Family and Friends,
It was a very good week this week! The YSA branch is so fun to be in. Last week there was a karaoke night for FHE and let me tell you it was so funny. Basically members got up in front of everyone and sang some oldies songs. Tyler, one of our members, sang two songs and one of them was a backstreet boys song. Tyler is so awesome.
I think I am now immune to rejection and probably tick people off a lot. Everyone back home knows that I can push buttons...well me and another Elder were on exchanges this week and we were knocking doors. We got about halfway through the area that we were working on and this man answered his door. He stared at us momentarily and I asked him how he was doing. He replied, "Well I am not happy at all to see you!" And usually people just slam their door or something, but he kept it open. So I gave him a big old grin and said with the most enthusiastic (maybe a little sarcastic) tone, "And why is that??" Then we made some gnarly eye contact for a minute and I could kind of just feel the fumes coming off of this man; so I just kept smiling just to see what he would say. He said a few things but then clearly stated, "Just don't even try." And then....he slammed his door. I slipped him a little Jesus card in the door so that when he opens up again he can be reminded that we tried to share the good word with him, but he didn't want to hear it... Californians are so awesome(: I hope that he didn't notice my sarcasm and just took it as we were very happy. Maybe he will realize in the spirit world that his hostility was in vain. He probably needed a hug...
In our efforts this week to find new investigators we found 2 more new investigators named Juan and Arturo. Juan's Dad and Sister are baptized members of the church and he has seen the positive effects of the church in their lives and he wants to learn more. We are excited to teach him and to get to know him. Arturo is a college student that is fairly busy, but he wants to know the purpose of being here. It is going to be great teaching them. Our hardest bump in the road right now is getting investigators to church. Especially YSA members. They are so busy and it can seem like there are better things to do on Sunday so please pray that we can teach the Sabbath Day to these people and have them feel the spirit. We have seen so much success over the past couple months. We now have 9 investigators...2 months ago we had 1. So it has been a growth process and our branch is really seeing that we are working hard and trying to find those who are prepared. It has been a good experience for me!
Update on Brandon. Hopefully he will be getting baptized on Sunday. He might be moving the day after so if that happens we cannot baptize him here. So we are crossing our fingers and hope he stays in the Turlock area. We have taught him pretty much all of the lessons and we have everything in order for his baptism so please pray for that!
My spiritual thought is going to have two parts today. The first part is...as I was studying in D&C 93 this last week it gives a great definition of truth in verse 24, "And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;" Well this section is super interesting and I think all of you would benefit from substituting the definition of truth for every time it says truth in that section. And I have gone as far as to substitute it even in the Book of Mormon and it makes so much sense. All that Satan does is try to distort truth...every temptation we have leads to him clouding a truth. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I just thought this was amazing. So try it! Also we had a dinner appointment and I was able to share the message. I decided to do a scripture in 4 Nephi 1:5 and it reads:
5 And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men; and in nothing did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus.
The last thought I wanted to share was an experience that we had the night we shared that message. We decided to street contact at 8:45...not a very good thing to do in the Central Valley. Haha. But we went out and we were not finding anyone. Well we were walking back to our apartment and ran into a guy named Nanif. He is friends with several of the members of our branch. We taught him the Restoration briefly and gave him a Book of Mormon. It was a great experience. Hopefully he will feel the spirit and accept the divinity of the Book.
I love this work! Have a great week everyone!
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Love,
Elder Willden
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| Elder Freitas and us...Leaves tomorrow for the mission |
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| Elder Robison took this I don't know when? |
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| At one of our lessons with Brandon |
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| Sick glasses I found at the church |
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| YOLO St. |
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