Hey everyone! So this week was just awesome! We finally are teaching more again now that everyone is back for the holidays. They say a teaching missionary is a happy missionary. How true it is! If we aren't teaching at least 20 lessons a week I just don't feel right. I love being able to teach and help people understand the wonders of the restored gospel. We had a few spiritual lessons this past two week. Looking at the big picture, having a few spiritual lessons is pretty sad. But I'm happy we had them none-the-less. One was with this girl named Monica. Monica lost her immediate family one by one from different causes. First her dad, then her little brother, and then her mom. Now she lives with a friend of hers, suffers through depression, and because of her troubled life believes there is no God. Her friend and her friends family are strong Christians and try all the time to help her to recognize that there is a God. One day we were walking around her housing complex and Elder Christensen, my companion, decided to give her a Finding Faith in Christ pass along card. He shared what the card was about and asked her if she had a faith in Christ. She said no. We talked a bit more and found out she didn't even have a belief in God. We asked if we could share how we know God is real and how it can bless her life. She thought for a bit and then agreed to meet at a later time. When we met again the spirit was so strong. She tried to defend her reasoning why there was no God and we just taught simple truths of God and his plan for us and bore pure testimony of how we knew it to be true. She told us she wanted us to explain more the next time we meet and that she really wants to know that he exists. She just wants his help and to stop feeling so depressed and alone. So awesome!
Another was this woman named Connie. She has two daughters in which her oldest just had a miscarriage. We taught them the plan of salvation and to see the delight and happiness the plan of salvation gave to them was just awesome. We talked about baptism and Taimika, the oldest daughter said without hesitation that she wanted to be baptized. Amazing how the spirit softens peoples heart and even thought they may not have a full understanding of everything, they recognize when something is right and decide to follow it!
Another great thing that happened this week was our experience to fast yesterday. Yesterday we had the opportunity to give a fast of just thanksgiving for all of the blessings the Lord had given to us thus far and not asking for anything during the fast. Elder Christensen and I had fasted last week already because we had thought last week was fast sunday and to fast two sundays in a row in the mission, I have found, takes a great toll on your body. But it's alright, it made it a bit more difficult to want to keep the fast but we pressed forward because of the purpose of the fast and we were blessed immensely for it. We were desirous to find three new investigators this last week and by sunday we only had found one. It wasn't until the last hour before we were to call it a night did we find those last two investigators which was Taimika and Lakeesha, Connie's daughters that I had previously mentioned above. Our faith was tested and the lord blessed us with that. Also it was a goal of ours to teach twenty lessons because we hadn't been teach twenty at all and Lord blessed us with that as well.
It was just a tough, difficult, yet rewarding week for Elder Christensen and I. We are tired once again and hoping to gain out strength back during this p-day. Playing basketball probably didn't help, but it was fun! Elder McMaster is in my zone now and we got to play basketball together. I really miss serving with him. I'm really sad that he's leaving in just two weeks! But he promised to come to my homecoming so mom and dad you might need to expect a call from him asking to stay with you a few days before I get home. Unless hi parents come then they'll probably find a condo. They apparently visit every year and stay down in Kaanapali off of 505 front street.
That is all for now. I love you all and hope you are doing well. Dad, how do you feel now that you don't have so much responsiblity anymore? Sad yet? hehe. I'm so happy you were able to serve in the Bishopric! I never thought I would see the day......well, I guess I never really did. But I'm happy to hear that you were. It's always a great blessing to be given a chance to serve in that great capacity. I've loved and enjoyed every stressful position the Lord has had me serve in on my mission. I don't know where I would be had I not had that opportunity and experience. Well take care all and talk to you later!
Elder Watson
