Hey Everyone,
I know everyone loved the
last letter, no promises that this one will be better. This week has been a
little more challenging than the last, but that is just Satan trying to get me
down after I was so spiritually high. We had quite a bit of lessons planned for
this week. I was really excited to go in and get work done and set some dates!
(That is actually the motto for the zone I'm in "WE SET DATES"!
But as the week progressed, our investigators did not. Not as much as I wanted
anyways. And that is another lesson I had to learn. Agency is the greatest gift
God has given us. But it really stinks when people don't do what you know will
help them. I better understand how our Father in Heaven feels when he knows
that following the commandments will bless us, yet we choose not to. But
regardless my companion and I will keep on keepin on!
We did have a very neat
experience though!!! So on Wednesday night we got done with a lesson a little
early and we had to go home to get something. It was 8:45 and we had no plans
left for the day. We are supposed to be home at 9 oclock if we don't have
anyone else to teach. So I thought to myself "sweet, I have 15 extra
minutes to relax, read, and get ready for bed!!!" My companion had other
ideas... He put on his jacket, made me lace up my boots (which I had just
kicked off) and told me "We have 15 minutes of success left and we aren't
going to waste it". Needless to say I wasn't so happy. I grumbled under my
breath as I laced my shoes, put on my jacket, and followed him back out into
the cold. In any other circumstance I may have put up a fight about it, but you
don't pick a fight with a 260 lbs, 6"2' Samoan. Not if you want your arms
to remain in their sockets. <-- (anybody pick up on that movie reference?)
So we went out walking. Having no idea where we were going, into the cold,
dark, night. And we walked, and walked, and walked. And my companion kept on
saying 15 more minutes of success, 10 more minutes of success, 5 more minutes
of success. I wanted to scream "WE HAVEN'T EVEN STOPPED AT A HOUSE!!!! HOW
IS THIS SUCCESS!!!!" And that's when we came to this apartment complex. My
companion started to walk to a door, me trailing behind him with a scowl on my
face. We had 3 minutes before we had to be home and my stubborn companion
skipped multiple neighborhoods for this ONE apartment complex? He knocked on
the door and I sat back waiting to either be rebuked for knocking on someone’s
door so late, or to not even have the door open. But it did and a woman
answered the door. With a smile on her face she said Hello to us and called us
Elders. (Which means either she is a member or has had missionaries over
before) We talked to her for a little bit and asked if she was a member. She
said she wasn't but that she had been talking to missionaries before she had
moved to where she now lived. My companion asked if we could come back and
maybe share a message with her. She agreed and bade us farewell. As the door
closed my mouth dropped wide open. The ONE door we had knocked on was the ONE door
we had success. I felt really bad for having a bad attitude. I had acted like a
Laban while my amazing companion had acted like a Nephi. I apologized to him as
we walked back home. I now understand why he is called my TRAINER. And I
promised myself that I would never pass up 15 minutes of success again.
I had another experience
with one of our investigators. We went over to have a lesson with two of our
investigators, Michael and Zachari (sorry if I talk about them alot, they are
just awesome!!!) So as we were teaching the lesson on the Atonement and
Repentance, we thought it was going well. We were loving, we weren't raining
down hellfire and brimstone and Zachari was really intent on listening and
seemed to be understanding. But as the lesson progressed I began to notice
Michael's face working its way into a scowl and he started to tense up. My comp
noticed this too and asked what was wrong. He said that nothing was so we
continued on with the lesson. And as I began to ask Zachari how the quiting
smoking was going and to recommit him for his baptismal date, Michael cut in.
He began to tell us that if we thought that they weren't doing everything they
could to overcome all the bad things in their life that we were wrong. He then
went on to tell us some of the anger he was having, not at us, but just at the
situation that he can smell smoke on some members yet they are baptized and he
can't be until he stops. He vented his frustrations, and we tried to help, but
we were getting frustrated too and as the lesson, which had turned into one big
argument fueled by frustration, came to a head we hadn't made any headway and
everyone was upset. Needless to say, the Spirit was gone. I DID NOT want the
lesson to end this way. I said a silent prayer to know what to do or say. And a
thought came to me, we all need to say an individual prayer. So as we were
closing I said. We are all frustrated, and the Spirit is gone. I think we all
need to go around the room and each say a verbal prayer and ask for help and
anything we need. We began, I started. I asked for forgiveness for being
frustrated and that the spirit would return. As everyone started praying we
could all feel the Spirit returning. A sense of peace came into the room and
then my companion began to pray. And then something happened that I don't think
I will ever experience again. My rough and tough, massive Samoan companion,
began to cry during his prayer. He asked for forgiveness, and that Michael and
Zachari would know that he was only here to help and not to pressure them.
