On Tuesday night we had a devotional and none other than Elder Neil L. Anderson walked in with his adorable wife! What a great talk..We discussed the Doctrine of Christ. He talked about the importance of knowing the scriptures well and the doctrines so that we can teach them effectively and with power to our investigators, pretty simple concept but it was good for me to hear because I have a hard time sometimes understanding the scriptures and something I'm working on is reading slower and really pondering what I read and then applying it to my life and my investigators' lives.
I say "investigators" (we have 3 right now)..but we all know their actors. Pretty dang good actors though. I should probably tell you about my favorite, Kevin. This week, we knocked on his door (he's an 18 yr. old senior in high school) and introduced ourselves and then asked if we could share a message with him. He said no and slammed the door. Kevin (our teacher in disguise) stuck his head out the door like 30 seconds later and said "Sisters! Go back to the classroom, try again, and come back in 5 minutes." So we laughed it off, tried a different approach, said a prayer and went back to his door. Again, Kevin slammed the door in our face, at least this time he listened a little longer before he decided nope, not interested. Not sure what exactly to do, we went back to our classroom, prepped a new introduction, one that Kevin (who is not interested in religion) might be able to relate too. We were told we had 2 minutes to prep and then try again. SO...the 3rd time we knocked, we took a different approach, and after convincing him we weren't crazy and didn't want to shove our religion down his throat..he let us in. The lesson was...ok..he didn't talk much and didn't ask very many questions, but he opened up toward the end, and we've had 3 more lessons since then. He's opening his heart and asking many more questions. He's especially interested in the Plan of Salvation and knowing that he can be with his family FOREVER! It's great. It was a lesson to me that every person/every investigator is so different. One approach might work great for this person, but not so great for somebody else. What a day. While at lunch that day, we were telling one of our favorite sisters about our experience that morning and she had no sympathy. Her response, "Sisters, that ain't nothing. Our first lesson with Andre..was at 7 o'clock at night, in the dark because he couldn't afford his heating bill. The second lesson? He was hungover, laying on the ground under a blanket, and last night he was smoking a doobie (don't know how to spell that) during the lesson...." So yeah, lemme just tell ya I'm excited for Mexico and the many different people I will blessed to teach...For real though, I am!
Guess who's coming to the MTC this Sunday for Easter! An apostle (: Two in one week! Not sure who, but I'm banking on Elder Holland. Oh P.S. Tuesday night's devotional was broadcast to 15 MTCs worldwide so you can find it online, I sang in the choir so I was on there! Hopefully I don't look too dumb, it's a requirement from our branch president for everyone in our zone to sing, and I literally have no idea what he's talking about during most of the pratices with his choir lingo, so I just smile and act like I know what's going on (:
Today my companion and I got up early and went to the temple and now we're hanging out on Main Campus..We're pretty jealous of it up here and their yummy food! We like to come up to their campus, print our emails, grab some lunch, and hit up the bookstore! P-day is fun, busy..but fun.
Also, I saw Kiersten Ness in the temple today, she just got here on Wednesday, leaving in 8 weeks for South Korea!! How cool is that? We talked for a little while.
Thank you to mom and Aunt Celeste for sending dear Elder letters! Apparently the website is a little confusing, so don't worry about it.. I like handwritten letters even more (: Preslee, I haven't checked the mail yet today but I will check and see if I got yours.
The elders in our zone are all leaving for Argentina next Monday and it will just be Hermana Keaton and I in our zone untilWednesday..hopefully we got some new missionaries next week!
There's a picture in the west campus cafeteria with 3600 missionaries from last August in the Mariott Center for devotional. Right now, there's only 900 missionaries total between both campuses. They say numbers are going to go up when summer hits, but it's kinda nice to not have it super duper packed. I love how many sisters there are too!!
If there's one thing I've learned during my studies and many prayers this week, it's that as I put other people's needs before mine and think about others before myself, I feel happier and closer to my Father in Heaven. When I study, I study for my investigators and find things that they need to hear. When I pray, I pray for them and their needs. It's crazy how much I love them and most of them are just return missionaries who pretend to know nothing about the gospel. As I do more for others and strive to develop Christlike love for others, my heart is being softened, my attitude is changing, and my perspective and purpose are clearer than ever before. I'm grateful for this gospel, for the many blessings it's brought into my life. I'm grateful to be a representative of the Lord and wear his name on my nametag at all times.
I love each and every one of you! Have a fabulous week and take a minute this weekend to reflect on the meaning of Easter and the blessings that have come into your life because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Con amor,
Hermana Maki (:
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