One of the Best Weeks in Kingwood

Marko April 16, 2013 0 Comments

Dear Family and Friends,

So here’s a sweet mission miracle for you guys… this whole weekend I have been feeling like garbage! I caught a crazy cold and my nose and chest and throat have all been out of whack and my head’s been pounding like crazy. Elder Owens asked if I wanted to go home yesterday after church but I’ve never taken a sick day and I’m not about to start now! So we just bossed it out anyway. But I will say when we got to the McCain’s for dinner I was really relieved.

Anyway last night I said a little prayer so that I will feel better today and be able to play basketball… haha and I woke up and my nose is still a little runny and my voice is really deep but other than that I feel great! It’s a miracle! I’m so happy.

#yesit’sthatimportant

One of the Best Weeks Here

Well this was one of the best weeks Elder Owens and I have had. Right out the gate, Monday night, we found three new investigators. We have been able to find a lot of new people. It was really crazy.. we knocked some apartments on Monday night because our dinner appointment didn’t go through. A man named Jesus answered and let us in. We talked for a while, but he said he is Catholic. He did say we could come back when his family is around though. And then we asked him for referrals. He said there is a family upstairs that go to the same catholic church but they should let us in. We knock on the door and an elderly couple answers the door and lets us in. They sit us down and on the table is a framed picture of their son with “Elder White” from a long time ago. I just remember thinking, “what the heck?” haha they told us their son was baptized a long time ago in Honduras and when he came here he stopped going and went inactive, but that we should come back Sunday night because that’s when he will be home and he will be happy to see us. So we went by last night and he opened the door and said, “Elders, every time I ask God for help, he’s answered right away, and he always sends the missionaries.” turns out Monday morning he had been praying and telling God that he wants to come back to church and he wants to repent and change and that night is when we knocked on his door… pretty sweet! His name is Josue. He’s got earrings and really curly long hair. he’s super cool. His family isn’t members and he is living with someone. but we were really glad to get to meet them! It was an awesome experience!

As for an update on some investigators…

Cosme

Well, we met with Cosme and he said that he is having a hard time believing that Joseph Smith was a prophet. We talked about a lot of things, but mostly I remember saying, “Cosme, there are plenty of physical evidences for the Book of Mormon, but the only one that matters is the one that comes from the Holy Ghost.” As we closed our visit with a prayer, I saw a scene in my mind. I don’t know if it was a vision or my imagination or what. but it was really detailed and I can still remember it perfectly. I saw Cosme and his wife Maria standing in front of the temple. they had just been sealed. I had never seen that temple before, but I know it wasn’t the Houston one. I could see it so clearly.

I can tell this has been hard on his wife. She really wants him to join the church, obviously. She is so sweet. I love that family. they really all are awesome, Cosme too! He wants me to be his workout partner haha. but he didn’t come to church with us yesterday. His wife came up to us crying and she said to me, “Elder, last time you came to our house, you said you have some evidences of the Book of Mormon. can you bring them?” I guess Cosme has been checking out a bunch of anti Mormon stuff and he is starting to believe that God is answering his prayers through that stuff. Well I’ve got a ton of evidences and proofs, and cool facts but most of them are in English. but I guess if that’s what he wants we can show him. I just know that it wont’ go anywhere until he truly humbles himself and asks God…

Daisy

… we only got to see her once. She said she hasn’t really been praying or reading, and she said she would come to church but didn’t. I’m not sure what more we can do, but we will keep trying.

Isabel and Ronaldo

There is a family we have been teaching, Isabel and Ronaldo. They aren’t married and have three teenage kids. Things have never really progressed. This week, we taught them all together for the first time and they all expressed they wanted to be baptized, even the kids! I guess one of them overdosed on drugs and wants to turn his life around now. They also talked about getting married! So we set a date for baptism for the 18th of May. We will have to figure out a wedding before then, but it won’t be the first time I’ve been involved with that, so the experience helps 🙂 Another day, we had a lesson with just two of the kids, Alex (11) and Edgar (14). It went really well. You can tell that Isabel is just filled with so much hope of the gospel is bringing into her family as opposed to the worry and sadness there was before. We are really excited for them! It’s the most progression we have seen from them.

Ruby and Juan Juarez

When I first got into the area, we got a referral from the English sisters. We went by several times but no one was ever home. One day, the garage was open, and a Hispanic lady was working out in the garage (it’s a pretty nice neighborhood). We told her who we were and she said, “you are the men my husband has been waiting for, come in.” So we met Ruby and Juan Juarez. They are probably in their late thirties and just have one little boy. They are a sweet couple. They joke around and laugh a lot. Rhey act really young, I guess. He should have been a stand up comedian or something, he just has that personality. Reminds me of George Lopez. Anyway, they both really want to learn more about the church and change their lives. He is almost always gone because he is an airline attendant. We have only been able to meet with them a few times, but we found out that Ruby is friends with one of our members, who brought her to church yesterday! (Juan was working) One day, he had just come back from Chicago and he brought us a huge bag of some of Chicago’s famous cheddar cheese and caramel popcorn, just for us! haha it was awesome! Anyway he has really interested me in working for an airline when I get home (not as an attendant, of course) but something I can do in SLC and bilingual. he said he would hook me up haha. It would be cool to do while in school. Plus… free rides anywhere!!!

I decided that running is the best thing ever. Yeah… I know, I’m surprised too. But I just feel so good when I do it. I think I am in the quickest shape I have ever been in. I can move around a court or a soccer field faster than I ever have before, and it’s all thanks to sprints. I wish I would have done more of those back in high school when I thought I was invincible!

Well… better get going! I love y’all! This church is true!

Love

Elder Viitanen

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