Ghosted But Still Solid

Hey y'all, hope everyone had a good week. Ours as a whole has been a little bit more bummer than stellar, but I'll try and pull a few highlights out and give you the entertainment that you've been waiting for since last week's email. 

Mostly the bummer of things is that we have been "ghosted" (as Elder Erickson puts it) by almost everyone we meet. For those of you not up to speed with the lingo, it just means that we like talking to people a lot more than they like talking to us, and as a result we get ignored a lot when we attempt to get into contact with them. I guess that is kind of the story of missionary work sometimes, but we're doing our best to work through it. 

We were able to have two good lessons with William this week, and he continues to show signs of progression in the gospel. In fact, this week he accepted the invitation to be baptized! The invitation may have been a little bit premature, but we are hopeful that William can continue to repent and grow in his faith to the point that he can make that commitment. He has yet to come to church, and his current work schedule makes coming to church all but impossible. He assures us that his schedule will calm down a little bit in the near future so he can make it, but work still seems to be as busy as ever for him. There have been many lessons that we've had to postpone or cancel because of his unforeseen overtime work, and it just makes things tough. Please keep William in your prayers. I've hardly met anyone who wants to learn and understand the gospel as much as he does, there are just a few things in his way right now. I believe that as long as we can continue to see him regularly, and his work schedule calms down, he will eventually get baptized. 

This Sunday we had a "missionary fireside" which was supposed to be a cool thing that people could invite their friends to that featured lots of music, church videos, and testimonies from recent converts that would provoke interest in learning about the Church. It wasn't something that we missionaries were in charge of, but we were asked to sing in the choir for it about a month ago. We had only had two practices total, and we had never had a full run-through of the program. To make matters slightly worse, two of the people who were supposed to share their testimonies didn't show up, so there were a few things that we had to wing. Fortunately we weren't in charge of the whole gig, so it wasn't really up to us to figure all that out, but luckily there were some people who stepped up and made it a great program. We invited William and he told us he would come, but when we tried calling/texting to remind him he never responded and he never showed up. However, it still turned out awesome. Nick got asked to step in and substitute for one of the absentees, and he shared an awesome testimony about how reading the Book of Mormon over the past several months has helped him to be happy, and out of some dark places. He also mentioned that every day when he reads, he takes notes both for himself and for his parents, in an attempt to help them understand why this is a good thing. I don't think that they even know yet that he's been baptized, but he is headed home this week for the summer, so I'm sure they'll find out soon. There was another lady named Kenya who was baptized in the Northport ward about a month ago, and she shared and awesome story and testimony about how she was looking for the truth from God, and one day she had a dream in which she was approached by two guys in white shirts and ties who were able to offer that truth to her. Not more than a day later, the Elders knocked on her door and she immediately knew that they had what she needed. I've been able to visit Kenya a couple of times for her baptism interview and at other occasions, and she is so awesome. There are not many people more happy and joyful than someone who has found and embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time, especially after seeking it for ages. I love recent converts. I hope that we all can have that fire with us always. Never take the gospel for granted. Most people don't have it. Living the gospel brings us to Christ, who is the source of true joy. All in all, it was a great fireside, even though it wasn't as well planned or well attended as I would have hoped. 

Hunter seems to have been "ghosting" us as well, but we were finally able to get in touch with him on the phone the other day and make an appointment to teach him. He said he's been spending some time in his hometown lately, which is actually Attalla. Tiny little town, but it's a place that I know well and love lots, so it's cool to make a connection there. 

I just want to wrap up today with my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. I know that Joseph was a true prophet of God. By no means was he a perfect individual - he was a dude just like me. But he was called of God and did everything that God asked him to do in order to get the blessings of the gospel back onto the earth. I know that the events in connection with the Restoration (the First Vision, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, etc.) happened in the way that Joseph described, and that those accounts are true. There is a lot of material out there antagonistic towards Joseph. Believe me, I've seen it. But he was a prophet nonetheless. I know that from my studies, experience, and from the witness of the spirit - time and time again. Whenever you read the scriptures that were brought forth through Joseph Smith, then you will too. 

Alrighty, well I hope that y'all have a good week. Thanks as always for your thoughts and prayers. Love y'all! 

Elder Beach
#RollTide