Happy Birthday

Heavenly Father hooked me up with some pretty sweet birthday presents this week but there was a condition on them, I had to unwrap them myself by going and getting them.

We had a fantastic week of teaching, probably one of the highest teaching weeks of the mission and definitely the highest here in Nac. We ended with 32 lessons taught but it all came crashing down when the 5 baptismal dates didn't come to Church. Ahhh so sad considering we had rides set up for them and everything. But I must be comforted somehow by setting a better focus this coming week on getting our investigators to Church!

We started the week extremely slow. By Thursday morning we only had about 8 lessons. Then for some reason Thursday, we were set up to shake the foundations of hell with several planned lessons. Interestingly enough, it just happened to be the day when we had an AP exchange. The race was on to salvage the week.

After lunch, we set off with a member to find and unwrap some miracles. We got to the apartments we were going to knock, and the AP (Elder Smith) wanted to know what the goal was. My response was an other lesson and 2 new investigators. The very first person we talked to, who was outside (we didn't even have to knock) let us in to teach. His wife just happened to be home and Elder Smith proceeded to humble me by his extremely bold example and teaching. Quite frankly I was a little floored at how pathetic my teaching had become since I have been here in Nac-a-baptize. Not only at that time we had instantly received a miracle but I was instantly being taught a valuable lesson.

After that, we went to the home of a lady we have been teaching for about a month now and by the time we walked out she was dropped. The reason being that once Elder Smith had explained that she had been incorrectly baptized and needed to be baptized by the right authority the situation was very clear. She wasn't really willing to find out the truth.

We went to a lady after that who we had tracted out about 10 days earlier and was committed to baptism next month. Man, our teaching was so weak! Good heavens it humbled me. However we did walk out of that lesson with another baptismal date with her son as well.

Then we divided so I could get some more help. I sent Elder Braford out with members and he went out and taught some more lessons and Elder Smith and I went tracting. He showed me a valuable example of being #1 - Bold, and also things like praying for specific events. He asked in prayer to teach on the 10th door that we knocked. Yup, you guess it, we pretty much walked in on the 10th door and taught that they were not baptized correctly and in order to be followers of Christ they needed to be baptized by the right authority!

Ok so that was all in one day, but for the rest of the week I think I have learned from that day immensely.

Friday held another huge miracle. we pulled up to a street to knock and I asked for (we were running low on time) a family of 5 that is ready to be taught and baptized on the third door. Sure enough the 3rd door that we had reached, a young man and his mom answered. She only spoke spanish but we had her son translate for us.
"You have not been baptized correctly. May we come in?"
What was even more interesting than getting in was when I asked him if he had 5 people in his family, his reply was "Yes."

We taught the mom with the help of her son translating for about 5-10 minutes then explained that some Elders who spoke spanish would come over soon. We left and immediately called the Spanish Elders to go over. they showed up about 10 minutes later and she opened the door and motioned them to come in and asked where the authority was today. As soon as the Spanish Elders sat down to teach, there was a knock at the door. She answered the door and it just so happened to be that she is the sister to one of the Spanish Elders investigators. Apparently teaching the restoration at that time with the new lady helped out their investigator so much. Tell me that wasn't inspired somehow!

Later that night we went to a couple who is unmarried with baptismal dates.
"When do you want to get married?" June 1st, Great! Her daughter will turn 8 the week they are baptized so she will be baptized the saturday before the Sunday the whole family will be confirmed.

We taught a great lesson at the Church. We took this new investigator on a Church tour and started off with the Joseph Smith story. We ended in front of the font with the doors opened and explained that she has not been baptized correctly and extended the commitment for baptism. She said she would pray about it.

Since becoming more bold and getting out of my comfort zone, we have gotten into at least one door every time we have knocked. And lo and behold we quadrupled our lessons in 4 days. Now that I have gotten to a level of comfort with it, I must find the next step of progression. I had better live up to what I said at my own farewell talk - "if you are ever comfortable on your mission, you're not doing something right."

The birthday was weird. When I was reminded that it was my birthday I got a little depressed becomes I am getting so stinkin' old. One of our investigators (the girls' mom) made me a birthday cake which was super delicious and nice of her and I had some chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP.

Best birthday ever.

Love Elder Metcalf (Uncle X2)