Hello
Family!
This week was a good week, but like always it had
its exciting moments! We are continuing to have more young men attend
our weekly family home evenings at our Branch presidents house. Some have
even started to attend church so we are going to go visit them. They
could be the key to having success in this area. It also could be an
answer to the prayers of the members because they are really in need of some
more Priesthood holders.
On Tuesday we had a Zone Conference.
During this meeting we got our new Standards of excellence and although not a
lot has changed they have put in a new category. It is for investigators
attending church. We are now supposed to report how many investigators
attend church weekly. The goal for each week is at least 4 investigators
each week. This is a little more difficult of a category to track, but I
know it will push me to become a more effective teacher.
We also got a
lot of lectures on how to be more effective Missionaries. One thing that
stuck with me is the CASH system. CASH stands for comment, ask, smile,
and help. I really feel like this is the most effective way to contact
someone on the streets. You start off by giving them a comment, something
natural, not to cheesy. Then you ask them an inspired unique question
that will help get them thinking about gospel topics. For example you
could ask: Have you ever wondered what you are doing here on earth. When
they respond, you can then ask if they are interested to learn more about the
topic. At the conclusion of your short 30 second contact, you offer to
help them with whatever they are doing. I feel like this is a great way to
show people what we as missionaries do. We don't just want to get to know
others, we also want to help them, and leave any area we go stronger then when
we started.
We had a service project this week at Mama Tins house which was a lot of
fun. We helped her take out a thick patch of weeds in her back
yard. It was fun to be with everyone in my district. It was also a
great way to show the surrounding neighbors what we do for others and the great
community our church has. Many of the Elderly came up to us and thanked
us for what they were doing. It feels good to spread so much joy to
others.
I honestly can say that making others happy is like my new motto
in life. Even acknowledging someone with a smile can make there day
brighter. Kids tend to like to abuse my arms, but I just smile and allow
them to climb my arms because I enjoy hearing them laugh and have a fun
time. It is also a great way to keep my arms in shape haha! I know
that joy is an essential part of missionary work. Its a way to introduce
yourself and show that you aren't just another person who is trying to push
their beliefs onto you. We merely want to share in the joy of our Savior
and his plan for all of us.
On that note, I will now dive into the excitement
of my week! So I TOTALLY forgot I had to give a talk yesterday and the
branch president forgot to remind me about it. I only had about 15
minutes to prepare it so about half of it was in English sadly.
Thankfully, most of the Branch understood the talk and actually got something
out of it.
The other excitement for me was I had to give a dead elderly
woman a blessing. I know that may sound weird, but it is true. We
had our lunch appointment after church and right towards the end we get a
call. Before I know whats going on, Elder Fernande says we need to
go. When we get to the house, the first thing I notice is that all the
women are crying. Right away, I knew something wasn't right. When I
looked into the room, I knew why. Apparently the woman had passed away about
30 minutes before we got there. Elder Fernandez didn't really know what
to do in the situation, but he knew they wanted us to bless her. So he
asked if I would. I was a little uncomfortable touching her head, as she
had passed away, but I did and proceeded to give a blessing. After the
blessing I was still a little uncomfortable, but I felt at peace and knew she
was going where she needed to go. Of course, immediately after the
blessing I asked for hand sanitizer and reported it to the Branch president
like I am supposed to. I hope I was able to help that family.
Well
I am continuing to do well here. I have a picture with me and my batch
mate from the MTC who is now in my zone. I also have a picture of me here
at the net shop with my new haircut listening to some EFY music!
Well
until next week, I love you all! Have more JOY IN YOUR LIFE PEOPLE!
After all, at least your not dead.
Love,
Elder
Warren
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