Elder Tanner Leishman Serving in the Washington DC South Mission: Week # 5

This has been a crazy/weird week to say the absolute least. I'm so
very surprised how many people open up to us about their personal life
or marriage problems because we are missionaries. I'm so thankful my
call packet didn't say, "You are hereby called to counsel every person
on marital problems or personal situations and make sure you give them
the correct advice." Thanks goodness we are encouraged to NOT say
anything regarding personal situations and just refer them all to our
ward bishop. Man, I can only imagine what it's like being a bishop. I
mean I see the stuff that gets said to missionaries regarding those
personal situations. It would kill me to be a bishop and hear
everyone's problems 24/7. So yeah, that's weird that people open up to
us like that. I don't want to get into details. Freaks me out thinking
about it. Lol.

So on Monday we had a lesson with one of our investigators named
Jarman. This kid is a literal genius. He just graduated high school
(my same graduating class). He was like valedictorian and is going to
Davidson (where Steph Curry went). He told us when we first started
meeting with him and asked him what he wants out of our lessons, he
said, "I just want to learn how to be a better man." Like this kid is
so mature unlike most of the kids in high school or just graduated
which is so awesome. The only thing is, his mom is like super
anti-Mormon, which might lead to some conflict lol. But we had a
lesson at this frozen yogurt place across from our apartment. We
talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and where it came from and stuff
like that. It went really well and we invited him to read the
introduction and the 3 testimonies in the beginning of the book. We
texted him later in the week and asked how his reading was going, and
he replied, "question provoking, when can we meet?" We told him we
could meet the next day and we asked him what specifically he wanted
to talk about. He said, "the first 5 chapters of 1 nephi." Elder
mcinerny and I were both astonished. He had read way above and beyond
what we invited him to do. We met up with him the next day and had an
awesome talk with him about what he had read! Hopefully we can get
another lesson in with him before he leaves to go to school!

On Tuesday night we played basketball. Not street ball. Not half
court. Real, full court, 5 on 5, basketball. Holy cow it was awesome.
One of our investigators named Sean came and played with us. So I mean
an investigator was there, everything goes right? Lol. But we got to
play for about an hour and a half which was so much fun. It was so
nice to be back really ballin again. Made me miss the good ole days
when we had games at the thunderdome. But Sean is awesome. He and his
girlfriend/fiancé of 3 years are both investigating the church. They
have two little girls named Angelie and Heaven. Stephanny (his
girlfriend/fiancé) is awesome. She is actually set for baptism which
is totally cool. She has so much faith. I almost can relate her to
neeta and the desire she has to serve God. She has gained a testimony
of the Book of Mormon and the things we are teaching her. She's knows
it all is true and wants to be baptized. The only thing is, they need
to get married. We might have to postpone her baptism if they can't
get married in time. They want to have a big production with a whole
bunch of family and go on a big vacation. But we are trying to
convince them to just get married civilly and do the big trip later!
Crazy stuff. I'm excited to see where it goes.

On Saturday morning we were able to go to the DC temple and do a
session which was hands down the best part of the week (it beat out
playing ball). We were able to do the 8:30am session because some
members from our ward took us. The DC temple is absolutely beautiful.
You come around this corner on the freeway and it's like BOOM, temple,
right in your face. It's awesome. They say they had to dim the lights
shining on the temple because it was causing accidents on the freeway
it was so bright. But the temple brought me so much peace and comfort.
It's crazy whenever I go to the temple I feel like the things of the
world just get blocked out and I can focus on the most important
things going on in my life. The temple is like a fortress or a
sanctuary. Whenever you enter, you feel safe, you feel peace, you feel
loved by your Heavenly Father.

Earlier in the week I was studying in 2 Nephi chapter 33. And this is
really the last testimony Nephi can offer to us because we know right
after this he ends up passing away. But in this chapter he talks about
so many things that pertain to missionary work. In the first verse he
says:

"For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of
the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of man."

This is the whole purpose of missionary work. To be able to teach by
the spirit and have the spirit touch the persons life. We are just
18-20 year old kids. We have no idea how to be proficient in
persuading people to utilize the gospel. That's what the spirit is
for. We just need to make sure we are conscious of the promptings of
the Holy Ghost and say those things at the correct time that will
help the spirit touch someone's heart. In verse 3 he says:

"For I pray continually for them by day and mine eyes water my pillow
by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know
that he will hear my cry."

As missionaries we very rarely try to think about ourselves. Our whole
focus should be on how we can serve others. That's one of the great
things about a mission. I could care less what I look like or who
judges me because all I have to worry about is everyone the Lord puts
in my path. My favorite verse of the chapter is verse 14, he says:

"14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect
the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall
proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you
an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last
day."

Nephi is such a BOSS for that verse. He is basically saying "if you
don't listen to my words and the words of Christ, peace out because I
won't be seeing you in the celestial kingdom." Ha I love that so much.
I don't know about you guys, but I look up to Nephi so much and I want
to meet him someday. When we listen to the words of scripture and
actually put them into practice, we will know without a doubt that the
way we are living our lives is ordained of God and through those
practices and enduring to the end, we will return to live with our
Heavenly Father again. And I just like Nephi in verse 12, "I pray the
Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved
in his kingdom at that great and last day." I pray for every single
one of my friends and family every day that they will take advantage
of this great gospel and make it a priority in their lives. You will
be blessed for doing such. I am a personal witness.

Peace and Blessings,

Elder Leishman