Dear Friends,
Well, we had some crazy weather this past Thursday night/Friday morning also. It got very very icy, so we couldn't drive the cars. Anyway, I was on exchange and so we couldn't get back with our usual companions until Saturday morning. Fine with me.
It just wasn't fun to work in that kind of weather because we figured if cars are no good, then probably bikes will be no good either (especially if one of you is rocking a road bike with super thin tires) so we were just hoofin' it. It's always an adventurous trek with us though... slip sliding all over the sidewalk.
Needless to say, I was out of my area for a couple of days, so I don't really know what's going on with our investigators right now. I will tell you that we met with our investigator Elijah on Saturday and it just didn't go well. We had decided to drop him and he didn't take it very well, but he wasn't letting us teach him, so there was really no point for us to go back. It was just really tough cause I love and care about him, but he just didn't care about what we had to say anymore.
So you can imagine the enormity of my surprise when he strolls into church on Sunday! Well, everyone was very nice and welcoming as always (it may have helped that we didn't actually tell anyone that we had decided to stop meeting with him) and he was as well, so I was going to reconsider based on our experience that day. Well, by the end of Gospel Principles he had been somewhat disruptive and afterward derailed the Elders Quorum lesson. He wanted to meet with our bishop. I talked to Bishop later about how it went and he confirmed that we should probably just stop seeing him because their meeting was also not a pleasant experience.
And that was our crazy weekend. It was real tough for me though because Elijah just has so much faith and obviously loves the Lord, but somehow grew antagonistic towards our message. You gotta do what you gotta do I suppose.
I share that because it's probably been my toughest experience yet with an investigator on my mission. It's kinda emotionally stressful, but I'll make it through. He supports me just as promised in Alma 36:3.
OMGoodness. I had another TERRIFYING experience at sacrament meeting yesterday. So about half an hour before the meeting I had set my bag down on a pew in the chapel and then went to greet people and wait for investigators. Well, at 1 o'clock p.m. I walk into the chapel just before the meeting begins and who is sitting in my pew but the Eddy family. Normally, not a problem but their daughter was on the outside next to my bag!!! HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sis. Eddy would chop my head off if I sat down, so I had to nonchalantly grab my bag and sit behind them. Well they noticed and rearranged so I could sit where I'd originally planned. They just love me so much. But not enough for me to be allowed to sit next to their daughter... which is totally fine. Elder Henriquez has put me in an extremely awkward position with them with that "Elder Grabinger LOVES daughters" comment... It's real weird.
And now this whole letter is real awkward...
Well, transfers is next week and Sis. Eddy has said that she put in a word to President Irion that I need to leave the area for obvious reasons. So.... fingers crossed! (She hasn't really though, this is just a joke that has grown way too much and so my relationship with that family kinda revolves around it now. Elder Henriquez...........)
Okay, well I watched the new mormon.org video this week for Lindsey Sterling and she seems INCREDIBLE at what she does. That was pretty cool.
Last thing, One thing I've learned this week is the importance of understanding and charity in this work. D&C 12:8 is so true. We met Bishop at an appointment with one of our investigators this week and she was just telling him how helpful we were because we actually sat and listened to her and tried to help her with the problems and challenges that she faces rather than just preach to her. That was a real eye-opener because it is so easy to share what you know and just deliver a sermon, but real missionary work is about helping people with the real struggles they face in life and helping them increase their faith in Jesus Christ to do it.
I've learned so much on my mission and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity it has been. There's no other experience like it.
I hope you all have a great week. God bless you!
Love
Elder Grabinger
P.S. If you had your package shipped to the mission office and it's not being shipped by USPS, I probably won't get it until transfers next week because they may not be able to forward it.
No comments:
Post a Comment