03/10/2014

This week we had no baptisms... But we found many people who want to be baptized. We did some contacting with some of the young women recent converts who are working on their personal progress. They killed it! Not only did they help us contact, they brought their non-member friend. And she helped invite too! In an hour and a half of contacting we had 26 numbers and 14 appointments set up.

We did a lot of contacting, sometimes with amazing success, sometimes with nobody interested. But yesterday God taught us a lesson. We had an unusually slow week, few lessons, few new investigators, and hardly nothing coming from our contacting. In our whole district only two solid new investigators were found. (these investigators are awesome! But for the sake of making this story sound more epic I'll talk about them afterwards. :)  )

So God taught us that He can do His own work. During Sunday school yesterday two families walked into the church. Both gave the same reason for coming. They both were just walking past the church and "felt" like they should go to church today. The other Elders taught the first family the restoration and they all have baptismal dates for the 23rd. Right when the lesson finished, the second family walked into the church. They received the same lesson and they have dates for the 23rd also. One family has a 7-year-old son and the other an 11-year-old son. 

Then, we found out that one of the men sitting in sacrament meeting wasn't actually a member and had been coming by himself for three weeks. He also accepted a date for the 23rd. 

God knows how to do his own work. We - no matter how good we are - have no idea what we're doing. God leads people to Him. We go out and try to find them. No matter how hard I work all week long, I can never get someone to walk into the church. Only the Spirit can do that. We all learned yesterday that our job is simple: work hard. Work smart. And let God do the rest. He'll bless us with miracles when we work for them and have faith.

Speaking of the other two super solid investigators. They are both awesome! I found one talking to everyone. Elder Winsor found the other while we were in a songtao. Still talking to everyone. This is how our mission works. We talk to everybody we see! Everyone!

They both have a very strong desire to be baptized and we've had some powerful lessons with them. Some of the most strong spiritual lessons I've ever had. One of them always takes notes on what we say. Especially with the commandments.

Oh, and we figured out why President Senior told Elder Winsor and I not to "get too comfortable". I'll explain next week, but basically I'm moving.

I should take more pictures of this area. It's a way cool area.

Elder Osborn

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AHHHHHH!!!!!! I almost forgot about the coolest miracle ever!!!!

I got a phone call a couple nights ago from my trainer and my current zone leader, Elder Wilko, giving me an update of Udon. :)

Remember Brother Jack? there were two of them. The one that I lost to his parents, and the one who just disappeared before his baptism. The one who passed his interview one saturday in Udon, but we never heard from him again, was found. The Elders in Udon ran into him and he passed his interview again this week and was baptized yesterday! I almost died when I heard this. He was special to me. One evening I just saw a guy running with his headphones in. I stopped him, invited him, and watched him overcome everything to prepare to be baptized. He was so solid I was excited to teach with him even before he was supposed to be baptized! Then the day of his baptism he just never showed up. We never knew what happened to Jack.  

Now I know that he found his way back. :)

Ah man... I'm gettin' teary eyed just writing this....