8/11/14

I pretty much hit the wall this week. I just felt like I was doing this work all by myself. It is stressful when you are basically in charge of 20 people's salvation haha. It is exhausting to feel like you are always falling short, especially when the work you are doing isn't yours. But I had a really cool experience. I received a call at 10:00 from the assistants this last Thursday telling me they needed me to give a baptismal interview about 50 miles away the next day (my first one btw... AHHH). We show up to this woman's trailer and we perform the interview in the front seat of her car. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was just like me. Stressed out of her mind by everything going on in her life. Her stressors were much more serious than mine, but it felt like I was talking to another me. She was repeatedly did this half sigh-half laugh thing that I always do which means, "I am stressed out my mind but I am trying to just smile it away." She was constantly feeling like she was falling short. I felt this overwhelming love and compassion for her. All I could do was smile and laugh with her and just tell her how proud heavenly father was of her. As the person performing the interview, I am able to receive revelation specifically for this person and discern the Lords will for this person. I felt that what I was feeling for her was exactly what heavenly father was feeling for her. All she needed to hear was "you are doing a good job." We talked and did the interview (she was gold btw). I got to share a couple of scriptures with her that helped calm her down. She prayed to bring the interview to a close, and she said, "thank you for sending Elder Wheat to do the interview. Its nice to talk to someone just like me. Its nice to know you always send people where they need to be.

It was one of the most memorable experience of my mission. I was pondering that hour for the rest of the day. Right before I went to bed, I had this question come to my mind "What would the savior say if I was having that interview with myself?" I felt that I would be telling myself the same thing I told her. I would smile and laugh and say "you are doing a wonderful job. You are trying, and that is all the Savior asks for. No matter how you feel about your effort, I know that the Lord is smiling on you and is willing to help you. He feels more happiness for what you are doing than disappointment for what you are not doing." Then he'd smile and give me a hug (which I did not do in the interview because that would be wildly inappropriate haha) and say "just keep going." This life really is all about progress and not perfection. We can still expect the best from ourselves without feeling overwhelming disappointment when we fall short. God did not "send his son to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved."

Notwithstanding my own personal trials this week, it really was awesome. We met a former Michigan football player, and he wants to meet with us!! But the real miracle happened on Wednesday. We went to go meet with the Clan again. We weren't sure how it would go since Ken dropped us. We were only planning on meeting with Becky. We were praying that a miracle would happen with them. We go in and not only was Becky there, but Dennis, Erica, her sister, and a couple (Lauren and Jack) that they had invited over to listen to us! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I felt that they loved it! They had tons of questions and it was so great! The cool part was when we started talking about the Holy Ghost. I asked them how they knew that the Bible was true, and Lauren started talking about the physical evidence behind it. I felt like I should ask, "Do we have proof that Jesus walked on water, or that he raised the dead." None of them could answer. We read Moroni 10:4 and broke it down with them. We taught that each of them could receive a personal answer from God to any question they have ever had and committed them to do so. They were really excited about that. Lauren especially couldn't wait to meet with us this week. She has a ton of questions, which I am thankful that the Holy Ghost has a ton of answers. That was just one miracle we had this week. We found some new investigators and are starting to make progress! I am really looking forward to getting out and working with them. 

I must share how grateful I am for a God who answers questions. Who loves each of us enough to not only listen to our prayers but answers them. I received so much needed counsel from my Father in Heaven this week and I know that he can do the same for all. While answers do not always come quickly, they will come when we are truly ready to receive them. I have not received all the answers yet, but I have been given an assurance that he is there, and that he is listening.

Elder Wheat