"I ran out of subject titles" - Letter, September 4, 2013

This week has been really good. The students are back, and we have been trying to talk to them as much as possible. A lot of them are really receptive, and would be willing to hear about more of the Gospel. The problem is that they are really busy. So, my companion and I have been thinking of other ways to get them to hear a lesson. We have been thinking that we can do group lessons on campus, and invite the young single adults in the branch to take part in the lesson. We think this would be really great to get people together, and then it's less awkward because we aren't just going to their appartment, but rather are doing things in a really casual way. I love that we can be on campus. I am really surprised though. The major religion here is Catholic. I was expecting a lot other groups, but the vast majority of them are Catholic. Don't get me wrong, we have run into a lot from other denominations.

It makes me kind of sad though. A lot of the other churches are really involved in the community. Ours is not. They are great people. But they keep to themselves. So, we have been trying our best to think of ways to get our name out there. We have been inviting a lot of people to church. But we need other things to get people involved in. Any ideas?

It's been good, but also odd. We feel like we have been doing really good as a companionship, but we just can't seem to get any return appointments. We are working really hard, always trying to find ways to better ourselves, but we just are not getting there. I guess I should be patient. I am grateful for all the things that we have seen happen already, but we want to do more. I just don't know what else we can do. But we keep praying and working hard, and I know that things will happen.

We just met a guy, whose name is Lonnie, at Walmart. He said he would call us and let us come and teach him more about the church. He was really curious. He checked us out. He is 23, and started asking us about the church as soon as he saw my nametag. His dad is a preacher, and he has no problem going to church. But he hasn't been going to church. He says, "I am in college, and I do college things, and I don't want to lie to God." It was really funny. But he was really nice. It was a miracle.

Oh, and Marcia. We have been helping her pack. She is this 60+ year old lady. We love her to death. She is a non-member, and she loves having us over. She is our Amulek. She knows what we go through, being so far from home. She loves letting us in. She has had a lot of missionaries over the years. She doesn't want to learn about the Gospel, but loves talking about God. Yesterday, while she was out smoking (she shouldn't-she's on oxygen and has COPD) we told her about church on Sunday. She asked how it went. We told her about Sacrament meeting, and how we are all invited to share her testimonies. She asked us if we would share ours, and then she shared hers. It was really cool, and caught us off guard. Oh, so Saturday we were helping her pack. We got there at 11:00, and knocked. She didn't answer. We rang the doorbell, and then we heard her call for us to come in. There she was in the doorway to the kitchen in her nightgown, and there was a young black man laying on her couch. So we went in, and went straight to the kitchen. he wasn't dressed, I could tell, but thankfully he did have his blanket pulled up all the way. It was awkward. So while we were in the kitchen, he got dressed, and came in and was talking to us and Marcia. Eventually, we started packing. He stuck around to help us pack. He actually was really nice, and asked us a lot of questions about missionary work. We answered them all. So anyway, all day long, I knew that he needed to hear about the Gospel, and not just the work we do, but it never really felt right. So we wanted to be up on High Street to do some contacting. We left her with a scripture, Alma 7:11-13, about the Atonement. D'Andre jumped right in and started talking to us about it. It was really cool. So anyway, we left, and we came back about and hour and a half later. Marcia wanted to have dinner with us. So we came back. D'Andre opened the door. Marcia was asleep. We came in and just sat down and had a really cool conversation about the Gospel. This is a man who has really SEARCHED for Truth. He has read the Bible, Koran, and several other religious texts. And he has felt like there is truth in each one, but not all truth. We handed him a Book of Mormon, and told him it is all right there. And then we told him about Joseph Smith and the 1st Vision. After Sister Savage recited it, she asked how he felt. He responded, "Wow, that's intense, and you know, It's true!" We were so happy to hear that. I wanted to do a happy dance. I didn't. But we then invited him to be baptized. He accepted. Oh, before all this, he actually asked what it takes to become a Mormon. Come on. That doesn't happen in real life. But honestly, we feel like we are going to get that a lot. Anyway, we had found out earlier in the day that he smokes marijuana, not cigarettes, but weed. So we told him he would have to give that up. But he wasn't too upset about that. It was so amazing. And he could feel the Spirit. Great. Just Great!!!! Anyway, Marcia woke up not too long after. We ended up spending the rest of the night there. But when we sat down to eat dinner, he told us that he really liked spending time with us. He could feel how different we were, and he like that our whole purpose is Jesus Christ, and the way we made him feel was really nice. He's not used to that. That really made me feel good.

Too bad we have to hand him over to another set of missionaries. He doesn't live in our area. And if you are wondering why a young, black man was asleep on the couch of 65 year old woman, it's because Marcia is a good Samaritan. She really is. She wants to help people as much as possible. And she has a heart as big as the whole out doors. We love her.

Well, I love the Gospel. I know it's true. There is nothing that can bring us closer to Christ than this. I love you all, and I hope the Good Lord keeps you while we are apart.

Love, Sister Worthen