WEEK SIXTY FIVE - MORE SUCCESS, AS USUAL

Hello!

This week was the epitome of the life of a missionary. We tracted a lot, had tons of appointments set with potential investigators, most of them rescheduled or cancelled, but the ones we had were AWESOME.

We met with Chelsea this week, and right off the bat set a new baptismal date for December 1st. Note to other missionaries: set a new baptismal date AFTER the lesson.

We then went on to review the baptismal interview questions to see what we need to focus on, and what we need to teach again. We asked her if she believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and she looked sort of confused. "Who is Joseph Smith?" she said. Now, I promise that we DID teach her about Joseph Smith. It's just been a long time. I quickly reviewed who he was, and asked her if that sounded familiar. She said something like, "Not really, but that sounds good." I was still pretty worried that she didn't really understand how important that idea is, and the rest of the conversation was pretty derailed after that. We asked her to read the part of the Restoration pamphlet that talks about Joseph Smith, and to pray to know if it's true. We texted her yesterday, and she said that she has read it. We've set an appointment with her for Friday, and we're hoping to meet with her as often as possible before her baptism date. It's really quite a nail-biter, but there's really no reason why she shouldn't be baptized. We'll figure it out though.

So, Elder Horne and Elder Hale contacted a lady named Teshara while they were on exchanges here in Creston. She said she was busy at the moment, but that she would love to learn more. Elder Guymon and I called her last week and set an appointment to visit her on Monday. We came by, and I was really nervous since I had absolutely no background on who she is, except that her husband used to be FLDS.

We had an AMAZING lesson. Probably the best lesson I've ever been part of.

She told us that she had always seen missionaries going around, and had always wanted to talk to us, but it was always when she was driving. Once, the missionaries knocked on her door, but someone else answered first and told them no. She said, "I told them, 'No! I wanted to talk to those guys!' so I was really glad when you came by the other day!" She grew up going to church with her mom, and she really loved it, but her mom was asked to leave after she divorced her husband. Teshara was confused, since the Bible taught us to love one another, but that church seemed like it didn't practice what it taught. She said that she had been looking around for a church and a religion, and had been teaching her kids the stories from the Bible and how to pray. She had asked her husband about the FLDS church and their beliefs, but she said he wasn't very open about it. Elder Horne and Elder Hale gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon, and she said that her husband had been re-reading it! She and her little daughter were also looking at the pictures of Jesus and the illustrations in the front, and talked about them. She is really willing to learn more and to keep commitments, which is everything a missionary wants and needs. We taught her the Restoration, and despite her active kid and two dogs, the Spirit was really strong, and it was the most coherent and simple lesson I've ever taught. She loved it. We weren't able to set a return appointment, since she has a lot of family coming into town for American Thanksgiving, (she's American!) but we hope to see her again soon!

The rest of the week was pretty normal, with lots of normal missionary work. We had exchanges with our zone leaders Elder Urling and Elder Blaine yesterday, and that was great! Elder Urling and I went contacting at the college in Cranbrook, and we talked to a ton of people! It's crazy how much more willing young adults are to learn about the church and the gospel! We got five phone numbers, and contacted about 15 people in under an hour!

Elder Guymon asked me when I came out on my mission, and how long I had left. I haven't been keeping track of the time, but I did know when I left. He did some quick calculations and said, "Oh. So you have almost exactly nine months left."

NINE. MONTHS.

Holy cow. Well! I'm really enjoying the opportunity to grow and share the gospel with others. I've grown so much so far, and there's still more growth ahead. I've learned how to work with and love difficult companions. I've learned how to perform under pressure. I've learned how to plan and change plans. You learn so many things being a missionary, and I couldn't possibly list them all. The most important thing, or course, is how to nurture my own testimony, and how to share it with others.

But I'm not done yet!

Love you all!

Elder DeWitt

 

I lost a sleeve. That shirt has really served me well. I've had it for over two years, since I had it before I left.

Goodbye sleeve. (I didn't take very many good pictures.)

If you've seen Parks and Recreation, you know who shops here. (This picture is only good if you've seen the show.)