Dear Family,
Hey guess what? I met a less-active guy named Willie the other day! He's a really cool African American guy who played college football years ago. How awesome is that?!
I'm doing great, by the way. Thanks for always asking how I'm doing. I'm happy to know that y'all care :) Mom, sorry if I don't include very many spiritual experiences in my emails. I think I just forget all of the time and I'm not that good at story-telling like April is. Just remember to not get your expectations too high. Miracles happen every week for me, but they're often things like someone's finally home or someone doesn't slam the door in my face. That sort of thing.
But hey, this week really was an awesome week though! Despite mega hot and humid weather, we taught a fair amount of lessons and did a lot of tracting. I do have to say that tracting is a lot more fun when you have a motivated companion who's not afraid to talk. Elder Quinn is really good at testifying and teaching right on someone's doorstep, even when they may seem not very interested. The back of our planners are chuck full of potentials that we picked up from our hours of tracting recently. We're working harder than ever and it's really paying off. And guess what? We had transfer calls on Saturday and Elder Quinn is staying!! Elder Quinn admitted that he was kinda burnt out with Joplin (he's been here like 7 months already) and that he wanted to move on, but no call came on Saturday night. I could tell that he was really mad at first, but he's okay now. I think one of the reasons why he isn't too bummed is because I'm here haha ;) I know I've said this before, but we're really becoming good friends. That's the great thing about a mission - Elder Quinn and I probably wouldn't be friends back home because we're so different, but out in the mission field we can be best of friends. That's the same deal with Elder Jensen. By the way, his ankle is doing a little bit better, but he's still down and out. It's not broken, but it's going to take a while to get fully healed.
Great news - on Saturday before transfer calls we had an appointment with a guy named David in the Webb City ward. We met him at the Maxwell's home (members) and taught him about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. He was very receptive and remembered a lot from his previous lessons with missionaries. He kinda got lost on the radar for a while, so it was the first time I met him. But during the lesson the Spirit was SO strong! He was totally eating everything up and was willing to give up his tea and coffee in an instant. And at the end of the lesson, Elder Quinn committed him to be baptized!! The best part is that he wants to be baptized on the 4th of July. I'm pretty sure that the 4th of July is going to be the best day ever this year :)
This week we also picked up a new investigator named Ladonna. She's been taught before, but was kinda lost in the tornado. We taught her outside her house on Thursday and went over the Restoration with her. Do you know what's cool? Elder Quinn quoted Joseph Smith's first vision account word for word and I could just see the happiness in her eyes. There's something about those particular words that is so powerful. It works every time. Before my mission I just thought that the JSH account of the first vision was just a cool reference, but nowadays it's like we have to include it. We know how well it invites the spirit when we say it, so we say it every time we teach the Restoration. It never fails! She agreed to be baptized when she comes to a knowledge that the church is true. Hooray!! More great news - Shelby decided to forego finishing the Book of Mormon before meeting with us and set up an appointment with us on Thursday at the Hoffman's house. Holy cow! Originally she wanted to finish the Book of Mormon, have Cody answer her questions, and basically know it's true before even meeting with us. I guess the Spirit really has been working on her recently. She's currently in Alma in her reading right now! We're pretty sure she'll want to be baptized real soon :)
The only bad news from the week is that Heath doesn't want to meet with us anymore. He seemed so golden too! But his parents are going through a divorce right now and he realized that this whole Mormon thing is a lot more than he thought it was. We just think that he was interested in Samantha (yeah, a member girl). At least we can be happy with the big fat seed we planted in his heart. He'll come around someday.
I was reading in Helaman 5 the other day and found something kinda cool that I thought I'd share with you real quick. in verses 5-8 it talks about how Nephi and Lehi remember the counsel their father Helaman gave them. He tells them to keep the commandments and to remember Nephi and Lehi of old - where their names come from. He tells them to remember their good works and to be like them and do their own good works and to lay up treasures in heaven. I couldn't help but think of my own name and where it came from. I have the name of my father and fathers of old, and I should be proud of it. I can remember the stories of their good works and amazing lives, including the awesomeness of my own father. It's important that I do my own good works just like my dad and follow his example. Thanks for being amazing Dad :) I hope I can carry your name like a champ.
The future looks bright, folks! I'm so so so so happy that Elder Quinn is staying (and so is the ward. They LOVE him). We're going to have an excellent 2nd transfer together and I know that more amazing things are going to happen.
Have a great week!
Love, Elder Atkin
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