least. We were able to start teaching a new investigator and have a
couple other lessons with just a lot of potential investigators. I
think missionaries are the ones who invented the struggle. Whether
it's someone not showing up to a lesson, not being home for a set
appointment, canceling right before the lessons, or not showing up to
church. Literally the struggle. And it seems to happen more often than
not which is horrible. It makes you super frustrated. Like I find
myself not even worrying about whats happening but rather trying to
get people to come to church.
On Monday night we were able to teach a lesson to one of our new
investigators named Emma. She just graduated from high school and is
going off to college soon. She works at the frozen yogurt store by our
apartment so we go in there while she's working and teach her a lesson
when she's not busy. She is awesome. She just has a genuine desire to
learn more about what we believe and what not. She has been all around
the world because her parents work for the foreign service which is
cool. I think they just moved back from Chile. And something cool
happened when we were in there teaching her on Monday night. So we
were talking to her and a customer came up to pay for their stuff and
then when they were done paying, they started asking me questions
about the Book of Mormon. So he sat down and I was able to teach him
all about the church and the Book of Mormon and what not. At the same
time, elder McInerny was teaching Emma her lesson. It was super cool.
Almost like killing two birds with one stone. The only down part is
that the kid I was teaching lives in Northeast DC. So we will have to
pass him off to the DC North missionaries.
We were able to see our investigator Stephanny a couple times this
week which was really good. She was supposed to get baptized this past
Saturday but things didn't really work out with that so we are trying
to find another date for her to be prepared to be baptized. She is
chugging along. Pushing through the trials of everyday life. She is
starting to realize that the gospel will help her through all the hard
times she is going through which is super good. We couldn't get her
out to church which was a bummer but we will try again next week.
On Tuesday we had to give our car to another set of missionaries that
needed it for the day on Wednesday. So we were put on bike. Which, I'm
not going to lie is super fun! So we gave them the car Tuesday night
and Wednesday morning we said we were going to bike to the furthest
part of our area and finish tracting a set of apartment complexes that
we have been working on. So as soon as we step out the door, bike and
side bag at the ready, it starts to pour. Just raining cats and dogs.
So, being the adventurous missionaries we are, we decided to follow
through with our plans and biked all the way to the apartments in the
rain. It was so much fun. But it was so freaking humid once the rain
stopped and the sun came up. You could see the humidity just steaming
off the road. It was fogging up my sunglasses lol. But yeah, we got
all sweaty and gross just to go knock on people's doors and ask them
to let us in and teach them a lesson. I could see why some people
would say no lol.
On Sunday we were able to attend a New and Returning Member Fireside.
It's a meeting where a whole bunch of people who just joined the
church or who are returning to activity tell their conversion stories!
It's super sweet and I felt the spirit so strong in that meeting! One
of the recent convert from our ward was speaking and it was so cool to
hear her tell her side of the conversion story. I was also able to see
a few of my other missionary friends that are going home this week and
I got to say goodbye to them just in case I don't see them again.
Oh, this week is transfer week! I'm pretty sure elder McInerny and I
are both staying together in Falls Church but who knows. We will have
to see on Tuesday. Tuesday is the day that all the assistants will
call and tell us whether or not we are getting transferred. Then on
Thursday is the transfer meeting. So usually you only go to the
transfer meeting if you are being transferred. The only time all the
missionaries will go is if President calls a whole mission conference.
So if I'm not getting transferred I won't go to the meeting but you
never know what can happen.
This week I was studying in the book of Enos. Even though it's only
one chapter long, I think it's one of the best books in the Book of
Mormon. The chapter starts out with Enos talking about the "wrestle"
he had before God to receive the remission of his sins. I can totally
relate to Enos because I feel like there have been so many times in my
life and on my mission where I have felt that I have had to "wrestle"
before God to receive the forgiveness that everyone yearns for. But I
like in the verse that he says he did not wrestle with God, but he
"wrestled before God". He was basically trying to say that he was
struggling to find the words to express the desires of his heart under
the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This means that he was bypassing
all the repetitive or repetitious things in his prays and sincerest
pouring out the desires of his heart. I have seen this on my mission
where I've been so lost and confused where I just throw my everything
at Heavenly Father in prayer. It's almost like you aren't even saying
the words of the prayer but you are just listening as the Holy Ghost
speaks through you.
My favorite verse of the chapter is verse 8, it's the Lord talking to
Enos. He says, "And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ,
whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away
before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy
faith hath made thee whole." What I really like about this is that his
faith did not come quickly. He had to wrestle before God before he
could have a witness for himself.
The rest of the chapter basically talks about Enos and his astonishing
faith. In verse 15 the Lord says to Enos, "Whatsoever thing ye shall
ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ,
ye shall receive it." This comes right after Enos has asked the Lord
to preserve the record of his people. It's amazing to see the amount
of faith that Enos has in the Lord. I strive everyday to have the most
faith I possibly can, but some days when you're going through a rough
time, it always seems like we question our faith or our faith begins
to shake. We need to be like Enos in verse 11, "And after I, Enos, had
heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord," we need
to gain that sure foundation on our faith so when times get tough, we
have solid ground to stand on.
Love,
Elder Leishman
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| A member in my ward created this for me. |
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| A member made pancakes - I could only eat one! lol!! |
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