So this week was a bit rouch, physically, but spiritually, it was great! :D
We spent a lot of time knocking doors, which is sort of a last resort for missionaries: idealy we spend our time teaching people, not finding people on their doorstep. But we've been doing heaps of it, and have gotten a few good responses, including a woman initially said "not interested, I'm catholic" but when she listened to us, she began tearing up as we told Joseph Smith's vision, and readily accepted and commited to read the book of mormon.
You may be wondering what a missionary like me would like for Christmas!
Not Chocolate, really. UK chocolate is much better... =w=
Burt's Bees! I miss that stuff...
Like Dumbledore, I'd love thick woolen socks. They make life much more bearable.
A deep blue soft warm scarf. I love scarves...
Any orchestral music, especially soundtracks, like how to train your dragon, or similar stuff.
And I heard of a universal remote control watch, which I could turn off someone's TV with remotely... That would be awesome.
But you know me better than I know me.
What I think I'd love most of all though, would be a physical heartfelt letter, maybe with a picture of you enclosed...
Yeah. So. Epic spiritual story time.
There was a member who hadn't been to church in a long time. He knew the church was true, but was going to the church of scotland. So! He needed to come back. After we taught him clearly that if the book of mormon was true, then the prophet is true, which means the church is true, so he needed to be at our church. Then we invited him to church.
Silence.
We could all feel the spirit very strongly, and we knew that he could feel it too. We told him this, and again invited him to come to church.
Silence.
This time for five minutes. Then I felt the spirit prompt me to say the following words - it was like an overwhelming need to say it, which I can't really describe... So I said:
"Alan Cairns: in the name of Jesus Christ, we command you to return to church." Then I said something like: God needs you at this time in his church, and your concerns will be resolved as you come. Will you come to church?
Then it was pure silence for 30 minutes. We simply looked at him, waiting for an answer. He stared at the ground, and gave several silent prayers. Later, we talked about how we knew he'd turn on the lights (it was 4:30, and the sun was setting) then go to the window to think. He then proceeded to do those things, and just as he was about to give us an answer, his friend burst into the house, and answered for him that he had to ring the bell for the church of scotland, and wouldn't come. Alan never said himself he wouldn't come; he knew that he had felt the spirit and couldn't deny it.
But his pride got the better of him, and he chose not to come.
Epic story number two, in brief, because otherwise I'd be here hours:
I was on the phone for 2 hours 13 minutes with a man who basically said he was at a point in his life where he was ready for change, and he was willing to do whatever we asked for as long as it took, and as long as we were willing to, to come to know whether our religion was true. There's heaps of other funny things about the call, but suffice it to say, we're very excited to see him tonight, and follow up on his reading of the introduction to the book of mormon, his reading after that, and the "deep, heartfelt prayer" that he commited himself to do and report on...
Very cool. ^0^
I love you all! I hope you have a fantastic week, my friends and family! :D Though really, I feel those terms are becoming more synonymous as time goes on...
Cheers! :3
– Elder William Kevin Black
Here's some Christmas cards we got...
And me with my best friend Haggis!
Though I know now what's in it, I'm still in love with it... But I could feel my body getting less healthy by the second... xP
