Mom, you can't
believe that I like tracting?? Gee, that makes me feel special.... Haha
I'm kidding :) But really, I love to knock doors. There's such a thrill
that comes with not knowing what's on the other side. This week we did
some tracting in a trailer park and had great success. I'll admit that I
usually go for those who live in more "humble circumstances," but I get
what I can take. I'm a firm believer that if you say the right thing
and are nice enough, 90% of people will respond positively even if they
aren't interested. God's servants need to be happy! I try my best to do
just that. The result? At that trailer park I met another nice Jehovah's
Witness. That's 2 in the last few months! We had an excellent
conversation about heaven and the 2nd coming and such. She made it
obvious that she disagreed with us, but she was cordial. Tender mercies.
I
love what you said about Bishop's talk in ward conference. I have
really grown to love hymns as of late, but I think it's a fantastic idea
to sing a hymn every morning. One hymn that Elder Heindel and I have
thought a lot about lately is "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy." We've
used it for a spiritual thought a couple times in members' homes after
dinner. We'll sing the hymn to them and then talk about what it means to
be a "lower light." I love the line where it talks about the Lord
trusting us with the lights along the shore. We've been trusted with
such a beautiful gift of light that we need to share with other people.
It's our responsibility to shine the light and guide others to Christ.
Missionary work isn't just fun. It's our duty.
Speaking
of talks in church - Elder Heindel and I were asked to give talks in
sacrament meeting on our personal conversions. We only had enough time
to prepare the day of, so I was a bit worried. As I tried to gather my
thoughts, I prayed and asked for guidance and for inspiration. And ya
know what? It came! Suddenly all of my thoughts organized
themselves miraculously onto paper and before I knew it the talk was
prepared. Golly, the Lord comes through EVERY time for me! Even for
something as small as a talk. Both of us were able to deliver our talks
with power and by the Spirit and people really liked them. Not that I
wanted praise or anything, but it was good to know that we didn't bore
too many people. I talked about how my conversion has been like the
sunrise: slowly, but surely the Lord has revealed to me his truth
throughout my life until it's become plain and clear what is right. I'm
still on the path of conversion, but the sun is high enough for me to
see clearly and know what's true. And what I know to be true is more
comforting than anything else. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This
week was another great week for the two of us. We had ZLC in Tulsa, 2
exchanges, zone meeting, and other things to possibly distract us, yet
we worked as hard as we could and taught 17 lessons - another high for
us. We wanted to reach 20, but considering the amount of cancelled
appointments we did awesome. We picked up another couple of
investigators, including a Hispanic lady named Inede. Her husband made
it clear that he didn't want to be "preached at," but she expressed
interest. We've taught her a bit about Priesthood and the Book of Mormon
and she likes it so far. She wonders why there's so many Christian
denominations. She's so prepared! We'll be taking over Spanish-speaking
members in the future to help her feel comfortable.
Well, there's not much else to say except that Bro. McKinnon and Bro. White are ready to be baptized this Saturday.
Bro. Gould isn't too far behind - it's only a matter of time. Josh came
to church with a haircut and a white shirt and tie, so that was a
miracle. He's already changing! We hope to set a date with him this
week.
Life is good in the OTM! Thanks for your prayers and love. Happy Valentines and Happy Birthdays to Mom and Amy!
Love, Elder Atkin
No comments:
Post a Comment