back, knocked the
door, and a lady named Edelmira answered. She was probably the only
one we talked to that afternoon who was interested in what we had to
say. And when I say interested, I mean she was pumped! It even got me
excited! She took a Libro de Mormon and invited us back next week.
I don't know if that lady will ever join the church, I don't know if
we will ever even see her again, but I DO know that The Lord directs
His work. Nothing else could have made us knock that door at that
time. I also know that The Lord knows his missionaries! He lets us
struggle, He pushes us, He sometimes lets us reach the point of even
giving up and losing hope. But if we pay attention, he will give us an
opportunity to exercise our faith. And then he'll remind us He is
still there, and that this is His work! I know that we, as
missionaries and as disciples of Jesus Christ, are his instruments.
While he uses us to do his work he shapes us into the people he wants
us to be! I'm grateful to be a missionary!
"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back,
behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the
Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give
unto you success" (Alma 26:27).
I know that Jesus Christ has restored his church to the earth. I know
the Book of Mormon to be true, and I wouldn't still be here if I
didn't. I know the Gospel brings us peace in this life and prepares us
for eternal happiness in the world to come.
I love each of you! I love being a missionary! Please email/message me
if I can ever do anything for you, or if you have any questions. Until
next week,
Elder Collin Christensen
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