This past week has been the most interesting and life experiencing weeks of my Mission!
After Pday last week, we went to chick fil a and had dinner there. A worker comes up and starts SIGNING to us! We are surprised and find out she's actually a college student who is becoming an interpreter and so we took advantage and offered to teach her ASL (and eventually the Gospel) and got contact info!
Tuesday we had some time before doing exchanges to visit someone, so we focused on Elder's Quorum work and visited a member in the North area for an hour. Then we went to meet the other Elders for exchanges. However, we got busy and it didn't happen.
Wednesday we visited a few members and got to see a less active whom I haven't seen in over a year. He's had many difficulties and I'm glad I got to talk with him. Then checked up on a few members and talked with an investigator who has struggled to progress. Then after traveling around visiting people, we got a text asking if I could interview one of their (the other elders) investigators. I accepted.
My first interview with anyone of my Mission. She was an adult who had many struggles in her life and needed to start again. Elder McGill was in the same room, but of course couldn't hear, so invasion of privacy wasn't disturbed. W. O. W. That was the most spiritual interview ever! She opened her heart and I fully depended on the spirit to help me know if she was worthy and ready. It was wonderful to hear her Testimony and to feel the spirit. Of course, at the end I followed the promptings and felt she was worthy. So I congratulated her and the flood gates came. What a wonderful experience! Then after approving her baptism, I hung up and chatted with the other Elders via VP. They told me that they had one more investigator who was going to be baptized the following Saturday.
Who was it? Someone I had basically worked with since I flew here. Tried everything with him. Went to the Temple! Dropped him! Tried teaching him again! Dropped him again! They picked him up and worked more. So, I am happy to announce that Sherman has accepted a baptism date and his mom will also be there to witness it! I broke in tears when I found out. That night was the best night ever. I have never felt happier!!!!!!!
Friday was an opportunity to unify the District again through a very powerful District Meeting on the Atonement. Following that, we went to the Mission Office and found out we were due for a new car... like, right now! So we switched! Got a Ford Fusion. Interesting car. A lot different than the Chevy Cruze. It can connect to the phone and read text messages. And I can press a button and basically talk to the car and tell it what to do with the music, phone and other basic things. Makes life easier! Then celebrated both Elder Oleson and a member's birthday, then to Speckhards and home
Saturday we went to a member's home to do Elder's Quorum business. Then Sister King and Loo, whom I talked about last week, came and we taught them ASL for 2 hours. I didn't use my voice once, but depended on their knowledge of finger spelling. Near the end, we told them to stop talking and signing at the same time and to only sign. They got awkward at first, but then started to like it and even helped each other through signing instead of voicing. We got really excited! Here's a video of us signing happy birthday to Elder McGill (belated birthday cupcake from the Match family). Sister Loo is on the left, Sister King on the right.
Then we took a member with us to visit an investigator and then went to the Baptism service of the women I interviewed. She changed! It was amazing!
Sunday was great as well, church was good as usual. Got to go to a member's home for Dinner.
Thanks for your support and prayers! I feel them! Wanted to share that the two Sisters we have been working with will NOT be transferred in our program. The Lord has other ideas in mind for them. HOWEVER, President Pingree called me Today and we talked and he agreed to call SLC Utah, again ,and this time make (deafism warning!) TRUE BIZ sure that they send us not TWO, but THREE Sisters! And we hope they come BEFORE Elder Mitchell and I leave, so we can help them with the Branch situations we are in. So I will call him Wednesday to see what updates we have. President is working hard with me to get Sisters, and that makes me happy. :)
Anyway this week will be super busy, as we will be doing three exchanges AND have THREE Temple trips AND a Baptism. Also, we committed Sister King and Loo to pray in ASL at our Zone Meeting. We are going to encourage the Missionaries to start to use ASL more so Elder McGill can feel more involved.
That's about all I have! Hope you have a wonderful week, as I am now having!
Love,
Elder Gardner.
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