But in my new companionship we were tasked with opening a new sector, aka, start from scratch. IT WAS AWESOME, but at the same time a LOT of work. We are beginning slowly with the members because they have great relationships with the missionaries, but they don't necessarily see us as who we are called to be, namely representatives of Jesus Christ. And so let me tell you that is going to change and it already is.
But outside of working with the members this week we also did a little work ourselves. This week we had a grand total of 234 contacts, (That is a LOT) let me just say the usual weekly contact number in a sector is less than 100. But God blessed us for our diligence. Let me share a few experiences with you:
1. While tracking we found a less active member who is going through a very difficult time she is taking care of (at least trying to) her drug addicted son who is stealing from her and refused help of any kind. Also she is older and her health is failing and on the spiritual side of things she is not doing any better. She told us that she can't even pray, that she tries but nothing comes out and she just needed help. Short story is that after we brought two recently returned missionaries over each of us said a prayer kneeling down with her and after each of us said one we told her, "Try" and she did it and with tears streaming down her face she expressed the feelings of her heart to God.
2. While tracking toward the end of the week at a random house a middle aged guy came out and said "Elders come on in" turns out he was a member who has been less active for 16 years. He wants to come back to church as well as his nonmember wife and 15 year old daughter. They told us they want to be sealed in the temple because they want an eternal family.
3. We went to a daughter of an investigator (he told us not to go because they wouldn't let us in) so we went there knocked on the door and a lady answered (she just had a baby Wednesday) with cleaning gloves on and said "hey I'm really busy right now, but come back tomorrow at 6:30 and I'll be here" so we said okay and started to walk away, but we got no farther than their gate when I remembered we had another meeting at that time we stood there for about five minutes discussing what we should do when out of no where we heard "hey, hey come on in I'm not busy anymore" We went in, taught them, they said they knew we were representatives of Jesus Christ and that they would follow what we said. WOW!
4. Last one-- We were contacting Sunday night at the edge of our sector we knock on a door and a lady answers it, before we can say anything she says 'come on in' like its normal. She and her husband commenced to tell us that a friend who was a member of the church had just called and was on the way over with the missionaries and they had thought it was us. Well about fifteen minutes later (after the family decided to be baptized) a yellow van pulled up beside the house and a member came out with our Zone leaders....apparently there are two streets in that area that aren't in our sector, but in the zone leaders sector...... those two streets don't even connect to their sector though, weird. But on the other hand us (my companion and I) showing up was a sign to them that this was the path that God wants them to follow....
I know that God blesses us when we work hard and diligently so do just that.
I love each of you very much.
Much Love,
Elder Hutchins
