Well,
I have officially been out 6 weeks and I will be staying in Dickson for another
6 weeks with Elder Wardle. It is
starting to get cold here. The nights
are getting in the low 30s. Bbbrrrrrrrrr.
Our
“ponderize” scripture was Alma 39: 1. "And
now, my son, I have somewhat more to say unto thee than what I said unto thy
brother; for behold, have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother, his
faithfulness, and his diligence in keeping the commandments of God? Behold, has he not set a good example for
thee?" It is a little random, but
upon ponderizing it I have found a deeper meaning. I took it and applied it to me and I thought
about Christ. He is our brother and set the
ultimate example. We all need to strive
to be like Him in faith, diligence, and steadiness. Our faith needs to be firm and strong in Him. We need to be diligent in obeying His
commandments and doing whatever He has asked us to do. We need to be steady and immovable during the
times of trial. If we do these things, then
there is nothing that can knock us over in life and we will endure to the end. If we do better in these areas of our lives, then
everything else will fall into place.
Monday was P-day and we had dinner at the Patterson's as usual. Bro. Patterson asked us to give him a blessing for his mouth. He has been having a lot of dental work on his bottom teeth. So I sealed the anointing which makes it my second blessing ever. I do my best to listen to the Spirit when I say a blessing. I can definitely see that I am doing His work with these blessings and teaching people.
Tuesday we had trainer/trainee meeting. We went to Nashville to the mission office building and spent almost all day there. I learned a lot about how to be a better missionary, companion, servant of the Lord, and receiver of the Spirit. I also got to see how well I knew the scriptures with a scripture mastery game, but I also saw how much more I have to learn in both the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. The meeting was definitely a lot better than I thought it would be.
Wednesday we taught a lady named Michelle and the lesson went really well, but she texted us the other day and said that after much prayer and reading from our website and the Book of Mormon, that this wasn't the path for her. We were disappointed because she was awesome and we thought it went well. We know that if she keeps seeking God though, that He will guide her and hopefully she will return. This may be just one small step on her journey to truth. Later, we went to a First Baptist Bible study. After that we went and taught Brenda and taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement. The Spirit was really strong and she was really enjoying it until her 10 year old daughter started acting up. We weren't able to finish the lesson because it was so bad. It was a bummer, but before that, it was awesome. She just needs to start coming to church and then she wants to be baptized.
Thursday we went back and finished our lesson with Brenda. It went well, but not as well as the night before. That was an awesome lesson. We saw Shaun and Talida that night and taught them a scattered Plan of Salvation. We are going to go over it again next time we see them. Elder Wardle is starting to give me a lot of the responsibility now. He said that I need to start doing everything, except drive. I hate it, but yet I like it because it is teaching me and preparing me for the next 2 years.
Friday we tried contacting a lot of referrals and less-actives in 2 towns called Pegram and White Bluff. We didn't have a lot of luck until night time. We were in White Bluff, and we were going to see if we could find a less-active member named Kara Jean Curle. We got to the house and a lady was there and she said, “Come in, come in.” So we go in and talk with her. Her name is Kerry Jean Curle -almost the exact name, but no relation. She hadn’t ever heard of Kara and she has never been baptized nor has she ever stepped foot into a Mormon church. We were really confused as to why we had her address listed as a member. She didn't even have a daughter. So we talked with her and taught her the Restoration. She said she would read and she is going to come to church this next Sunday. It was kind of awesome. I don't think we met her by chance – it was no accident. I believe that God led us to her. We left her some videos to watch because she asked for some. After a rough day that was a great way to end it.
Saturday we helped out at the Humane Society. Then we had a lesson with a lady named Cindee and we read Alma 7 with her and taught her as we read. She said she would only join our church if God told her to, which is exactly what we hope people will do. Later, while tracting, we talked with a man named Devonte. He told us we could come back next week and he seems really open. We taught him a brief Restoration lesson and gave him a Book of Mormon. Later that night we went and I got to meet the High Priest group leader, Bro. Litchford. He is a psychologist. He told us a lot of how the brain works, which I love to hear and learn about. I could listen to him talk about it all day. It was pretty fascinating. He also has a pet tarantula and boa snake. He is awesome and funny.
Sunday was Stake Conference which was really good. I learned that if I ever have a question about something that may be controversial, to go and read the teachings of either the prophets and apostles in the scriptures or the current prophets and apostles. We need to always listen to them no matter what the world says or what we may make up in our own mind. They are representatives of Christ for the world and they are His mouthpiece. They are truly inspired. Then we need to take it to Heavenly Father so we can gain understanding from Him about it and feel in our hearts that what the prophets and apostles taught is true. Now that I have the iPad, I have been able to watch a lot of talks and devotionals which are awesome. I love to listen to their talks.
Monday is P-day and I will let you all know what I do next week. Have fun, stay safe, go read or watch some talks - it will help you in your life and things will be better. And always look for opportunities to serve others. Until next time.
Elder Ellison
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| Brenda's Dog - Newt |
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