This week was pretty average compared to the craziness I've had here this transfer. We have been meeting a lot of potential/new investigators which has been so cool! This little boy Cayden is just great and he is the epitome of a golden investigator who was prepared for us. The first lesson we had he was so involved and had such a huge understanding of what we were teaching. At the end of the lesson we invited him to be baptized on October 29th and he said yes! His mom was all for it and really happy for him. The bummer is yesterday at church we found out that his dad will be out of town that day so we'll have to make some changes but still it felt amazing to meet someone so ready and excited about the gospel. That made it so we have 4 people with baptismal dates for November which is unheard of in this area and it can't believe how far this area has come in the 10 weeks I've been here! So many investigators and people ready for baptism it's amazing. We met this hilarious old man a few weeks back who loves the church but is struggling to know whether or not he should be baptized and we are hoping to help him get that answer because he goes to church faithfully for like the last 2 years his only hold up is his wife doesn't want to be a member so he's worried he'll create a divide in the marriage if he gets baptized but the last time we met with him she joined us and told him up front that she sees no reason why he can't get baptized he's been living the gospel for years so nothing will really change which is so true and I'm so glad she was able to express that to him and help him resolve that concern. Who knows maybe we'll get him on date this week as well!
I hope everyone is doing well! I love being a missionary everyday it's seriously the greatest gift that Heavenly Father allows me to be here and teach his children. It's true in Doctrine and Covenants when the Lord says that he uses the weak and the simple to preach his gospel because if he didn't I wouldn't be called as a missionary! He strengthens me everyday and I am so grateful for that.
The quote I wanted to share today is from a talk/Email thing that gets shared around by missionaries called "The 4th Missionary" and it basically just talks about 4 different kinds of missionaries and their effectiveness and the 4th one is who we should all strive to be like. It says "To believe that weaknesses and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation. You are not cast in stone. You not only can change but you do change all of the time. You are a dynamic, changing, evolving being. You are always changing. You never stay the same. You cannot stand still.You are right now the sum total of what you have thought, said, seen, heard and done. What you think, say, do, hear and see, cause you to change; to change for good or evil; to become either stronger or weaker; to either internalize the qualities of light or the qualities of darkness. You are responsible for who you are and you are responsible for who you will become."
I love this because accountability is such an important trait for all of us to acquire and as missionaries it's important for us to teach this to investigators to help them understand that they have to be willing to take the steps necessary for baptism. We can only do so much to help them but we will not take away their agency or accountability. I know that as we decide to change for the better and ask for help Heavenly Father will be there every step of the way. He never leaves us alone, we only loose sight of his presence in our lives. I am a witness of that truth.
I love you all and pray for you daily!
Love From Vernal,
Sister Dunkley
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