We've had a wonderful time here. Just for starters, there has been a 16 year old non member young man who has been coming to church with his friends for a few weeks, and he hasn't been to willing to meet with us. He just likes coming to church because his buddies go. So two weeks ago, right before Priesthood started, I asked one of the young men to arm wrestle me, hoping that it would help us "get in" with the boys. He agreed and I beat him! And so the next young man stepped in, and I beat him too! And then this nonmember boy jumped in, and before we arm wrestled I said, "If I win, you come to church next week. If I lose, you don't have to. Fair enough?" haha. He agreed, and I beat him! So yesterday he came to church. During Priesthood again he wanted to arm wrestle me again, and so we did but this time if I won, we would have a lesson with him after church, and if he won, we didn't have to. So we wrestled and I beat him again!! hahahah!! So after church we had a lesson with him at one of the young men's home. He's close!
We also have an investigator who has been worked on for YEARS! His children and grandchildren are members of the church, but he isn't. He knows a lot about the church, but only from an outsider perspective. We started teaching him again, and he is FINALLY going to get baptized on Oct. 11. He has also started up a friendship with an excommunicated member, and they are going to be baptized together, in the river, on the same date. He's awesome!
We are so close with a lot of investigators in the area. If it's the Lord's will, than next transfer we very possibly could baptize 4 or 5 investigators. It's all in the Lord's timing, and it always is! The investigator who has agreed to be baptized in October is well known in the community. I think him getting baptized will open the door for other people to be baptized as well. MISSIONARY WORK IS AWESOME.
Ps, it's Elder Larson's birthday today. He's 21.
We're also teaching this sweet woman named Brenda, and her mother Dorothy. Brenda is in her 50's and Dorothy is in her 80's. We initially started teaching them using Family History, but she is starting to express to us that she feels like she can't be forgiven for things she has done! I am learning more and more that everyone wants to be forgiven, and that wickedness really isn't happiness. Even people who seem to be "living it up" in wickedness, really aren't happy, and for the most part they also want to be forgiven.
I don't know if I have told you this, but there are parts of our area where we drive on the beach. Literally the beach. Like where there are shells and washed up sea-life. Yeah, a beach! We drive on it! We've almost gotten stuck a few times! haha!
There is an older couple (nearly 70 yrs old) that own and run the Fish n' Chips shop on the beachfront (the only store in our area, open three days a week). Whenever we go over to their shop, we get a chance to talk with them about the church, and the Book of Mormon and things. Previously, we haven't been able to catch them at home because of their working schedule. But, on Friday night we got a chance to visit them in their homes. Stella, (the wife) told us that she was going to go inside the temple in Hamilton someday, and she fully understood that she needed to be baptized in order to do so! "Someday I'm going inside that building!" It was special.
Yesterday an old lady named Lucy Pita passed away. In Maori culture, whenever anyone dies they hold what is called a Tangi for 3 or 4 days before the burial. A Tangi is where the dead body lies in its casket in a special building called a Marae. A Marae is like a Maori church. While in the Marae, there are certain cultural rules and regulations to follow. It's a beautiful part of their culture. During the Tangi, over the course of those three days, family and friends remain in the Marae with the dead body, showing their respect for the deceased person. Throughout this time, people may enter the Marae, and as long as they follow the cultural rules and traditions, they can speak on the Marae to all those in attendance. Anyways, yesterday Elder Larson and I went to the Tangi, and were welcomed on the Marae, and we got to speak to those in attendance. It was so cool being able to teach at the Marae! I've been on a Marae once before, but didn't get the chance to speak last time. It was awesome!
And the ugly toe is back....
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