Monday
Today was pday! We played soccer at the Cris Quinn soccer
complex.
Look it up on satellite images. It's so big! It's
massive. It's out in West Beaumont. After pday, we had dinner with our
investigator. It was a really good bbq! First Texas bbq! Our investigator,
R, is a manager at a local restaurant and he knows how to cook cause he's
Cajun. We had chicken, crab, hamburger, beef, pork, you name it. It was so
good! We are on exchanges now. It's Elder Dominguez and I. Two greenies. Brand
new. We have somewhat of an idea of what we are doing.
But only somewhat. Haha we will see how tomorrow goes...
Tuesday
Woke up and ate a Carolina Reaper Pepper this morning for
fun. I don't recommend it. But it was fun, so it's ok. The Hermanas made us.
Note:
My tongue burned for the rest of the day...
I'm still with Elder Dominguez! We spent the day tracting
and meeting people. We had a lesson with a Less Active this afternoon. He's in
a living village for mentally handicapped people. Let me tell you, that was an
interesting lesson. We finally just referred him to the Bishop.
We spent the rest of the day knocking doors. We met tons
of people and taught quite a few lessons! Just Elder Dominguez and I. Two brand
new missionaries! We started off the day super super nervous. We didn't know
what we were going to do without our trainers. It's like having a whole chicken
then taking its head away. The head does all the thinking and the body does all
the work. Two heads don't go together and two headless chicken bodies don't
have anything to think with or know how to act or what to say or anything like
that... But it's amazing to see the Lord take over throughout the course of the
day! We met one lady who wanted to know so much! It was a super cool experience
to be on her doorstep answering questions. Just two Elders that have only been
out for a month or so answering this lady's questions about what we know to be
true. We sat on her doorstep for about 45 minutes teaching her about the
Gospel. And everything just seemed to click with her. Too bad this isn't my area,
so I won't get to teach her the rest of the lessons.
Just got a call from our trainers. They said that they're
too tired to exchange back right now, so we will exchange back tomorrow. Still
can't feel my tongue. You know how when hot chocolate burns your tongue? Well
that's what it feels like... And then some.
Wednesday
We exchanged back this morning. It was a good exchange
that I learned a lot from. Not too much happened today, just a lot of knocking
doors when it was sunny and putting records into the iPad, cause it rained a
lot today.
But we did meet with R again today! He's a super
solid guy and has the qualities that I want to have as a father. Dad, he
reminds me a lot of you. He will do anything for his family and I mean
anything.
He just has this persona about him that makes you want to
like and trust him.
On our way to the church, we were at a stoplight and a
truck pulled up. The kid driving was about our age, maybe a little older. His
mom, at least that's what I'm assuming, was sitting shotgun. He looks at us,
digs in his pockets for a second and the window goes down. Now he's about three
feet away from me. He leans out the window and hands me a $5 bill and says that
dinner is on him tonight! Go figure. Nice people. I tried to deny it but he
wouldn't let me and we were running out of time. So I kind of stammered a thank
you and handed him a Family Proclamation and said something along the lines of
I don't have any money for you but I do have salvation and eternal life and
everlasting happiness and joy. He kind of looked at me funny which either means
that that's what he needed to hear or it means he didn't exactly understand my
rant... I think it was the latter. But he told us to keep doing "the Lords
Evangelical Work" and keep being true Christians. It's good to see that
someone recognizes us for who we are and what we stand for! It was a good
reminder:)
Thursday
R had his Baptismal interview today and we are still
set to have a baptism this Saturday! He's sharing the Gospel with everyone
already. He's invited so many people to his baptism. We got a text tonight
saying that he invited the bus driver to his baptism... And he's coming. Go
figure... My comp and I had a great laugh over that!
He told everyone at work that he is getting baptized on
Saturday and that they are all invited, so we will see who shows up. He has a
few friends that he wants to introduce us to already. I'll tell you what, the
joy that come from bringing one soul unto Christ is immense. More than I've
really ever experienced before. It's a different kind of joy that fills a gap
in my Spirit. I never realized how long I've been waiting for this joy and
happiness!
We had a cool experience today while knocking doors. We
knocked this one house after prayerfully picking a street to knock. A nice lady
came to the door, recognized us, and invited us in. She used to feed Elders and
Sisters at Mcds in North Dakota... Come to find out, she and her husband had
seen us 3 or 4 times in the last week on our bikes then all of the sudden, one
night we show up on her doorstep.
