This week has actually been pretty good.
Up until Thursday, things were looking pretty grim. Mostly we've just been going around trying to find people to teach. The only interesting thing was that my comp had to get a haircut, cuz his hair was so long, and we were going to have zone conference with the president. So some members forced him to go get his hair cut, and even paid for him. (He's a little indecisive, absentminded, and quiet.)
On Thursday, we had zone conference with the mission president. It was really good. With the new year, President Orquera decided that since there are nine transfers in a year, and we have zone conference each transfer, and there are nine Christ-like attributes in Chapter Six of Preach My Gospel, we were gonna focus on one attribute per conference and another chapter of Preach My Gospel. So this conference, we had Chapter Two, which is about studying, and Obedience.
The zone leaders made a really good analogy about Obedience. They gave two random missionaries a kind of brownie snack thing here called Alfajor (alfa-hor), and a protein bar. They waited a little bit, then asked us what would happen to their respective energy levels. To the sister who had the Alfajor, her energy level would rise quickly but then crash. To the elder who had the protein bar, his energy level would rise gradually, but steadily, and would continue to have energy for a while. They then had us think of our own Spiritual Alfajors and Protein bars. A Spiritual Alfajor could be taking a nap for too long, not getting up on time, or listening to worldly music. It'll pump us up, and we'll feel good, but later, we'll feel the crash, and won't feel like doing anything missionary-wise. Whereas, a Spiritual Protein bar could be obeying the schedule, leaving on time, doing all the studies diligently, or listening to hymns. Maybe they won't be as much of a "pump-up" to our spirits, but we'll be able to do the things we need to as missionaries.
I really liked the analogy.
And yeah, it gave results. Over the next few days, we managed to find 14 new investigators, a personal record for finding new investigators in a week. And while maybe a few aren't super interested, we were able to preach the gospel and share our testimonies about the truthfulness of the Restoration, and able to give comfort with the Plan of Salvation.
I'd like to share one of the experiences I had. It was Saturday, and we had already found twelve new investigators in the week, and I was feeling pretty good about the work we had done. We were a little far from the apartment, and it was almost 9:00. So I thought, "well, we've had a good day, it's about time to head back, let's go rest." And so we started to head back. Then, my companion decided, "let's contact that house before we go." And so, he went up and clapped his hands to get their attention, (that's how we knock here) two women, a mother and daughter, sitting outside on a cool Saturday evening, drinking some mate (special herbal tea everybody drinks here). We introduced ourselves, and they got out two more chairs and we sat outside. Because we can't enter the house if there isn't a male. And we began to teach, and get to know them. We discover that she lost two of her sons the previous year, one hanged himself, and the other died in a motorcycle accident six months later. We shared the Plan of Salvation with her and testified to her of the eternal nature of the soul, the reality of the resurrection, and the chance of eternal human bonds. She was close to tears, and she shared with us that she had seen the missionaries pass by several times, and that they had contacted her several times, but as missionaries cannot enter a house without another male, they could never share anything with her. And she shared that lately, she had been begging God for any sign that her children were ok, that He was taking care of their souls. We were able to be the answer to her prayer. Isn't it amazing how God works in people? Every single day, it seems, I marvel at the grand designs of the Great Maker. And how He sets everything up so that His children can be happy.
That's part of our job as missionaries. I'm reminded of something that Dad said in a talk he gave several months ago. How we need to learn, not just that everything happens for a reason, but that everything shall work together for your good. It's really struck me, that how, when everything happens for a reason, we need to realize that that reason is our happiness.
After all, "...man are that they might have joy."
I love this wonderful plan that God has prepared for us, and I give thanks as often as my feeble mortal mind can remember Him. I love you all and hope that you too are beginning to realize the Lord's Great Plan.
Elder Blaylock
Eating spaghetti with a member. They made us cover our ties so we wouldn't mess them up.
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