It's no longer HOT!!!! Thank goodness. We're finally getting some cooler weather, which I'm enjoying. It's not cold, but it is usually 75-85 degrees F, which is just fine with me. Also this week has been better for allergies--I can finally wear contacts again! Also, everyone else got sick and I didn't. And I got caught up on sleep!!! That is totally the calm before the storm, but I am enjoying it! In other news, I can't believe it's already September. I remember last September I was starting a new semester. That seems like another life.
This last week has been so great. One man we have had our sights on for 4 1/2 months finally has room in his schedule and we had a great lesson with him. He not only wanted to be baptized, but firmly told us when we suggested a date, "I promise I will be baptized on that day!" We almost fell out of our seats. His name is Mr. James and hopefully we'll have good updates on him soon.
The night before that, we decided to drop by another person we haven't been able to really teach yet. That lesson was one of the best Restoration lessons I have every taken part in. Her name is Tana, and she's unavailable for a while, but we're excited to teach her in a couple of weeks. She said that she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, which is exactly what we want!
Biggest miracle: Remember when I told the story about having an eagle feather exorcism performed on me? Well.....we went back. But! It was after very serious consideration. We put him on hold and kept sending him scripture texts each day with verses from the Book of Mormon. We told ourselves that if he reaches out to us, we'll try teaching him again, but not before 8/21. He texted us a couple of times, so we stopped by. We gave ourselves 10 minutes to set expectations with him and gauge his true interest. Well, in those 10 minutes, he told us that those scripture texts helped him change and he no longer wants to use foul language and he said he would like to be baptized so he can follow the Savior. We cautiously returned last night (can't pass that up), read from the Book of Mormon about the Savior coming to the Americas, and then marvelled when he said he will seriously read the book and pray and even fast several times if he needs to in order to get an answer. We were further stunned when he said he would receive an answer in his heart (which is true; I was suspicious that he was expecting a lightening bolt or something), expressed that he was having a spiritual confirmation and felt uplifted even as we were talking, and then committed to be baptized. We have no idea what the future will bring with this man named Abraham, but he is clear evidence that reading the Book of Mormon invites the Spirit into our lives, which is to invite change. Ha!
As for my weekly challenges, I'm planning on revising that to when-I-have-a-good-one challenges, focusing on quality and not just quantity. I've been feeling recently that as I continue to learn and grow on my mission, the things I learn will often become more deeply personal and harder to apply in a challenge. So I will try to share one weekly, but in order to preserve their value, I might not send one each week.
But I do have one this week! We talked a lot about tender mercies at church this week. Such an occurance is when we receive some sort of blessing that touches us so we feel deeply understood, individually known, and infinitely loved by our Father in Heaven. An example is when a passing stranger tells us exactly what we needed to hear, or when a financially struggling family finds food on their doorstep. We experience tender mercies every day, both big and small, but may not recognize them as such. My challenge is to look for those personal messages from God in your every day. He knows you personally. He loves you. He wants your eternal happiness. We often just need to take the time to look and see. A grateful person is a happy person, regardless of circumstances.
Jerammaan!
Elder Josh Kilmer
Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Mission, Marshallese-English speaking
不動心
Fudoshin: immovable spirit
Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Mission, Marshallese-English speaking
不動心
Fudoshin: immovable spirit
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