Coincidence? I think not. She told us that she's been
using our church's teaching materials to teach her Sunday school class at her
church for years and absolutely loves it all. We showed her Gospel Library and
what we can do with it. Well that intrigued her very much and after watching a
Mormon Message, she asked when we could come back and teach her more about this
stuff. Elder Leftwich and I kind of looked at each other and our jaws dropped.
This kind of stuff just doesn't happen in Beaumont. So we set up a return appt
with her and I'll let yall know how it goes!
Friday
We had district meeting this morning and it was awesome!
Kind of the last one of the transfer... Kinda crazy. I've been out a whole
transfer. We are supposed to get calls tonight or tomorrow to see who gets
transferred or not. We were supposed to go on exchanges with the ZLs today, but
it ended up not happening.
Oh! And we got a call telling us that someone needed a
blessing in a hospital! This Sister is in the ICU and nobody has any idea why.
Nobody saw her at church or out and about in a while and
her home teacher started wondering what was up. So he started calling her
family to see what's up and her entire family is not supportive of the church
and women's tell him anything... They aren't supportive of her either, so they
really had no idea what's happened to her. Well her home teacher finally found
her son, and he is the only one that's even remotely supportive of the church
and her, and the home teacher found out she was in the ICU. We don't know why.
Anyway, this is where we come in. We get a call saying that she needs a
blessing so we have the opportunity to go and give her a blessing. Fast forward
a little while to account for travel time, and we arrive at the hospital. We
get up to the ICU and her home teacher is in the waiting room. Let's get one
thing straight, I don't like the hospital. Or at least not the ICU, cause
everyone is bandaged up and there's the annoying heart monitor and you can feel
everyone's life draining out of them. Yep, don't like that place. We finally
find the room that got her inside of it. And she's laying on a bed fidgeting
around all over the bed and she's completely out of it. Kinda creepy... Anyway,
we decide who's giving the blessing and I'm the one that ended up giving to
her. Immediately after I closed, she stopped fidgeting and moving and went
completely calm. The priesthood is a real power and it is the Authority to act
in the manner that Jesus Christ Himself would act if He were there and our
experience today was an absolute manifestation that it is indeed a real power.
Saturday
Well still no transfer calls, but we have R's baptism
today! Super excited. We spent the morning getting everything together for that
and making sure everything was taken care of. We put together a program and
then headed over to the church to copy it and fill the font. It took us a while
to find the controls to the water of the font, but overall, it went off without
a hitch! R showed up and he was practically glowing cause he was so happy!
You could tell that there was something special about him today.
The baptismal program was fantastic! The entire program
was just absolutely spectacular! My comp and I had the opportunity to be the
witnesses for the baptism and when he came up out of the water, he was so
happy! I understand what the scriptures say when our joy will be full when we
bring one soul unto Christ. I can't stop smiling about it as I'm typing this! I
haven't felt this happy in a long time! It makes me want to keep working and
bringing people to Christ.
We went out tonight and started contacting people. We met
quite a few people, taught a lesson or two, but nothing to solid came of it
other than one lady who says she will be at church tomorrow or the next week to
check it out, which is good. Maybe we will end up teaching her.
Got a call, my comps most recent convert in his last area
was found dead in an overturned car. I was there to witness the baptism in my
first few weeks out and it kinda put a damper on things. But the thing is, him
being taken off the Earth doesn't feel wrong. Neither my comp nor myself feel
that he was taken before his time. He actually told the other missionaries that
he didn't think he would be on the Earth much longer. Go figure. But he's now
teaching in the Spirit world, which is a good thing, cause he has such an amazing
testimony! I only met him for a little while, but he was a super cool guy!
Oh, and I got my first letter!!! Thanks Josh!!! I love
getting letters and have only gotten one... Hint hint;)
We watched a spider spin it's web outside our window. It
was intricate and beautiful. There is beauty all around, just look for it!
Sunday
We were able to confirm R today and my comp and I
were asked to stand in the circle and it has been one of the sweetest
experiences of my life. After sacrament, we were asked to stand in the circle
as he was ordained to the office of a priest. Another super sweet experience!
It has been a truly wonderful day so far and a special one
too:)
We found another new investigator tonight. We met him on
the street and his name is M. He is about dads age and has been doing
martial arts since he was 16... He's about as tall as dad too. But has more
muscle than dad...;)
One transfer is over... Kinda crazy that I've been out 6
weeks. Sheesh.
-Elder Allen
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