Week 39
Date
June 5, 2017
Area
Second Area - Monmouth, OR
Companion
Elder Elias
Week 39
I'm grateful for the blessing it is to be tried and tested. As I look back on this past week, I realize now how many people said no to us. There were times when I got disappointed, I'll admit. It got hard to have the desire to continue knocking on doors and talking with people, and a couple of times all I could do was count down the time to dinner, just so we could stop talking to people. Yet I know that with all the painful stretching and doors slammed in faces, that God was with us. That we were and are blessed for our diligence, and that the aspect of hard work, diligence, is something the Lord needs me to cultivate for later on in life, not only for my future career, but for my future family. It was an eye opener for me to realize that "Hey, wait a minute, THIS is probably in some small manner, what Christ felt when he was upon the earth preaching His gospel, while people laughed, ridiculed, and mocked Him. Drawing on that has given me the strength to push on through the uninterested people and have a perfect brightness of hope that one of these times we're going to find interested, prepared people. And obviously our entire week didn't go in that manner.
Really, I'm referencing this past Tuesday, when for the first time since I got here, we went to Lincoln City, along the coast. It's about an hour and a half drive from Independence, with pretty scenery the entire way. We left on Monday night after dinner, and got to the Lincoln City Elders' apartment in time for bed. The next Tuesday was a...tough day. We had a bunch of names the Elders gave to us to visit, and between not knowing the area (so getting lost), and trying to contact all of these people for the first time, somewhere around three or four in the afternoon, I started to give up. I remember walking up to a door in particular, where we ended up finding nobody home for about the fifth door in a row, and thinking "is this even worth it? I mean, we're about two hours from 'home', none of these people are home, and to top if all of its an overcast and dreary day. We've talked to maybe two people in six hours, and I'm starting to get a little discouraged" I remember an accompanying feeling that came immediately afterwards, which I heard/felt as "soon". Thats the best I can describe it. It wasn't an audible voice, rather a feeling of hope that turned on, and allowed me to continue on even though I didn't think I could. Looking back, that was definitely the enabling power of the Atonement working in me as I had a downer moment. And this story does have a happy ending. One of the very last doors we knocked that day brought that "soon" that I had felt earlier in the day. We knocked, and a woman named Daminia opened the door to us. All day we had been using a specific door approach with everyone we talked to, with a scripture and specific invitation. With her, as soon as she opened the door we taught her the Plan of Salvation, with no idea we were going to beforehand. She liked what she heard, we left a pamphlet with her, and told her we would try to visit again soon. She thanked us for the message, and said she was interested in learning more.
Little experiences like that, I'm realizing, are what make up my mission. There aren't any Nephi and Lehi experiences of being surrounded by fire and conversing with angels, and that's okay. But I have seen powerful miracles in their own right come when people are prepared to receive the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Yo sé que estoy aquí en este área para hablar personas específicas, y hay testimonios que necesito dar entonces otros pueden saber, por medio del espíritu que pudo traer, que este iglesia es la única iglesia verdadera en la tierra el día de hoy. Pude ver una diferencia esta semana pasada en mí actitud cuando miré por el mano del Señor en esta obra. Yo sé que Jesus es el Cristo, que él es mí Salvador, y Redentor, y por medio de él, yo puedo predicar este evangelio en la idioma español a mis hermanos y hermanas aquí, en Oregón. Yo sé que estas cosas son verdaderas.
I love you all! I hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
Really, I'm referencing this past Tuesday, when for the first time since I got here, we went to Lincoln City, along the coast. It's about an hour and a half drive from Independence, with pretty scenery the entire way. We left on Monday night after dinner, and got to the Lincoln City Elders' apartment in time for bed. The next Tuesday was a...tough day. We had a bunch of names the Elders gave to us to visit, and between not knowing the area (so getting lost), and trying to contact all of these people for the first time, somewhere around three or four in the afternoon, I started to give up. I remember walking up to a door in particular, where we ended up finding nobody home for about the fifth door in a row, and thinking "is this even worth it? I mean, we're about two hours from 'home', none of these people are home, and to top if all of its an overcast and dreary day. We've talked to maybe two people in six hours, and I'm starting to get a little discouraged" I remember an accompanying feeling that came immediately afterwards, which I heard/felt as "soon". Thats the best I can describe it. It wasn't an audible voice, rather a feeling of hope that turned on, and allowed me to continue on even though I didn't think I could. Looking back, that was definitely the enabling power of the Atonement working in me as I had a downer moment. And this story does have a happy ending. One of the very last doors we knocked that day brought that "soon" that I had felt earlier in the day. We knocked, and a woman named Daminia opened the door to us. All day we had been using a specific door approach with everyone we talked to, with a scripture and specific invitation. With her, as soon as she opened the door we taught her the Plan of Salvation, with no idea we were going to beforehand. She liked what she heard, we left a pamphlet with her, and told her we would try to visit again soon. She thanked us for the message, and said she was interested in learning more.
Little experiences like that, I'm realizing, are what make up my mission. There aren't any Nephi and Lehi experiences of being surrounded by fire and conversing with angels, and that's okay. But I have seen powerful miracles in their own right come when people are prepared to receive the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Yo sé que estoy aquí en este área para hablar personas específicas, y hay testimonios que necesito dar entonces otros pueden saber, por medio del espíritu que pudo traer, que este iglesia es la única iglesia verdadera en la tierra el día de hoy. Pude ver una diferencia esta semana pasada en mí actitud cuando miré por el mano del Señor en esta obra. Yo sé que Jesus es el Cristo, que él es mí Salvador, y Redentor, y por medio de él, yo puedo predicar este evangelio en la idioma español a mis hermanos y hermanas aquí, en Oregón. Yo sé que estas cosas son verdaderas.
I love you all! I hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
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