Week 83 of 101 (4/13-4/19)
Hello!
They say that time flies when you are having fun. I think that is completely true. Time is just flying by, I can't believe that it is already Monday again.
Anyways, we had the some great experience this week. Starting with Shawn. He is the boyfriend of one of the less actives. The first time we saw Shawn was a church, which is the best way to meet someone. We actually thought he was a member when we met him! He and his girlfriend have decided that they want to make church a big part of their relationship, which is a great desire and is the perfect foundation for a very happy and successful relationship. We had a family home evening with them this week and we asked the sister to share a spiritual thought and then we taught a lesson. Incredibly, without coordinating it, we both talked about the eternal marriage! We had a great lesson and we could tell that it is something that they both want. I also thought about happy I am to know that I am sealed to my family forever and that I have the blessings of the temple in my home.
We also were able to start teaching another friend of a member, who they brought to church. I had met her with Elder Hiatt back in December, but she hadn't been quiet ready at the moment. But now she is coming to church and asked us to start visiting as soon as possible. I am amazed at how much a little patience and some help from the members can help someone grow their desire to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is Gods plan for happiness, but sometimes people don't immediately recognize it. They just need a little help from someone they trust. That is why it is so important that every member is a missionary. That is why members need to talk with those they know and not just wait for the missionaries to talk to them, because they might not trust the missionaries, but they will trust them.
This week we have been passing the 100 degree mark, with a nice humidity level as well. We do our best to stay alive by buying shilling waters from the small stores between lessons.
I know the Gospel is true and it blesses me and you!
Elder Vierkant
P.S. I finally am sending pictures.
Week 82 of 101 (4/06-4/12)
Hello!
I hope you all had a fantastic week. I most certainly did. I had some great experiences this week.
First of all, at the beginning of the week, my backpack with my camera and my journal from my whole mission disappeared while we were waiting to write last Monday. I was pretty sad, considering the amount of memories that I had lost in the bag. Although, there didn't seem to be much hope of finding it, I decided to try. So I talked to everyone who I thought might find it- including the trash collectors in case they threw away my journal- and I put up a couple flyers about it. After a few days and a lot of prayers, I got a call from a man who said he had picked up my bag from about the place I had been. I met up with him and I got my bag with all my things inside! It was a miracle!
This week we have been going around showing the "Because He Lives" video, which is on helive.mormon.org. It has a helped us to really spread the message of the Atonement and it has opened the hearts of a lot of people. Some times people don't really understand what we are doing as missionaries, but we have helped explain the true purpose of all we do- to help people to find and follow Jesus Christ in our lives. As we do that, we find safety, protection and the support of the Lord (Deut. 4:29-31).
I am so grateful to be a missionary, I am grateful for the gospel and the peace and happiness that it affords us. I am grateful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us.
Take care and remember, Choose The Right!
Elder Vierkant
Week 81 of 101 (3/30-4/05)
HELLO!
This last week was great! We met new people, did interchanges, and, best of all, got to listen to the prophet of the Lord and also His twelve Apostles! Lots of spiritual growth and opportunities to learn. I am so grateful for all that the Lord does for us and I am grateful for the knowledge of the restored gospel.
However, today I mostly wanted to focus on an experience that my companion and I had last night. Every Sunday, we meet with a member family to help them with their family home evenings. They have the family home evening on Sunday because that is the only time they really have to do it because they have busy jobs. As usual, we showed up to their door and knocked. We waited for them to get the keys and unlock the door. As we entered, I noticed that the mother seemed a bit frazzled. They had visitors and the rambunctious kids were bouncing around the house, playing. This seemed to get compounded by the fact that as we tried to gather everyone together, the video which we were trying to show wouldn't work.
Finally, as we got everything sorted out, we chose to start with a prayer. When we asked who wanted to say the prayer, the six year old little girl volunteered to teach her two year old nephew how to pray. It was one of the sweetest moments I have ever to witnessed as that six year old whispered into her nephews ear the prayer and he tried his very best to copy her. But, perhaps even more importantly was the content of the prayer. That little girl that our Heavenly Father for everything with sincere gratitude. She didn't ask for anything, but just told Her father that she was grateful.
As I thought about the experience afterwards, I thought about the effect the mother was having on her children. Although she was frustrated and may not have seen the fruit of her labors, her daughter was learning from her. What a great example of the effect that parents have on their children as they raise them. It reminds me of a talk from this general conference in which the speaker asked if we sometimes ask children to do things that we aren't willing to do or live. What kind of example are we giving to those around us? Are we dedicating our will to the will of the Lord from our sincere love for Him? Or are we giving a message of twisted hypocrisy as we say one thing and do another? Do we draw near to him with our lips while our hearts are far from him through "casual commandment keeping?"
I know that as we give an example of love and righteousness to those around us, the Lord will bless us. I am grateful for our Savior and the example he gave us. I love the gospel and I am grateful to be a missionary.
Elder Vierkant
