Week 14 - "Pudge controls the weather." (and I don't think he likes us)

Hi, all!

This week's quote comes from Lilo and Stitch, at the suggestion of Elder Thomas. Things have been pretty crazy weather-wise here. We thought we were into the spring, but it's suddenly gotten very cold again. I've heard people say several times that in Ohio you can get all four seasons in a single day. But maybe I can just use that as a happy reminder of home (seriously, though, I feel like Ohio is just Idaho, but without any mountains and lots more greenery and closer to the Capitol).

A lot happened this week, and in order to make sure I get it all in before preparation day is over, I may just pull from segments of my journal (I've been keeping it electronically, which allows me to write a lot more). 

The week started with an exchange with the district leader and his companion (I went with Elder Barnson, the district leader), which went very well. He and I went to visit a less-active member named Brian who we've been meeting with and trying to get to come to church. Hopefully his work schedule will change and make it more possible for him to come. We read Matthew 6 and talked about it, and I feel like it was really good. The really cool thing that happened that day, though, was that we took a person we're teaching named Dwayne on a tour of the church. He's just started taking art classes at a studio as part of a 3-year program, so he's very interested in art, and we had a member with an art history background bring us to the church and walk with us around the building, and as part of the tour we showed him some of the different art prints that are in the building and explained them as he asked questions. He said when we were in the chapel that he felt lighter and more peaceful in the building, so I'm hoping he recognizes that's something he wants and decides to make coming to church a priority (he has to work around his work schedule, too).

We also had dinner at a less-active member's place that night, and she really opened up to us and told us about some of the things she really desires, like prosperity and protection and peace. It was good. I felt like we made a connection with her, and now we'll maybe be able to help her. We've just been trying to focus on her and help her with whatever we can, and I think just being present and trying to be helpful in that way has allowed her to trust us and begin to express some of her deeper concerns. It reminds me of the advice of the departing missionary last transfer, Elder John: "Love everyone. Take it from someone who's been here for two years. Love everyone." We saw similar things happen more recently this week with some of the people we're working with. One investigator told us over the phone that life was harder now that it had ever been before, and when we mentioned something about her worth, she said she had given her worth away long ago with some of the things she had done. Elder Thomas was awesome--he would be a great counselor. He told her emphatically that her worth was independent of anything she'd done. That same day a less-active member opened up to us about some of the difficult things she's gone through in her life. She also told us about some of the apprehensions some people (possibly including herself) have about coming to church, and I think we were able to understand her more. She also said that she loves it when we come over because we bring peace. That felt good to hear. It's good to know when we're doing something good for someone. Later that night we called a returning member, and she had just gotten in a big argument with one of her family members that left her feeling a little traumatized, and we were able to be there for her and just listen.

Sometimes it can feel frustrating because these moments don't feel like missionary work because we're not teaching the 42 points or helping someone move something heavy or getting any new people to teach, but I need to remember that "Inviting people to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through ... enduring to the end" is part of our purpose. And behaving as Christ would, treating people one by one the way they should be treated and trying to care for them and provide for them, is good. We don't know what good our actions might cause in the future, either: Helping a person who adheres to this gospel adhere to it more closely or become stronger certainly helps them salvation-wise, and we don't know what effect that might have on the other people in their lives in the future. A few weeks ago we found a new person to teach precisely because we were trying to make sure a returning member's needs were being met.

I'm sure you all want to hear about that missionary who I mentioned in the last email--the one who said she was bringing her less-active family to church? Her name is Shiela, and it turns out she lives in Ghana, but her father is here in Ohio, so she got to be released over the phone and stay with him for a few days before heading back to Ghana. She served her mission in Louisiana and Pennsylvania (I guess there was a mission merge in the middle). She's awesome. I feel like she's going to be a pillar of the church in her home country. Anyway, the appointment was good. Her dad bore testimony and told us his conversion story and stuff. He indicated the only reason he isn't at church often is because he has to work. We're going to keep meeting with him and see what happens.

For a while now we've had these flyers that we made to offer free family history help, and then these other flyers that say "Take What You Need" on the front and have a bunch of feelings or concepts that people want. Have you ever seen those before? Usually the tear-off pieces are smaller, and taking one seems sort of like asking the universe for something you need. You tear it off and put it in your pocket, and it's like that action means it will come to you or something--it seems like that's the idea. Anyhow, we made these flyers, but on the back each strip has a scripture on the topic the strip is labeled with, an explanation, a statement that the scripture comes from the Book of Mormon and a number to call to learn more. We went around Thursday and put up the different flyers in different places, and on Friday we got a call asking for help with family history! It was awesome!

Also on Friday, on the bus we met a guy named Nick. He was opening up his paycheck, and he was trying to put that strip htat you pull off into one of the trash bags on the bus, but he kept ripping the bags (they're all stacked on a little rack so when you take one off, you just pull out the one behind it to start putting the trash in it--like how grocery bags are set up), so Elder Thomas offered to take the strip over to another trash bag on the bus, and then he talked about where he worked and his philosophy at work about helping wherever he can and lifting others and making them look good--he just seems like an awesome guy. And then he told us about his past and some of the physical and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of a relative, and he talked about his siblings, who may be stealing from him, and the people he's trying to help and provide for. He just seems like an awesome guy, like Sister Portis. He also said that he's looking for more peace, and he said that 2020 is going to be his year. He also said some good things were going to happen in 2019. He said he felt like he was being prepared for something, that something really good was coming. In my head, I was like, "Oh, you have no idea." Before he got off the bus, I said, "You mentioned peace. One of the things that brings us peace is this book, and there's a verse about peace here." I had one of the tabbed copies of the Book of Mormon that mom sent me, so I opened up to the verse about "I would desire that ye should consider upon the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God, for they are blessed in all things," etc. We told him the copy was his, and we had written our number in it, and if he wanted to talk about it, we were available. He didn't get the chance to read the verse we showed him, because we were at his stop, but I'm really hoping he got into the book later. We need to be really praying for him that he opens it up and starts reading.

On Saturday, we did a split with ward members for the first time! It felt really good to have ourselves over-scheduled, and it was good for me to step into a leadership role, because Elder Thomas has been wanting me to do that more.

The day before we ran into a guy named Luis at the bus stop who's a member but just moved here. He said he was just going to try to look for a church building to go to when we showed up. It was a little miracle.

Today we also went to the thrift store, and I got a couple ties, a Batman shirt, and a few good knives for the apartment (the ones we have are less than ideal). Thrift stores out here are way better. There were a lot of cool finds that made me think of friends back home and such.

That's about all I have time for this week. I love you all! Talk to you next week!

Elder Davis

Pic 1 - Elder Thomas is disappointed, Mom, that you used "Mormon" instead of "Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in your book. :) Get with the times!

Pic 2-4 - The flyers I mentioned