February 8, 2016

Well, this week was a crazy week. It started out with a lesson we had with a Methodist pastor.  I think I explained a little about him last week but we met with him this Wednesday and oh man he is awesome. I think I mentioned how he met with missionaries about a year ago and almost was baptized and even committed to quit his pastor job. He explained this week that he has found that the Methodist church isn't the true church, and he's known it for quite a while but it has just become how he has paid the bills so he hasn't quit. He was a little hesitant to jump in to our church and lose his work. He said h'es been so lost since and was so happy to see us again. It was a lesson where we pretty much just got to know him and his situation and, yeah, he's really cool! The crazier part was that he came to church yesterday and that is the first time he has ever come to church even when he was investigating very seriously for a few months last year. He was fellow-shipped very well by a lot of the ward and it was really cool. And he said he was coming next week too--he seems very serious about it! 

Earlier that day we were looking for some less-active members and we knocked on their door and they weren't home, so we decided to box out which is just going to the few houses around it and trying them too.  So, we finished that and Elder Hales stopped me and said "Hey we need to go knock on that door" and just randomly went for it and I was like, "kayyyy its pouring rain and we already boxed out and we have to go to the other houses we planned for." Well, that's what I was thinking. So we go and this middle aged guy answers the door and we tell him who we are and that we were here to share a message about Christ, and he hesitated but he was like "yeah sure come on in" and we had a good chat with him and he was telling us how he has never let missionaries in before but just had a feeling he needed to. He explained how he has been very religiously lost his whole life and his wife takes care of little kids with terminal illnesses so she has a hard life as well because of how often she sees these kids die and he was really excited to talk to us more and for us to present the plan of salvation to him and his wife. He committed to come to church, too! He didn't make it this week but he said he would come this next week.  

And we have a new investigator, too, named J and he/s from Angola and he is very cool. He really has a desire to know too and we taught him the restoration. With Africans, talking about baptism is touchy because they pretty much ALL believe that you can't be baptized twice, so he asked about that and we talked about how you could and how it's that proper authority that is what matters and he said "well hey if God tells me that i need to be baptized again then who am I to say no? I can't go against god and this sounds pretty good, but yeah I'll pray about it."  And he's been to church the past 2 weeks now so he's doing great as well! 

Well, the sad part about all of this is that we got transfer calls this week and I'm leaving to New Hampshire. I have had the funnest time serving here in Portland, Maine--it is incredible! And the people I've been serving around have blessed my life so much. I'm excited to go to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire! its actually where the Romneys live and I heard they feed the missionaries sometimes so it would be pretty cool to have that happen! I leave tomorrow and I'll give you my new address next week, so don't send any packaged or letters yet just in case! 

Africans will always hold a special place in my heart. They are the most humble and happy people I have ever met and they have every right to not be happy, that's for sure. Some of the things they have been through is unbelievable. Well, life moves on and I'm excited to see the other parts of the mission! 

i love you all, and thanks for everything you do. It means so much to me. Have a good week! i love you!

                                     Showing a picture of Brinley! :)