Pretty much everyone was crying by the time Amen was said. We all knew that not
much else could be said, and we didn't want to ruin the spirit that had
returned. So we got our stuff, said goodbye and left.
The Spirit had returned but
we still hadn't overcome their concerns. So the following day we said a prayer
to help them and again we felt prompted to go over (again we hadn't planned on
doing so) So we went, not to teach a lesson, but just to let them feel our love
for them. That is something that all those preparing for missions must know, Yes
the people you teach are your investigators, but they should also be your
friends and brothers and sisters.
Now all those preparing for
missions LISTEN UP!!!!! We ate dinner with a member last night who is a return
mission president. This man is a SPIRITUAL GIANT!!!! He told us the formula for
being not a good missionary, not a great missionary, but a MIRACULOUS
MISSIONARY. I will tell you this formula.
1) Be EXACTLY Obedient. -
If your mission president tells you to be home at 9 you are home at 9, no
excuses!!!!
2) Have ZERO contention
between you and your companion. - Contention is of the Devil, How are you going
to invite the Spirit if the Devil is on your backside???
3) Understand the
Commitment your Mission President expects of you. - If he wants you to baptize
someone every month, understand that and do it!!! Then EXCEED The
commitment!!!! Baptize 2 or 3 people a month. "If you want to accomplish
things that other missionaries haven't, you have to be willing to do things
that other missionaries won't" If your mission president tells you to be
up by 6:30, get up at 6:20.
4) Be a Hard Worker. -
Brother Walker (The member that fed us) describes it like this. To be a hard
worker you have to work until its hard, then continue working! Most people work
until it gets hard then take a break. Hard workers don't take breaks.
5) Be Courageous and Bold.
- Fear is not of God. Fear is of the Devil. So if you are afraid to do
something, most likely it’s because that is where you will have the most
success and Satan doesn't want that! So face your fears!!! If you are afraid to
talk to someone, GO TALK TO THEM! If you are scared of tracting, do it until
you aren't scared anymore! Remember, with investigators you have to overcome
your fears AND theirs!!!
And Brother Walker also
gave us an amazing promise. He said that as we do all these things as hard and
as best as we can and that if at the end of the day we can go to our Father in
Heaven and say "I know that you know that I don't regret one 60 second
minute of today because I did all I could and then some" We will have
Ministering Angels to go before us and prepare the way for us to find those who
will accept us. Who will be ready for baptism and the gospel. What an amazing
thing, that there are LEGIONS of Angels just waiting for us to do these things,
so that they can help us!!!
We usually go over to eat
dinner with a member and teach them something. Brother Walker taught us a lot
more than we could ever teach him. It was a great experience!!!
I know that this Gospel is
the truth. I know that what i am doing is right. I wouldn't be sacrificing 2
years of my life, my friends and family, my job, and any potential
opportunities, if this wasn't true. I know that My Father in Heaven loves and
is mindful of me, as he is with all of you. I know that Jesus Christ is my
Savior and Redeemer. He is also my elder brother. I KNOW that the Book
of Mormon is holy scripture, just like the Bible. Anyone with doubts about that
just needs to experiment upon my words and READ the Book. Go to ONE LDS church
service, I promise you will feel something inside you tell you that this is
true. Joseph Smith taught that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven.
I know that is true. I've seen it in my life that as I sacrifice, I am blessed.
I love all of you and pray for you.
Love always,
Elder Rash
Elder Rash with an Idaho Ice Sickle
Elder Malau'Ulu - Caleb's Trainer
Elder Rash and his MTC District reunited at Zone Conference
Aunt Lynn, Elder Rash, Elder Malau'Ulu, and Uncle Val
(Caleb has a cousin on the Davis side who was married in the Idaho Falls Temple this past week. He got permission from President Brinkerhoff to go meet them when they came out of the Temple. Caleb got to see Aunt Lynn and Uncle Val who were up from Tucson for the wedding.)
No comments:
Post a Comment