This week something absolutely amazing happened. It makes me know that God talks to His chosen leaders the messages that they need in order to rescue His other children, thus those who were once rescued can now be rescuers.
I have known this before having been served/rescued by many a young men leader, scout leader, bishop, parents, friend, but now as a missionary I understand more fully.
We were able to get Sister N. interviewed for her baptism this Saturday, she now is ready to be baptized. She has been attending for over 7 months. Her sister is a member and she lives with members as well. She was not fully interested in getting baptized and we didn't know what to do as she seemed to have been taught a lot.
We had a leadership training meeting about 'helping people make and keep commitments' and 'magnifying your calling' and we talked about how to do this. I went on splits around the zone and tried to effectively get everyone to keep track of the commitments they are extending and then following up and making sure that people keep their commitments. I noticed how little we are actually using the Book of Mormon in the zone. In everyone's area books nobody was keeping track of the places their investigators were reading, if they were even reading the Book of Mormon. Well, I took a good look at Sister N.'s stuff she had been reading and we had not followed up with her reading much and were kinda teaching in circles. Finally we decided to just get her to read the Book of Mormon from the beginning as nothing else seemed to be working. She read. The first couple chapters she found normal and not too interesting however around the 3 chapter she started to like it and now she has read a lot. She prayed about it honestly and now she knows it is true. Everything else seemed to fall in place from there.
I know that our leaders were inspired to talk about that for her. Because of them instructing us, we were able to help Sister N. get moving down this pathway towards God.
She should get baptized this Saturday. I wrote Elder Dakouri to tell him. He will be very happy!
I also gave Sister N. some scripture markers to mark her favorite verses in the Book of Mormon and I saw her using them during church (yahoo!). It was very awesome.
We also had some good lessons with Mary Fp. and their family. She is doing great. The little member kids are helping her learn. One of them, Kofi, was teasing her. We were quizzing her on some stuff and Kofi was saying, "think think think think think think" to the tune of Michael Jackson's "black or white." Mary will be baptized on the 25th.
I also learned what it means to become "as a little child." I never really knew what that meant. I knew it meant meek, humble, submissive etc. However I learned from little Gracie A. (you know the little curly fancy haired little girl who likes to climb).
Anywho there was an accident and she cut her hand, only the first layer of skin. She didn't bleed much or anything. It looked like a bad wood floor burn. Anywho she went to her mother, Sis Josephine A., and her mother knew exactly what to do to help her not injure herself more and be healed. She went and grabbed some rubbing alcohol and poured it on her hand (with me holding her of course). As I was holding little Gracie she looked sad but knew that whatever her mother was going to do, it was going to help her get better. When the alcohol hit her hand she screamed of course and began to cry but she did not struggle to much and try to run away. She kind of endured the pain, the sting, because she knew that her mother was doing it, she didn't struggle as she knew it was necessary for her to be healed.
Such is being as "a little child." We all injure ourselves, we all make mistakes, we all have accidents. A little child came to her mother (Heavenly Father) and showed her the problem. The mother knew what needed to be done to heal her. Yes, it would hurt for a moment; yes, it was not the most pleasant thing initially; however, if not treated it would turn into a serious wound that would cause many more problems later with much more severe consequences. We should not try to run away but endure the pathway that our Father in Heaven would have us go down so we can be healed.
This last week I noticed something fun. The women here tie the babies to their backs using a cloth wrap. I was sitting outside the relief society room while Elder Wollenzien was doing a baptismal interview and I saw a bunch of women in the relief society room standing up and kinda dancing. I was wondering what was going on. Turns out they were just bouncing the baby and kinda burping him but since the babies are on their backs they just kinda dance instead. It was fun to see. You woulda laughed.
Anywho we should baptize Angela S.'s mom on the 25th. Bro S. will baptize her, his wife. She is happy.
All I have to say about the new bathtub tile area is HOLY COW! What happened? You guys are amazing. The place looks like an Italian restaurant. Man! We are going to have to take some pictures in there and pretend like it is fancy schmancy place.
Well no time again for the donut story. Next week!
Well gotta run and go teach and cook! My companion wants to cook some Nigerian food.
I love you guys so much. Keep up the good work team!
HI BRITT! Don't step on the little dog!
Just got grandma patsy's letter. I'm going to read it very soon. Mission has no time!!! AHHH BUSY!
Love Elder Bills
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| Watching the Living Scripture Book of Mormon cartoons mom sent us, with a family. |
