(This post has 2 letters, one to momma hoddy and one to the family)
Wow sounds like a pretty crazy week. The libraries were closed yesterday so
we didn't get to email, but we can always find time. Sounds like everything is
going well back home and you're learning lots about the gospel.
This week I learned a whole lot more about some simple aspects of the
gospel. Early in the week we lost some of our best investigators which was
pretty rough, but we pressed forward searching for new ones. We found a lot of
potentials, but we couldn't find new investigators so we started fasting to find
people and get them to church. On Saturday we had the most awesome day planned
out. We had 5 set appointments, many investigators to visit, and potentials to
try. We called a few members to come out teaching with us because we had so much
to do. Well to make it a short story pretty much everything fell through. We
actually only got into one house that day. I sat pondering and asking why
everything was falling apart. Saturday was supposed to be our redemption from a
hard week, but instead it was becoming our hardest day. Well it turns out that
Heavenly Father didn't need us to have amazing success that day. He needed
better disciples out of us. I learned that we needed a lot more faith and hope.
Relying on our own talents was never going to achieve the success that He wanted
us to have. He needed us to become better. We were able to get into one lesson
that day and it was amazing. I'll talk about it a bit more in the family email.
The day reminded me a lot of the C.S. Lewis quote. "You must ask for God's help.
Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or
less help than you need is being given. Nevermind. After each failure, ask
forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again... The only fatal thing is to sit
down content with anything less than perfection." We learned to rely on God with
faith and hope, be diligent and never give up, and that He will never forsake us
or leave us alone. It turned out to be one of the best days of my mission. How
blessed are we to be trusted with trials.
This upcoming week we have so many amazing things so we're excited. Sound
like life back home is going great. Just remember that faith, hope, and charity
will conquer anything. I love you so much mom. Have a good week.
-Elder Hoddy
Alright so this has been a good week. We have an investigator named Tom who
just came to church for the second week in a row which is huge because
missionary work has been pretty slow for a long time in the ward. We have been
trying to figure out how to help him read the Book of Mormon because he's old
and couldn't read the normal size print. Then a member saved us and gave him one
of his larger print copies, so now he's reading and coming to church. That right
there is a good combination. We went over on Saturday for a lesson and his
daughter was there who is hard core baptist. We were having a lovely
conversation and decided to ask her a question, and she started going off on the
Book of Mormon and the church. Ha she had just been waiting for her chance to
start talking about it. Everything she said was just the run of the mill stuff
that their pastors tell them to say. She started out pretty angry about our
religion and especially that we were meeting with her dad, but slowly during the
lesson her question were answered and she was able to feel the spirit. By the
end of the lesson the spirit had completely taken over and we were all joking
and laughing. She took a Book of Mormon and said she would read it. She said she
wants to try and disprove it so that is awesome. If she can disprove it, she'll
be the first person ever to do so. Ya we'll make a Mormon out of her.
This week we had a few challenges because investigators were no longer
wanting to meet. It is so hard because the people without great fellowship
usually turn to the wrong sources for answers. We learned a lot about faith,
hope, and charity though, and we know He will help us and we try to strengthen
our area.
We also had a cool experience when we knocked into an atheist who was
willing to talk with us. It was realy weird because we almost didn't know what
to say. We are way too used to talking with people who believe in Christ, so it
was an interesting conversation. He wants to learn more though because he said
that he hasn't found the answers that he looks for when he has studied with
other churches. Good news for him because we have this little thing called the
Book of Mormon to answer his questions.
I hope everything continues to go well for you. I love you all so
much.
-Elder Hoddy
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