Finding Frenzy

Howdy y'all! I hope your week went as good as mine!

Monday: I don't remember much of what happened on Monday besides that it was Zone pday and we played a pretty fun game. We also planned out a competition for the next two weeks, the Finding Frenzy. Basically we will be awarded points depending on how many people we find, and after two weeks whichever District has the most points, wins. We don't know what the award is yet, but we still hope we win!

Tuesday: On Tuesday I went on an exchange with Elder Andriamarotiana! He is from Madagascar and a great missionary! We taught so many lessons and found quite a few people, so that was cool! At the end we did and exchange review, and he told me that he's gonna be implementing what I showed him, which not only makes me feel great, but it also means he learns really quickly! What a great day! I also slept in his flat, which has no fans and was super hot the whole time but it was awesome.

Wednesday: On Wednesday I woke up in Elder Andriamarotiana's flat and got ready over there. After that we headed back over to my flat to finish preparing for the day. Once we finished that up, we headed to the area and got right to work. Elder Phabia and I did a bit of door knocking and found a few people who have potential to progress! I haven't done knocking in quite a while so it felt good to do something different for a change. After that we went to all the lessons we had planned and finished out the day very well.

Thursday: Thursday wasn't so hot. It started off slow with me waking up to another splitting headache. I assumed it was just from a bit of lack of sleep so I continued the day, hoping getting going would help it to go away. I was dead wrong, and the opposite happened. When we got to the area, we immediately went to give some requested priesthood blessings to a family whose funeral we visited last week. After that, we headed to the chapel and bolted to a lesson (My bike has been out of commission for a little while). After the quick 20 minute lesson I couldn't resist the pain any longer and my stomach began fighting me as well. We decided to head home and I slept the rest of the day. It was quite a low after the superb day we had just experienced.

Friday: Friday already started better than Thursday, as I woke up feeling much less pain that yesterday! There was still a bit, but this time I could for sure tell that it was fading this time around. Anyways, we began to prep for DCM, and the ZL's called me and revealed that they were joining us for this council. Elder Walton, one of the ZL's, told me that he loved the way I ran it, but there were still just a few things that I needed to update. After accepting that challenge, we bolted to our first lesson and after that had to walk to the next one, and while doing so talked to everyone that we met! Only a few were interested but it felt great to walk such a distance while inviting everyone to come unto Christ! I loved it! After that we went to the planned lessons and then went home fulfilled!

Saturday: Saturday was a fantastic day! We headed to our first lesson very early and they surprised us with some egg sandwiches, some coke, and a new friend to listen to our message! After that we walked and picked up one of my favorite recent converts, who wants to be a missionary! This 12 year old boy knew we were coming and when we walked by to pick him up he was ready in his white shirt and tie, beaming with excitement to help us teach. It's so amazing to see! After that lesson we parted ways for a bit and then eventually came back to his house to meet with the entire family. They were having a very rough time and we spent almost 3 hours with them, trying to diffuse the situation and help the best we could. I'll explain more later.

Sunday: Sunday was great. We attended Ward Council and lowkey told off the leaders for not assisting the missionaries. They took it very well and pledged to be better. After that church was very nice, and we had a good amount of new friends show up! It was so exciting to see members bring their close friends and families to introduce them to the missionaries! The work hastens in Saulsville, South Africa! After church we went to a member meal and it was so nice! After that we went and did some contacting in public, making sure to talk to everyone we passed by! It was a wonderful day!

Spiritual Thought: This spiritual thought refers back to Saturday, when we had to help this family and their internal conflicts. We shared a quote from the late Elder Holland that reads, "God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there. Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart." - Like a Broken Vessel, October 2013. Immediately after sharing this beautiful quote with them, the room went silent and each family member graciously gave each involved individual to speak their minds. As Elder Holland counseled, we are to Never, ever forget how much God, our loving Heavenly Father,  loves us. Through His son, Jesus Christ, we can always remember the gifts and talents that are bestowed upon His faithful. Once each person was able to state his or her own case, the issue was able to be solved with more patience, charity, and love. The issue that was driving such a malicious wedge between them ended up being the perfect way for them to emulate the love of the Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you so much for reading if you made it this far! For those of you who respond or feel the need, I love reading what's going on in your lives! Keep them coming!

Much love,

Elder King