Hello all!
This week has been pretty good. I am trying to think where to start. I guess the most significant thing that happened is we met a guy named Johnny. He is a widower pensioner (retired person) who stays in Malabar. Me and Elder Neilsen found him after a day of pretty unfruitful finding when we were on exchanges. He has three daughters but they stay in other places, and you can tell that he was pretty lonely. Anyway, he had been taught by the missionaries before and said he was trying to find the Book of Mormon they had left him the other day. We taught him about the restoration, gave him a new BOM and invited him to come to church. He seemed pretty sincere, but I kinda forgot about him until Sunday morning when I saw him pulling into the chapel. He stayed for the first two blocks, and said he really felt peaceful when he walked in and enjoyed his time at church. Later that day we were in Malabar and when a appointment dropped we went and saw him. We visited with him for a while and then I decided we could just talk more about prayer and try to get him to pray with us. He offered a very sincere, short prayer. It kinda sounded like he was getting emotional, but I wasn’t sure. After he prayed, I asked him how he felt. Then he got really emotional. Afterwords, I bore my testimony that I knew we had been sent there to help him draw closer to his Heavenly Father. I am thankful that me and Elder Neilsen were led by the spirit when we found his house, because its kinda hard to explain, but it was like a part of Malabar I didn’t know existed, kinda hidden out of the way. But I felt the spirit pretty strongly when he prayed yesterday, it was a cool experience.
Richard, the guy I said we found that seemed pretty promising, has continued to show promise and has a sincere desire to know if what we share is true. He said that when he knows the things we share are true, he will be baptized. Scary thing is I guess his sister is a less active member in Lorraine ward. He said he wanted to ask her about her experience in the church, which is kinda terrifying. So we will go see him tomorrow, hopefully his sister hasn’t poisoned the well. Too bad she isn’t active.
Prineta and Rajan are doing well. We are still waiting on them to set a date when he will get the priesthood and she will be baptized. Rajan said he hasn’t smoked since last week, so thats good. I hope they can pull it together soon. They did share some pretty special feelings with us last night about how coming back to church and the gospel has drastically improved there marriage and family relationships. Something that we share when we knock doors is that the message we share can bless and strengthen families, and it is very true. Their daughter, Rushi, is warming more up to the gospel as well as she has seen the changes is has wrought in her family, especially her father, and she came to church yesterday, the first time since their first Sunday back. I guess in YW class their first sunday they kinda talked about some to the standards like modesty and stuff and that kinda scared her off. So hopefully this thursday we can sit down with her and kinda explain some of that.
Duwayne is doing really well, we continue to use him a fellowshipper, and a male when we go and visit the Pyne family, probably my favorite family in the branch. He is becoming really good friends with them so that is pretty important as well. He got sustained in his calling as “Sacrament Coordinator” this sunday. He has been giving out a lot of restoration pamphlets and I hope is about to bring in a lot of referrals for us. He is a powerful missionary.
Unfortunately his brother, Theo, is struggling. I know he really wants to change, but he hasn’t been to church in three weeks and Elder Wolfgramm has brought it to my attention that he is sometimes high when we go and teach him. Its kinda amusing, but also pretty frustrating. The other day we went and kinda caught him about ready to get high with all these sketchy guys in this outhouse (a lot of township houses don’t have bathrooms inside, but ones outside like an outhouse except they flush). I guess he is doing this thing called “Mandrakes” which is like lacing weed with something and then smoking it out of a broken bottle neck. Hood life. Anyway, we are getting a little frustrated with the hood rats we are trying to teach, ’cause Leville and Mondre, the other friends we have been teaching just aren’t progressing at all.
So that was pretty much the week.
Oh, so other things. Clive (the crazy guy) came to church this sunday, which is always an adventure. He goes around and tell everyone “Elder, thank you, I love you!” even when they aren’t missionaries. Also, this less active lady who is the sister of the branches only active returned missionary, we visited the other day and she is CRAZY! She was talking about all her visions and kinda like read our fortunes. It was weird. Things are going really well. Me and Elder Wolfgramm are the second youngest companionship in the mission, and sometimes I feel how green we both are ’cause we have certainly had some less then ideal lessons, but the work is progressing well none the less. He is a really funny guy and likes giving me a hard time. I love the mission and thank you for all the support. The Gospel is True!
Love,
Elder Martin
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