Exhausted

Marko January 22, 2013 3 Comments

Dear Family and Friends,

There is only one word to describe how I have felt lately, especially this last week: exhausted.

I am so tired! All the time! When we wake up to do our morning run, I am almost falling asleep as we go! We are working so hard and trying to get so much done. All I want to do today now that we have p-day is sleep… but I know that will NOT happen because p-day is basketball day.

Anyway… there have been lots of ups and downs this week. It’s too complicated to talk about all of it, so I’m not even going to try. Sorry.

Juan

First off, we have had two lessons with Juan Padilla this last week that kind of took a wrong turn. We brought a member with us that really just railed him and laid into him hard. He was trying to be really bold with Juan but I think Juan just got mad. He called us yesterday morning and said he would not be going to church and he is sorry but he doesn’t want us to teach him anymore. He will keep reading the Bible and praying, but he will not be joining our church, he said. He said he is sorry and he is thankful for all the help we gave him. He said at the beginning of our teaching him, he liked it and he felt something powerful, but lately as all we have been talking about is baptism, he just doesn’t like it anymore. He thought we were pushing him. That member we took with us this week definitely was. I feel really bad, because we are taught to stress baptism. But anyway, Juan dropped us.

The Maldonado’s came to church and said that there has even been a lot of contention in the home since they live with Juan. He has made a night and day change. All of a sudden he doesn’t treat them well anymore and him and his wife are being mean to the Maldonado’s kids. I think that’s what the loss of the spirit does. He hasn’t been coming to church. I feel especially sad for Juan’s daughters. They were so sweet. But now their mother is forcing them to want to go to the Catholic church. But they don’t want to go. Anyway, it’s a mess. I love the Maldonado family and they have helped us a lot with him. I love Juan’s family too. But at least for now, there will be a break. Maybe it will be a good thing. Either way, it was pretty heart breaking.

Something Good… Isabel and Jesus

Last night though, there was some really good news that helped to take the pain away. Let me tell this story from the beginning.

A couple of weeks ago during hour of power we went to a trailer park and started knocking. The first door we knocked a lady named Isabel came out and we talked for a little bit about the restoration. She told us that her husband was inside and he was a drunk and abusive and he didn’t want her to talk to us, but she has always been confused by all the different religions and she wanted us to come back and teach her. We both felt good about her as we walked away, but she wasn’t there for our appointment. We kept trying every time we were in that area, but to no avail.

One night, she came out again, and said that she couldn’t talk to us because her husband was home, but she had tears in her eyes and told us “Please come back. I need to talk to you. I need your message in my life.” She also commented that she saw us shining and she was getting goosebumps just looking at us. She promised she would be there for our appointment this time. She wasn’t.

Usually I would have crossed her name off of our list for missing two appointments and wouldn’t have tried her again, but for some reason, we kept trying. This last Friday, we were out with a member in that area and we decided to try her. She opened and let us in! We had a great visit with her where we shared about our purpose as missionaries. She told us about the hardships in her life. She said that she hasn’t seen her brother in months because they got in a fight and she doesn’t even know where he lives and she is praying that he will just come visit her so she can say she is sorry. She also told us about her previous addictions to drugs and alcohol, and that her husband is abusive but wants to change. She offered the prayer at the end of our visit and started crying. She said she felt something warm from her head to her toes, something she has never felt before. We told her it was the Holy Ghost. “Come back tomorrow and I will have this pamphlet (the restoration pamphlet) read all the way through.”

We went back Saturday and she was there. We had a member with us again, and we taught her the restoration. She had read the whole pamphlet and everything we said, she understood. She wanted us to come back again the next day to teach her husband and to teach her about the Book of Mormon.

Last night, we knocked on her door. Her husband answered. While we waited in the living room of the trailer for her to come out of her room, he told us he wanted to change. He knew about the Mormon faith and wanted us to tell him everything we knew and he said he wanted to become a member. Eventually she came back down the hall and said, “Elders, you will never believe what happened today! My brother came to visit me this morning! And guess what he gave me?” In her hand was a Book of Mormon. Her brother had randomly decided to visit her that morning and make amends with her and gave her a book of Mormon. Someone had given it to him at work and he had decided to bring it to her. We taught her husband the Restoration. She testified the whole time. Even though we had just taught this to her for the first time only the day before, she was telling him how this was the only true church and they need to get baptized in it.

We have an appointment this Tuesday night with them and we will come with President Garcia and set a date for the 23rd of February. I am amazed at how quickly this all happened, and especially how well she understood the meaning of the restoration. “None of the other churches are true.” She said over and over. She has read everything we have given her and studied it. She and her husband are awesome! It’s a dream come true! She knows that she felt something and she can’t deny it. All of this good is happening in her life the past three days since we have started visiting her and she has started believing our message. Her brother is talking to her, she feels the spirit, and her husband is acting better. It’s amazing. Please pray for her, hopefully this goes well! Her husband’s name is Jesus.

Camelia

Camelia wasn’t able to come to church this week. But, we have had really good lessons with her as well and I think we are progressing. We have a couple investigators that are starting to grow and progress. The next step will be to get them to church.

Anyway, I’m not sure what else to talk about. Elder Jones and I are doing good. Can’t believe our time together is halfway over. We are getting along. We kind of had a breakthrough this week in our companionship. It’s not that we weren’t getting along, we just have different personalities. But we talked it out. We still have differences, but we are working through them. Literally. Anytime he bugs me, I just work harder. It works.

Well, I love y’all. The church is true! Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Viitanen

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