Missionary Monday - The Beginning of the End (of the last week in the second transfer in Michigan)

This week was full of crazies. I don't have the skills to accurately depict them either. So I'm sorry, but I'm going to leave them out. Its just something you have to experience yourself.

 

Last week we finally got in contact with an investigator that we hadn't seen for a few months. We had a great lesson and set her with a baptismal date. We went to teach her again this week and she told us that we wouldn't be seeing her for a while. Because she is going to jail. She refuses to pay child support and other fines for her son. She is looking forward to it too. She is excited to get away from everything and just focus on herself for a while. She also seems to be under the impression that you don't have to pay bills when you are in jail.

 

The 4th of July was fun. We spent most of the day with members. Then played tennis at night.

 

Cecilia lost custody of Her son.  Which is probably best for the time being at least. That trailer is no place for a little boy. I shouldn't even be in there. Cecilia is taking it like a man though and is trying to work up the means to move closer to him. She is mostly refocused on quitting smoking and we gave her a blessing and then she found a job like three days later so things are moving in the right direction again. For now.

 

I always used to admire the way dad could fall asleep at will and never knew how he could do it, but I pretty much have that down now. I can fall asleep on demand.

 

I will say this about missions; they make you figure out what you really believe real quick. When you spend all day talking to people and having to defend every little point of the gospel you have to really have a conviction and understanding of it. You learn all the stuff you need to know when you go to church growing up, the "what", but I don't think the "why" really hits you until you see where other people are coming from and have to explain it every day. If there was a fault in our gospel I would have found it. I pride myself in understanding how other people think and when I run over the material in my head I come up with tons of possible faults with what I am saying, but there is always an answer. I won't speak to the effectiveness of sister missionaries, but I will say that I think that it is a good thing more of them are serving purely for the fact that they will gain real testimonies of the gospel. There are a lot of young women that all they know is that they want to get married in the temple. I don't plan on throwing down on you guys about testimony and conversion, but I would encourage you to ponder for a minute about the "why" of the gospel. Why do you do the things you do and think a little deeper than the primary answers. It is not enough just to know. In James 2 it talks about faith and works. In verse 19 it says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man that faith without works is dead?" James is basically saying, "So you guys believe in God. Congratulations. So do the devils. They know who God is too. So now what are you going to do about it? You guys say you have all this faith, but do nothing about it. True faith is accompanied by works." In Mosiah 4:10 is says, "if you believe all these things see that ye do them". Don't tell people what you believe, show them what you believe.

 

I'm not saying any of you are guilty of this. I mostly just didn't have a whole lot to write about this week and felt like flexing my spiritual biceps a little. I am half way through Revelation and should finish the New Testament today. Have I mentioned how much I have gained a love for the scriptures since I've been out? Because I do. Its all in there. The church is true. Have a good week.

 

Elder Beck