Things have been going really well this past week. We have had a pretty busy
week with exchanges and other things. This past Sunday we found a new
investigator that has really been prepared. Her name is Amy. She came right
into church and after my companion talked to her she set up a dinner
appointment with us for tomorrow. I'm super nervous about it. I can always
tell when lessons are going to really be important by the way I feel when I
prepare myself for them. It's always the ones that have great potential and
ones that you don't want to make any mistakes. So I will have to let you
know how it goes in my next email.
I have really been learning more about myself then anything here lately. My
trials have normally tested my missionary skills in teaching, finding, or
learning the Gospel, but here lately the trials have been testing who I
really am as a person. I am seeing how I deal with situations that are
frustrating, like the fact that the schedule isn't friendly to certain
aspects of my life that I used to have. We have taken a piece out of your
council in your last letter and began to pace ourselves. Now that we have
been doing this I feel like things are being accomplished.
Here are something's that have been hard to fit into the schedule, exercise,
studies, eating habits and planning. I have begun using the calendar that
Megan and Joe sent me to track everything that I do. I have the next month
planned out, everything from what exercise I will be doing, to what I'll be
eating and where I am going to be. Every Sunday night I sit down and review
what I'm doing and will adjust things when needed. It has really been
helping out. As I plan better I can see where and how I can stretch myself.
I have had several thoughts about what I'm to keep learning here and I
figure that the more organized I get the better it will be for the future.
I'm learning how to be a self motivated person.
I had a very unique experience this past Sunday. When missionaries first
come into the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission the first few days are spent training.
One of the days training includes going out with missionaries and having the
first experience as a new missionary. We call it "New Missionary Day." Well,
on my "New Missionary Day" I went out with Elder Gass, who would later
become my District leader in Miami and one of my best friends. He was
serving in the New Haven area at the time and he took me to some people here
to teach. For our second appointment we went to a less actives house to
teach about faith. I remember the lesson because of the way I felt after the
lesson. While teaching this less active Sister she kept telling us the she
couldn't change and that there was nothing that could be done for her. I
tried teaching her from the scriptures and trying to convey to her that she
could change and that faith in Jesus Christ can do anything. I remember
distinctively her remarks back to me telling me that not even faith in
Christ could help her and that I was wrong. After she rebuked me for what I
taught I stayed very quiet and timid. The experience I had at this
appointment has had an impact on every teaching appointment for the most
part of my mission because I have always been afraid of offending anyone
like that again. Well last Sunday I talked to a brother about a family that
was a part- member. This Brother told me that he was the home teacher to
this family and that he was going to their home after church and invited us
to go with him. So after church we hopped into his truck and went with him.
I didn't really know where we were going but as we got to the house and
started to walk up to the door things started to come back to me. I leaned
over to Elder Hancock and told him that I had been to this house before 18
months ago with Elder Gass. I thought for a second about the first
experience that I had at this house and wondered why I was here again. I
figure that nothing good was going to happen. As we walked in the house I
wasn't really sure what to think, but as we talked to this Sister it was
very evident that we weren't there to do what was originally hoped for.
This Sister's life is not much different from what it was like several
months ago; in fact it is even worse. I learned a lot from just sitting
there and listening to her go off about things. I saw the growth that I have
made this far in the mission. I wasn't very shy or timid this time around
while talking to her and didn't take what she said so hard. It was a really
powerful teaching moment for me.
I am always amazed at what the Lord can do in order to teach us things. He
can use anything to teach us, what makes the difference is if we are
listening and willing to learn.
Well that's all for this week. I love you and thank you for all that you are
doing for me.
Love,
Elder Kelly Conrad
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