August 25, 2014
Area: Broadway- Central
Companions: Spencer and Petersen
Hey guys, it sounds like each of you have been having a great week! It is so weird to think that I've already been out for over a year...this week I have been thinking a lot about what I've done on my mission and what I want to do this last year I have out here. I still feel new in the mission, but it is weird to see all of the new faces coming out and looking up to me as one of the "experienced" missionaries.
 | ||
| Elder Dye's mother, who responded to a request, had asked Ramirez to 'pass along' a hug from his mother, since she knew Ramirez would be feeding Elder Dye. She wanted to express the family's thankfulness in Elder Dye's willingness to serve the Lord, since he'd be hitting his 1 year missionary mark. This picture came back, to her surprise, and delight. He sure looks HAPPY serving the people of Houston Texas! |
This week has been a good one even though it was
still pretty rough in terms of numbers. We have been working on a number
of things that we can do to help the area grow and help the people
progress and "come unto Christ". I have personally been working on
making the goals for my mission, then breaking them down to a manageable
number for daily contacts and invitations to do things that lead to
baptism.
Recently, we have been struggling in actually
finding people and in teaching our current investigators due to their
lack of progression. To try to resolve this issue, during weekly
planning, we spent a good amount of time looking through the former
investigators to find the ones that were progressing before. This will allows us to
go and try to teach them again and figure out why they stopped
progressing. We then had Elder Ek, our Zone Leader, come on an exchange
with Elder Petersen and I. This really helped because he was the one
that opened the area and as a result knew most of the former
investigators. So, we ended up using his knowledge to help us out. We
found a few people that he used to teach, and they are still willing to
meet with us, so we look forward to visiting with them this next week.
I have also heard of a prophetic promise that if you
memorize a scripture a day on your mission, you will have photographic
memory by the end of your service. Before I was trying to do this, but I
was shaken from it due to uncertainty about the details. Yet I have
determined that the advice of 1 Nephi 3:7 applies to this as well, so I
have been memorizing a scripture a day. I can honestly say that I have already seen the 'good fruits' of my efforts in the everyday life of the mission.
I actually have a couple of stories for this week:
1)
We were on exchanges with Elder Ek, and we went to his recent convert's
house to eat dinner, but while we were there, Hermano Linares, the
father, came inside and asked, "why are there 3 of you in here and only 2
bikes outside?" We went out to look, but I was certain my bike was the
one that would have been stolen because it is the one in the best shape,
and it was the most accessible. We didn't lock up the bikes because
they were on their porch and Hermano Linares was outside. We looked, and
my bike was moved back and Elder Spencer's bike was gone...Elder Ek was
using it, so we were really surprised, partially because Elder
Spencer's is the one in the worst shape... So we had an interesting time
getting a ride home from the other elders and basically hanging out in a
creepy park until past 9:30, waiting for them to pick us up.(family note: hopefully he learned his lesson and will lock up his bike at all times).
2) We had Elder Quinton L. Cook come and speak to us
this Saturday (Aug 23), so we got together as a mission to hear him. He just
talked to us about the inspiration that went into Preach My Gospel, and
many of the things that we can do to become better missionaries. I sadly
don't have my notes with me right now, but he also pronounced an
Apostolic Blessing on us and our mission and explained the most
important "4 Loves" that we can have right now. I'll have to bring my notes next time, so I can give you these 4 thoughts.
3) Lastly, our apartment got inspected, and the inspector
basically said that we were going to move because they found out that we
are biking along this road that goes beside the freeway and it isn't
really safe. So, I wouldn't recommend sending letters this week. We got the call saying
we can move today, but a) we don't know the address of the new place, and
b) we have transfers next week....so, we don't really know what to do...until next week :)
I love you guys,
Elder Stanley Scott Dye
No comments:
Post a Comment