Them nadoes

Dear Family,

 

With the recent crazy weather in this part of the country we've had the opportunity to talk to some of the locals about the tornados and such. It's a good ice-breaker, really. But either way we want to know the forcast because we don't have TV. It's nice to know if we need to hunker down, right? When we hear the tornado sirens go off outside Elder H and I get in the closet under the stairs with our bike helmets on. I know this might really scare you Mom, but that's as safe as it gets. And don't worry - Bentonville never gets tornados. They just kind of skip around the Rogers area. The same storm that hit Moore, OK with a tornado came through a few hours later but only brought heavy rain and fierce winds. The coolest part was that the sky turned green! It was definitely the right conditions for a tornado, but nothing touched down near us. It's always a hoot to hear a native Arkansawyer talk about "them nadoes" or "them naders."

 

Speaking of bike helmets, Elder Hironymous got in his first major bike wreck this week. Notice how I said major. He's been in plently of little accidents. He's not the best at biking so I'm always worried about my son getting in wrecks. Good thing B'ville is a very biker-friendly town. Anyway, we had just barely exchanged with the district leader after zone conference and I was with Elder Hammit in the car. We got about 5 minutes down the road when Elder Prestwich called and asked us to come back to where they were because Elder H just crashed. As we pulled up I had to hold in my laughter as I took a look at my companion. He was all scratched up, his nametag was destroyed, shirt and tie were ripped, and the front of his helmet was flattened. Apparently he just lost control and nose-dived into the pavement. I only laugh now because he was okay, but i just want you to imagine my son face-planting the pavement and skidding to a halt. Hahaha I laugh just thinking about it! Long story short, we found out he fractured a little bone in his wrist and will need to wear a cast. He sure took it like a champ. That's my boy :)

 

Besides a gnarly bike wreck and some crazy weather, this week has been pretty good! Zone conference was an inevitable tear-jerker since it was my last one. I had to give a departing testimony in front of 100 missionaries. I was doing alright until I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon. I got all chocked up and the tears flowed freely as I shared my feelings about the work of the Lord. It was such a bittersweet moment. How can I ever leave this place? I can't imagine myself not going to another zone conference. The whole entire meeting was beyond wonderful for me. During lunch I met up with Elder Golder (he's still in Joplin) and he proceeded to explain that the Sands had gotten baptized a couple weeks before. Do you remember me talking about them? Look through my past emails. I found them! I started the lessons with them and committed them to be baptized. After the ward boundaries changed they kind of dropped off the radar. But good ol' Elder Golder stuck with them and boom - here they are. I guess Bro. Sands is already passing the sacrament and stuff! What a miracle. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. Elder Golder said that they still talk about Elder Atkin, their first missionary :) And guess what else?? Elder Wheeler (replaced me in Joplin) said that Ruben is getting baptized this coming week! Remember him? I started teaching him and Erin with Elder Nordine. The blessings and miracles don't stop flowing.

 

Our numbers have suffered a little this week, but it's okay considering Elder H's wrist (he's on heavy meds) and we've done our best. The Lord still blessed us with 3 new investigators, 2 of which came to our recent convert fireside last night. This fireside is something we've been preparing for for a long time. We made flyers this last week and everything. We had quite a few non-members come so I was so happy. I was praying that the Lord would provide and he sure did. The 2 investigators we had that came are named Cassandra and Claire. They were a member referral we received. Our first lesson was so amazing!! They're both really open-mined and they want to know everything about Mormonism. They've noticed how strong Mormon families are and they're finally grown up enough to realize that it's something they want for themselves. They loved the fireside and even met a few friends from high school there. I was so proud of our YSA branch for how well they fellowshipped people. We didn't even need to do anything! That's the way it should be - it's their missionary effort and we're just the helpers.

 

I feel like the ball is finally starting to roll in this area. Heavenly Father is pouring out the blessings upon us and I just need to recognize them. Don't get me wrong, it's still really tough. We barely taught much at all this last week. But the lessons we did have were awesome. It's almost like the Lord is giving us just enough to keep going. He wants to bless us, but he also wants to keep us humble and constantly trusting in him. There's no way anything would be happening if it weren't for Him. I love Him so much!

 

Goodness, there's so many more stories I want to share with you, but I'm out of time. I know I always say that, but I really do wish I could share everything with you. This mission thing is such a blast. What a ride! The Lord is always giving me exactly what is best for me. Don't let me ever forget that.

 

Y'all just keep bein' y'all, ya hear?!

 

Love, Elder Atkin