Dear Family,
So again we've had a great week, we've done a bit of tracting and found some success there. We got to meet a lot of cool and interesting people. On Monday we met this guy L who let us in his office (the garage) and talked about life and church for about an hour,which was great because it was way better than tracting at that time. He’s 30, recently married, and dirt bikes. He looked pretty rough but wasn't at all. While we were there his dog happened to escape the garage but we eventually found it.
Tuesday we met J. He was about to do some yard work, talked to us for an hour and a half and then had to go. He lives in the southern part of town but real recently started a lawn care type business. He’s 21, and has been studying the Bible and theology for 7 years and is preparing to be a pastor. He was a really cool guy, we talked a lot about the Bible, and our church, he was very set in his beliefs, but very respectful and good to talk with... He thought and discussed a lot in the same way I feel I do, he reminded me of myself, but with different views. We opened his eyes a bit to some things he couldn’t answer, but not too fully. He said he had a read quite a bit of the Book of Mormon, but would read it, and pray, but he felt gyped because he didn’t have his Bible in his car which had his markings to discuss things,and he wasn’t allowed to give us anything to read ...but he did have a book in his car he wanted us to read. So hopefully he feels the spirit and reads and prays with sincerity. He’s a really good guy, and really does live what he believes and all, and it was real eye opening to hear a lot of the viewpoints he had and different interpretations and understandings. We talked a lot about the nature of God, our purpose, the Godhead, and family. He compared the Godhead to a Father, Mother and Son, or a simple family (he believed in the trinity), and really recognized the value of family, but did not believe they were forever (didn’t think it impossible but saw no reason to believe it). He saw the family as God’s quick route to sanctification, as it provides us with the opportunity to enjoy so many of God’s gifts, while also committing your self to SO much selflessness and service. So he saw it as a marvelous God given mechanism, but not as a building block for His kingdom or anything. But anyways that was fun, and he wants us to come play volleyball with him and his friends some time, which is too bad we can’t, and he said he’ll take us to lunch sometime when he’s in this part of town which would be good, I really want to hear how things have gone.
But yeah, we had a lot of cancellations this week, but we met a lot of others tracting and all. And then last night we visited the P family which was awesome. Awhile ago I mentioned meeting the grandmother of a less active family, who talked about a set of home teachers. We went back there, knocked, and the grandma was actually still in town until tomorrow. The 16 year old girl J(whose mother is totally inactive, but the church has been part of her life,but she has really fallen away, but occasionally comes to seminary and activities, but feels judged and all that) answered, and then her grandma came out, and we shared like a 45 minute lesson, she talked a lot about her different feelings, when she came to know the church was true about a year ago,(baptized at 8), but talked about all the challenges and temptations, and difficulties of having a mother who is inactive, and the conversations she’shad with her. She said she asked her mom, and her mom said "I believe its true but I don’t want someone telling me how to live my life" so she’s confused about it all, has great LDS friends, but they’re not her main friend base. Then the 13 year old daughter came out, and we continued our lesson, which was awesome and the Spirit was strong and we closed with a prayer. Then the grandmother invited us in, we realized the step dad had come downstairs, and so we went in and met him, and I kind of gathered he had come down and just listened discretely from the couch through the door to our conversation. So we met him, he was very solid, which was a surprise since no members even mentioned trying on him or the mother, but just the kids. The step dads name is RP, he’s like 30-35, and came to the US from the Philippines at like age 12 I believe. His families mixed between Jehovah’s Witness and Catholic, but he hasn’t been anything religious his whole time in the US. But he did say he had an LDS grandfather who he remembers taking him to church as a very young boy in the Philippines, and singing in Primary. But that grandfather passed away a while back. But R was very quiet and really soaked a lot in, the Spirit was strong, and he would love to have us back, and the daughters really wanted us to come back (even just for them) which was amazing. R is all tatted and has some studs on his teeth, looks rough, and plays point guard for some local men’s team or something and sounds pretty good. He just looks extremely fast. But so we haven’t met the mother yet but should soon, and I really am excited for this. And J is going to seminary today which is awesome. She did for awhile because she felt indebted to some of the families and teachers who have been there for her whole life, but now wants to make it more regular, and she really got a glimpse for what her family can become, through her efforts and example, and I think she really wants it.
Then we visited I at 8:30, he’s 90, got married during World War 2, after fighting quite a bit, then got married before it was over, his grandfather had 9 wives,and he had a great, great grandchild... and he’s in amazing health. He got up so fast, smack his dog and pick it up and throw it in another room. But anyways his wife was also in great shape but fell 5 days ago and broke her pelvis so he’s been distraught. She’s probably going to come home today, and they’re helping her relearn to walk already after a broken pelvis at age 87... So I really hope the best for them, he really appreciated our visit. It’s taken a huge toll on him. All 5 days he’s been at the hospital with her from 7 am to 8pm. But he was really funny, he’s got so many pictures of his grand and great and great, great grandkids, and he’s got no idea who any of them are. But he had some amazing stories about experiences he’s had, but he’s not like most old men, he tells ones that are great, relevant, and he keeps them really brief. But when we left we saw him staring at us out the window until we drove away (at 920 last night) but it was amazing to see how much he cared.
But that’s most of what’s been going on recently. But Monday playing basketball I sprained my ankle, which I haven’t done in several years, so that’s been a learning process, and I’m bummed I probably won’t play basketball today, but it’s healing quick.
But thank you everyone for your support and all and hopefully I’ll get better at writing, but today we might be outside and writing would be a pain, which is unfortunate considering I can’t play. Oh and I’m real excited for conference, but for now,
Love,
Elder Pyron
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