To start I will follow up on what happened at the mini transfers this week!
I moved! To the next room. Same house, same area, new desk and a new companion.
I actually really like this desk. It is bigger than my desk before in the other room. Also the air conditioning blows right on the spot where I sit. AND there's an outlet right next to it so I can charge my stuff with ease. It is a great desk. It also has really handy drawer in it. Plus right behind me is all of the missionary stuff, so I feel like I have this great office! And I almost forgot! My chair is a lot softer in this room too. and it spins.
Okay enough about my desk. My new companion is a champion of champions! Elder Lucas! He's way tall and so we scare all of the people away from us. His Thai is way good. He's just as old as Elder Hunsaker, the assistant, and was actually companions with him in the MTC. He contacts amazing, we both love the same food, and we love baptism.
Why did this mini transfer happen? Because we have a special mission. We have 9 week transfers, and sometimes new missionaries will come in between those nine weeks. So this week new missionaries came. One of them is being trained by Elder Winsor. He's from Laos! A convert of two years. And the only convert in his family. He has such an excitement about everything and I love it.
I never thought I would ever live in the same house as a Laotian person in my life.
Last email I wrote one very short paragraph about two investigators. I can't write a ton about every investigator because they cycle through so quickly. So I'll write more about them now.
The first I found last friday afternoon. I invited him to be baptized and we set up an appointment. Just like any other contact. So normal that I didn't even remember the person when I called to confirm the appointment. He came early to his appointment. He loved it! He loved Sunday the next day! We met with him on Monday after P-day ended too. He quit smoking in 4 days. What a boss! Actually his name is Boss! It was so hard for him he'd run out of lessons to go puke. He really struggled with quitting smoking, but he had such a strong desire it didn't mean anything. He just quit. On monday when we met him he said he had been walking since 10 that morning until 6. Why? Because it helped him not think of smoking. He also prayed the entire time. Why? Because he forgot how to finish his prayer... :)
On Monday while we were teaching the 10 commandments he asked us what happens to little children who die. His child died before birth. We told him that we didn't know when the spirit enters the body, but the scriptures explain that all little children who die return to their Father in heaven. He broke down into tears. More than tears, he was weeping. So of course, I started to cry. He apologized and said he doesn't normally cry. But he didn't know why he was crying. After the lesson I asked him how he was feeling. He tried to describe the feeling of the Holy Ghost but couldn't. We could all feel it so strong you couldn't deny it.
This boy is 22. He has had the hardest past of any person I've ever heard of. You could make a tragedy movie of his life. He was a heavy smoker, he has a massive mullet, and just looks like a punk. He's been involved in some crazy things, whether it's family, fighting, sorcery, or inter-family warfare. But he is the most genuine, pure, humble, kind, respectful, loving person I've met here. On Wednesday I had to tell him that I wouldn't be teaching him anymore. He just asked if I'd be here for his baptism. I told him I would. He was baptized yesterday. :)
It was amazing for me to find someone, love them, teach them everything, and prepare for baptism and switch companionships and watch the other Elders actually get a baptism. I set the stage so Elder Sayavong could get a baptism his first week in country. But Boss wanted me to baptize him. Such a cool experience to meet a guy on Friday and the next Friday he interviews and that Sunday is baptized.
We had a very successful week. Lots of new investigators, tons of lessons, but few contacts. We contacted so much! But with hardly anything to show from it. Except again God produced miracles yesterday. For two companionships we had 14 people at church! This is unheard of! There were 76 people at church, 4 of which were the missionaries and 14 investigators. Wow!!
And now onto stories!
1. Elder Lucas invited a white guy to get baptized. He responded, "I worship the devil."
2. I invited a very nice guy from South Africa. He wanted his girlfriend to get baptized. But wasn't willing to meet with us. So he asked if he could bring his baby the next day to get baptized. I told him we don't baptize children because they are alive in Christ. He walked away dissapointed.
3. We invited a whole bus to get baptized when we got on, then went and stood at the back. One white guy said, "Well that was really effective guys..."
Elder Lucas: It was pretty effective. We now know that no one on this bus wants to be baptized.
Him: No it wasn't
Time passes and he sits there awkwardly until he decides to say: You got up in our faces so I'm going to get up in your face a little. When you grow up you're going to look back at this and think of how silly it was.
We just laughed at him and he sat there in anger the whole ride. Until he got off. Then he mumbled something against us as he got off. I said, "wait sorry! I didn't catch that! Can you say that again?" and put my hand up to my ear.
He just scowled.
We saw him at the store 30 minutes later and we said hello. He was still grumpy.
4. We met some other american who went off about how the government is corrupt and taken over by the devil and so is everything else and how the end of the world is coming and all of that junk.
He spoke of the "new world order". Crazy guy. He talked our ears off about all of these conspiracy theories for forever! He liked us and wanted to learn what the mormons think of the end of the world. We told him about the church in Asoke so he could go there.
What a fun week!
Elder Osborn
And Brother Boss.... :)
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