So basically I'm in total denial that I'm 1/3 of the way done with my mission. I feel like I've been gone for a month and it's freaking me out that it's gone by so fast. Honestly trying not to think about lol.
Some Elders reffered us to this lady named Mary this past week so we went over to meet her and share a message with her. She's this little sweet old lady who let us right in and had us sit on her couch. As I'm sitting down I look across the small room and see another couch WITH A CREEPY CHINA LIFE SIZE DOLL NEATLY SITTING SMACK IN THE MIDDLE STARING STRAIGHT AT ME. That doll had its little creepy eyes locked on me the entire time and the ONLY thing I could think of was that movie The Boy. Not even kidding, it took me a solid 15 minutes to get my act together and focus on what the heck she was telling us. So far, I don't think I've gotten possessed, but I've definitely had a lot of nightmares this week about that stupid doll. Not really looking forward to our next lesson. RIP.
At the beginning of this transfer I saw that August 18th was on a Saturday and it just so happens to be Braden's 18th birthday. So I really wanted to get a baptism for that day because that's cute. Through out the transfer August 18th just did not seem right at all for any of our investigators so I kinda just knew we weren't going to get it because it's less than a month away at this point. This past week we received a referral for a 12 year old boy. We prayed about knowing what day we could invite him to be baptized during our first visit with him. When we prayed about it, August 18th just hit it right on the nail. We taught him on Sunday after church and he committed to be baptized on the 18th!! Seriously, a tender mercy and a half. I LOVE this 12 year old boy, he's precious and is sooo excited to get baptized and to receive the priesthood. He's the best.
We met this lady on Saturday at a park, and to be frankly honest, she's totally crazy and not all the way there. She told us a lot about her drug past and how she feels like the Devil has a grasp on her life right now and she can't get away from it. As she was talking to us I just has this insane amount of love for this insane women. She kept telling us that she was trying to find a church that she could go to. She was raised Baptist but hadn't attended church since she was 13. We handed her a Book of Mormon and invited her to come to our church on Sunday. During my prayers that night I prayed so hard to see a small miracle happen with her. I knew that the Spirit could work with her and prompt her to come to church. We walked out of Ward Council the next morning and lo and behold, there she was walking down the hallway towards the chapel. She told us that something had woken her up early that morning and told her to come to our chruch. ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT- I've decided that investigators are like continuous break ups. We're constantly getting dumped and it's totally heart breaking. One of our really good investigators dumped us this week so I decided to read the talk, "Until Seventy Times Seven" by Elder Lynn G. Robbins. I love how he said that failures are fingerposts on the road to achievement. Each mistake and each trial we go through is for our wisdom. They help us learn more and grow closer to our Savior. "Consider failures as a tutor, not a tragedy, and to not fear failure but to learn from it." I'm grateful for each stumbling block I go through because I know that it's God shaping me into the person I need to be. I honestly feel like I look forward to those hard times. Yeah they're the worst in the moment but they help me learn more and grow and at the end I see the blessings that come from it.
I'm grateful for the gift of repentance that allows me to change and come closer to my Savior each day. I seriously love this Gospel and I seriously love the experiences I'm having on my mission.