My companion and I have been trying to work more with the members to both improve our relation with them as well as to get them animated to participate in mission work. As we talked with the members this week these are some of their comments
"Last year the missionaries came to our house at midnight on New Years Eve and pretended to rob us, you guys are going to do that too right???
"Hey why don't you guys play pranks on us, all the old missionaries used to do it, like that time they put shaving cream in my slipper in the middle of the night..."
And my personal favorite
"What! The missionaries cant play Call of Duty with us anymore, wow you guys cant do anything!!!"
But this week was a good one because we accomplished a lot! I love working with the members especially now that they understand our purpose as missionaries. We are working better with our leaders and currently are planning a movie night for this Saturday, we are going to watch the Other Side of Heaven and it is going to be an awesome activity, we are inviting less actives, active members, recent converts, and investigators. I have found that one of the biggest problems for many of these people is that they don't have any solid support systems in the church. Hopefully this will solve that problem at least a little bit.
Also this week my companion and I were contacting on our way home at night and we contacted this catholic lady and it was hilarious because she kept nodding her head and agreeing with everything we said and randomly would sign a cross with her hand and say "yes yes, blessings, blessings" as she touched my companions arm and chest... we ended that contact a bit early.
Also we went to the less active member who has a drug addict son and we actually met him for the first time this week in just a week of meeting with us I can clearly see that there are some changes taking place, don't get me wrong we have a long way to go, but God is helping him along. For example his old bishop who he hasn't seen for like 20 years stopped by to talk to him, another old friend of his did the same. He actually stayed at home all day for a few days this week (he hasn't done that for months) to spend time with his two year old daughter. I know that God is going to continue to help him, but also that it is going to be hard, but little by little.
Lastly this week during my studies one morning something I had heard before hit me, Elder Holland told us that as missionaries we must "go where the investigators are before we can bring them to where we want them to be" it is a very interesting concept, but it applies to more than just missionaries work, it applies to life. If we want to be able to help someone, a close friend, a stray child, really anyone first we must look at things through their eyes and try to see things the way they see things and then we will be know what it is that they need to come back, or to come for the first time. Also when we do this it makes it a whole lot easier to love them, to love that drunk guy on the street who always offers a drink to the missionaries or to love the closed off atheist and also makes it easier to love you companion.
I love each of you and am praying for you "without ceasing"
Elder Hutchins
