Aug. 6, 2013

This week has been long and stressful. It really didn't have to be but we kind of made it that way because we were thinking about transfers so much. I noticed that it was really hard to focus on the work. I hope that as time goes on, I will be able to learn to focus more on the Lord instead of transfers during transfer week!

I gained 15 pounds in 2 months... I am working out every morning so I don't know if its fat or muscle. I’m using protein mixers called Muscle Milk and that will help build up muscle so I'm not as scrawny!

We had the most incredible miracle this week! So Saturday rolled around and I remembered that it was fast Sunday the next day. I started my fast and fasted for our less-actives and investigators that they would feel the Spirit working in them and they would want to come back to the fold. When we got up on Sunday, we looked at our phone... Wendy L. called...

I don't know if you remember who that is. Wendy L is a less-active in our ward. She was baptized when she was 17 but hadn't been to church in almost 25 years. She is now 41 and was excited to come back. When she attended church in mid-July, she cried the whole time and said she felt like she was back at home! We had p-day on Monday and she asked Elder Hickenlooper to get her some Vitamin C because she was feeling sick. Well, we forgot and showed up on the 20th of July to find out how she was doing. When we showed up, she slammed the door and yelled at us for a good 5 to 10 minutes. She used every swear word in the book and said she would call the cops on us if she EVER saw us on her property again. It was devastating. She felt the Spirit and turned away from it. So we went and got her some Vitamin C and an apology card and left it on her doorstep. In the card we told her if she ever needed anything, we would be there for her.

So 2 to 3 weeks later (this last Sunday) she called us! We called her back and set up a time to see her right after church. She was so excited to see us. She apologized for freaking out at us. She told us that she was on Meth and it was her first time trying it. (From what has been explained to me, Meth makes you feel like your on top of the world. The boss of everything in short). So she apologized and said that she was going back to Catholicism. We are meeting with her later this week and will invite her to come back to Church with us on Sunday. I know that she will feel the Spirit again!

Elder Hickenlooper and I are staying together for another 6 weeks! I think that is a good thing because I know the area and I know the people. I have made 3 goals to apply into my life within the next week.

1) I don't always have to be right. That one has always been a hard thing for me to realize. I love being right. It is the natural, prideful, human side of me that I need to put away. And in these past 6 weeks, I've learned more from being wrong than I have from being right. So I will work on being more humble and not worrying about being "perfect".

2) I will budget my money better. I realized I was spending a lot so I left my card in a safe spot in my apartment and have some cash on me for emergencies. We have meetings on Wednesday and p-day on Monday so we go out to eat on those days. But i started packing food and that seems to be helping. I will get better!

3) The Spirit will tell me all things that I should do. I have learned that focusing on my investigators as I study is a great thing but I don't listen as well when I am in the lesson because I am thinking about what I read about in studies and how that will apply to them. I have really been trying hard to listen to the person I'm talking to instead of thinking what I'm going to say. The only problem is I don't listen as intently to the Spirit so He can tell me what I need to say. So I am working on listening to the person I'm talking to, but just as important is listening to the Spirit.

Everything is going great here! We have a baptism for Frank on the 17 as long as he stays clean. We also have Roger getting baptized on the 24th if he stays clean too. I can't believe 2 months have passed already! Time is flying and I love the work! This truly is the Lord's work and I can see the benefits and blessings that come from being out here. I am so glad that your procedure went well dad. I prayed really hard for you!

Happy Birthday Elder Hickenlooper-

  

I love you all so much my familia! You are such great influences on me and I can't wait to come home and see you all again! Well I can wait cause I love it here so much but I am excited to see you again!

Much love,

~Elder Harris