October

Email sent Monday 11 October 2010

We had some many complications with some investigators this week. Y....., our investigator who came to conference last week, is going through something really hard right now. We talked on Wednesday or so. She wouldn't tell us more, but she said she couldn't live in her apartment anymore and is now at her mom's house but can't meet with us there. So we are praying for her that something can be worked out and we can find a way to keep teaching her and that she can find a place to live.

Also C......... We had this big fast this weekend with him and we promised him he would get an answer. But after we finished it when we went over he still said he didn't feel anything. We really don't know what to do with him. He is a "progressing investigator" by the numbers but he's really not progressing to baptism. We want to help him so bad, but everything we try doesn't seem to work. He is keeping all of his commitments. He reads, prays, fasts, stopped drinking, smoking, started exercising only because we mentioned the word of wisdom being the Lord's plan of health, comes to church, really thinks about the questions we leave him to think about. He is doing everything...except one thing, he says he can't leave his friends behind. And he has some pretty bad friends. He says he knows that baptism is what God wants for him but he is not ready because he doesn't want to just take it lightly, he wants to be sure that he won't mess up afterwards. We decided that he needs a week break from us and so we started that last night and I guess we will see if anything changes by Saturday. Sister Morrill says he's the hardest investigator she's ever had. It was so hard to tell him we couldn't come by for a week. Tears were almost shed. Someday...he will be ready.

On the up note, we found 9 new investigators this week and we are really excited to teach them and see how they can progess. The S....... family is AWESOME!!! S..... had a surgery this week and they were really struggling financially and they didn't know if they would have money to pay tithing and for the medications he needed, but they decided not to dip into the tithing fund and his medicare randomly ended up covering the medication that it should not have covered. MIRACLE! Also, he met this guy somewhere and somehow the guy found out that he was mormon and told him he wanted to come visit him sometime and so S..... said of course. The guy came over on Saturday night and was apparently going off on them about how Mormons are a cult and showing them all this anti stuff and just bringing up every anti arguement possible. V..... said she got really offended, and just told him she was never going to believe him because he is saying he is all christian but he never once showed them any love, he just came into there house and tried to start tearing down their faith, and S.... just sat there calmly and told him that the reason he became LDS is because he prayed and knows for himself that it is true. After the guy left S..... and V..... asked each other if that guy had given them any doubts about their faith, and they both said "No way." They both came to church yesterday just as happy as can be. S..... kept saying, "I love my church." THEY ARE SO AWESOME!

Also we knocked into the FedEx guy that delivers to the mission office. He said that we (the missionaries) keep them in business.

We may or may not have almost been eaten by a rattlesnake on Saturday. We were crossing this sketchy field and it sure sounded like there was one nearby, but we ran and we are still alive, rattlesnake bite-less. But we do have TONS of ant bites and probably spider bites. Our legs are always covered.

Saturdays from 11-4 are now bike/walk days. So we were out and about walking far so that we can be seen and people will now of our presence here in South Texas.

Brandy, I loved your pictures. You are such a senior. Looks fun.

Dad, sorry fishing wasn't that good, but I'm sure it was fun anyway. You better carve some good pumpkins without me this year.

Mom, thanks for always writing me, (I know dad "helps"). P.S. happy birthday coming up!!! How old are you going to be? I hope you do something fun!

That's all for this week. Hope you all (friends, family, wardies) are doing really well and that you send me more letters... and maybe a package would be fun too. Thanks. Just kidding...but really. :)

I love you all.

Hermana Melinda Petersen