A Rather Challenging Week

I am more and more grateful each week for the members of the Church with big families and still raise them in righteousness! There is a quote in PMG on Pg 19 that says. True doctrine understood changes attitudes and behaviors. I know that it has changed my attitude!!!

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful. It got up to 75. I hope it gets warmer so we can take off our suit jackets. If it gets above 80 we can take them off. I am also excited for General Conference because that weekend kicks off the end of Suit Coat Season. We are having Stake Conference next weekend which I am really excited about. Elder Evans of the Seventy is coming to speak to us. So I am pretty excited about that!

How are the gas prices!? They have been sky rocketing here. It doesn't really affect us right now because we gave the car to the Zebulon Elders full time. Elder VanDeren has tendinitis so his knees have really been hurting so I talked to President about it and he has it for the next few weeks. So it will get us out on the bikes more and using members more! It am really excited about it!

Well it was wonderful to see president and his wife this past week. They are really a strength to me. I am thankful to them for always being there for me and for correcting me as well. I am so grateful for the Savior's atonement and I hope that the Lord can forgive me as I try harder to listen to the promptings of the spirit. Thank you!

Well this past week has actually been very challenging for me. A lot of our appointments cancelled this week and I just didn't get why! I know that it is really teaching me patience and love for my investigators. I guess its back to the drawing board. We need to find our brothers and sisters who are prepared to hear about the gospel. In my prayers I have been trying to seek from Heavenly Father what I can do to have those opportunities to find our brothers and sisters who are prepared to hear the gospel. I was reminded quickly its by speaking to everyone and asking everyone for referrals. So that is going to be a goal of mine this week, is really to talk to everyone and even if they aren't prepared they know who is. I hope that with this new direction I will be able to find those who are really prepared to hear the gospel message!

So we had a meeting with Ken O'Brian this week and it was a very hard lesson. We have decided that we are going to have one more lesson with the Bishop there and if he hasn't been reading and praying about the Book of Mormon then he is not ready yet. I have been having a hard time with him and keeping my emotions out of the situation. He is such a great person but that's not what this work is about. Its about finding those who have already been prepared and if they are not prepared at the time then planting that seed and writing it down in the area book for another missionary to harvest that seed. I have really learned this principle this past week. I know that if I can follow the spirit on everything I do that I will be able to know who is prepared and who is not.

We met with Yasmany this week as well. He is such a great guy. He is living with a member at the time being until he gets on his own feet. He is dating the daughter of these members. He really has no Christian Background but seems to be pretty willing to learn more about the gospel. His girlfriend is really against the Church and so its hard for him to accept the truth. We are going to just try and help him read out of the Book of Mormon each day, pray and play basketball with us on Mondays! He has grown up in a very hard situation and doesn't have the support that most people have. We have a lot in common so I hope that we will be able to help him realize that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change his life!

Brother Wellborn is a part member family who we weren't able to meet with this week but he came to church. It was so good to see him there. We have an appointment with him this next week. We are trying to get the ward to fellowship him. I know that if we can get the ward more involved with him that he won't feel pushed into the gospel and that he will be more comfortable at Church.

We have been working a lot with the members on the Ward Mission Process in the first ward! We have been seeing miracles because of it. They are great families. They also have a lot of non-members for friends who they are going to talk about the gospel with! I know that if the ward gets the ward mission process going that it will effect the missionary work in the ward. We are still working with the second ward trying to get them started on the Ward Mission Process. Brother Dixon is going to talk to Bishopric about it. He has brought it up numerous times so hopefully we will be able to get in going in that ward. I would like to talk to President on Thursday about it. Maybe he can help us get it started!

Well I am very grateful to be in this wonderful area. I love Wake Forest! I truly love this people and want to do whatever I can to help them increase their faith in the the Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel that this week that I had a wrestle with the Lord. I felt like Enos. Well I probably said the longest prayer I have ever said and after I had wrestled with the Lord, I felt that the weight was lifted from me. I felt clean! As I fasted for strength to overcome my weaknesses, I felt the power of the atonement. I know that the Lord hears and answer's my prayers. I know that it takes time and patience in being forgiven and that forgiveness is a gift but I am excited to work harder this week and correct those things that do not align my will with the Fathers. I am so very grateful for the power of the Book of Mormon. It truly brings me great comfort as I read it. I know that it is truly the word of God and I have grown closer to my Savior as I have read it and abide by its precepts.

Love Elder Butler