Dear Family,
Did
you hear about all of the tornados around my mission last Tuesday?!
Crazy stuff! Nothing really happened around here, but I heard about
tornados in Pittsburg, Kansas and Branson, Missouri. You probably know
more than me because you watch the news, but I still get updates about
tornados watches and warnings. Haha Elder Ivie and I were actually
walking outside at around 8:30 PM when we heard that there was a tornado
watch. I noticed that it was really windy, but I didn't think much of
it. Don't worry, Mom - I know what to do in a tornado. The Mitchells
have a nice bunker thing in their house anyway. But Elder Jensen did
call me the next day and told me about the tornado in Pittsburg (where
he is). Apparently there was a little bit of damage to houses and trees,
so they've been doing a lot of service. As district leader, I'm
supposed to call all of the areas in my district after such
warnings/watches to make sure everyone is okay and report to the zone
leaders.
Yes, I have been taking good care of Elder Ivie. I
might've exaggerated a little bit in my last email, so I hope you don't
think that he's a total dupe with no confidence. Elder Ivie is quite
intelligent and funny. You just have to know him first :) But seriously,
we're really getting along as the days go by. He's my new best pal.
It's totally different from Elder Jensen though. Elder Ivie feels like
my little brother. He's super hilarious and I can pretty much say
anything I want around him. I feel 100% comfortable. Golly, I've been
spoiled the past few months! Owasso is my favorite and so are my most
recent companions. The only thing that would make life better is a bunch
of new investigators. I'm still waiting on that one.
But I do have to say that we did get 2 new
investigators this week! We went on splits with Taylor (an elder our age
who can't go on a mission because of health problems) on Tuesday and
visited a bunch of potentials from tracting. It was one of those days
(that we have quite often) where all of our plans fall through because
nobody is interested/home. The last potential we stopped by was a
mid-aged couple named Tom and Belinda. When we first tracted into Tom,
he let us right in and was very kind to us. Him and his wife are
hard-core Southern Baptist, so they didn't seem too interested, but they
really love the elders because they've met with some in the past.
I didn't think that
there was much there, but I decided to drop by again with Taylor because
I remembered how nice they were and we didn't have anyone else to see.
Similarly to the first time, Tom answered the door and let us right in
with a hearty greeting. We sat down and had a nice spiritual discussion
(aka Bible study) for about an hour. Things seemed to be wrapping up, so
I was getting ready to leave. Suddenly Taylor bears a powerful
testimony about the Book of Mormon and how it helps him each day. I
kinda panicked because I didn't want Taylor to ruin our budding
friendship. I was thinking, "They're not interested in the Book of
Mormon and they're going to start bashing and all will be lost!"
Obviously you can see who was wrong. They listened intently and we were
able to leave them with a prayer. When we got outside to the car, we all
just sat there quietly until Taylor was like, "Fellas. There's a lot
more to Tom and Belinda then you think." I knew he was right. I felt it
as he bore his witness. To make a long story short, Tom invited us over
for Pizza on Saturday and we were there for 3 hours. We're hoping to
start teaching the discussions with them next visit.
I certainly learned a few lessons from that visit. And
you can count on Taylor going out with us more in the future. What a
spiritually in-tune guy!
Man, time sure ran out quickly today! I'll be sure to send you a better email next week. And once again, I forgot pictures :(
Have a great week, loved ones! I think about you and pray for you often.
Love, Elder Atkin
P.S. Congrats on your calling, Mom! You'll do great :)
P.P.S. I can't wait for conference!
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