I guess it kinda began on Tuesday last week when I was out contacting. There was a group of punky 20 year olds that I decided to talk to. When they are sitting out on the steps smoking they don't mind listening to anything. Since our goal is to teach on the street I told them about Joseph Smith and the Restoration (Lesson 1). One boy in particular, *, kept popping off and asking inappropriate questions that I answered with a simple testimony of God's love for us. I was surprised in the end when 2 people wanted the book and would also give me their number, including *. I called him on Wednesday night to see if he had read from the book and if he could meet with us the next day. Again, I was a little surprised when he said yes and proceeded to ask me if he could bring a friend.
So Thursday comes and * and his friend * come to the church a little hung over. I couldn't understand what got them there and neither could they, except * said that something I said got him thinking and he couldn't sleep the whole night. Being a semi-skeptic myself I thought...great...they just came because they think we are crazy and they are so bored they have nothing else to do but meet with the crazy Mormon missionaries and laugh at the golden book they saw on that one episode of South Park. Søster J and I took them in the church showed them around and again taught the first lesson, in more detail. * wouldn't say much and wouldn't take off his sunglasses, but * asked a few questions, some still rather disrespectful. He did ask why he couldn't stop thinking about it and why he couldn't sleep. What was interesting was to watch him as we told him about the spirit. He couldn't stop smiling. Later Sister J and I talked about it, we decided he really felt something or he just thought we were crazy. But again, before he left he said to us that there was something about us when we talked about the message that he couldn't explain...and yes, he would meet again on Saturday.
You can imagine how surprised I was when I got a text during language study from * asking if we had time to meet with him Friday morning. Søster J and I already had dependable teaching appointments all day except for at 11, where we had planned to eat. It was already 10:15 but, I told him we could meet at 11. He responded by saying he better go catch the bus now, but he would see us there. So we ended language study and got ready to leave the apartment to get to the church on time. The whole way there I got texts from him apologizing for being rude the day before and other things. When we got in the church we started talking to him about how he was and the things we talked about the other day. We sat down, said a prayer, and asked if he had read from the BoM. He, in fact, had read just a little, but he believed it was true and he could not explain why. He just said he felt so good while he as reading it and while he was in the church and he wanted to learn more. So we taught him about God's plan and how God wants us to be happy. *came half way through the teach and helped us. When it was over, he didn't want to leave. We had a little time to teach * before our next appointment and he asked if he could just stay. * said that would be fine. After that he still didn't want to leave. He and * played Ping Pong and the piano and talked all day while Sister J and I ran around teaching people. Later that night we came back to the church at 6 and our appointment was going to be late. * asked if we could teach him more, so we went with *. We only had about 10 minutes to talk before our teach showed up, but he and * just kept talking. * is a new convert who had to give up smoking; one day after being in the church he forgot to smoke and never smoked again. They even went out to get some dinner and came back to the church to eat it and continue talking. Later were making dinner with * before we taught her a little, so * came into the kitchen to help us. He spent 10 hours in the church that day and talked to everybody that came in or out, since there was a YSA activity there were a lot of people. He said everybody seemed so happy.
Besides *, we had one person call us and tell us he wanted to be baptised (a King of a small region of *...we are still trying to sort through what will happen there). I also got a call from *, a man that I had been calling often but never talked with. I usually would have given up, but I felt like I needed to keep trying to call him even though I felt super annoying. He said he was grateful for my calls and that he wanted to meet us this coming week. We also taught a whole family, that never happens but felt pretty good. And another teach from early in the morning texted me to tell me that he was liking the BoM.
I really was so happy about it all that I couldn't sleep.
* has still been meeting with us everyday. I hope he keeps coming to the church. This is a young kid with so much potential. He is real smart, but he needs some direction. He has no reason for anything right now. Things really started making sense when we taught him about God's Plan. We haven't taught him about the Word of Wisdom yet, but he still wants to stop smoking and drinking. The first time we met him he couldn't sit through a whole teach without going out to smoke...now he only leaves the church a few times in the day. He has seen the Elders here and talked to me a little about serving a mission. He has a really good heart and seems to really feel the spirit...I hope he keeps coming.
That is the hardest part. We have no control over the choices people end up making. Sometimes they just vanish into space after meeting with you for months and you never know where they went. Or they decided to let something stand in the way of them joining the church. You open your heart so big because you want what is best for them and you care so much. It can be real hard when it doesn't work out the way you know would bring them the most happiness. Everything here ends in pure ecstasy or absolute sorrow
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