It has been a really amazing week. We have been working really hard as a companionship at becoming "Preach My Gospel missionaries"... making sure we are doing everything we can to help God's children in our area come closer to Him and live His gospel. For a couple days it was feeling a little overwhelming, like we will never be good enough, but we had a really cool experience yesterday. Elder Anthony Perkins, our area 70, was on a mission tour and half the mission met with him yesterday. he and his wife were fabulous and the Spirit was strong throughout the meeting. In preparation, we were each asked to prepare a short talk individually and a lesson as a companionship. Of everyone there, Sister Brown and I got called up to role-play teaching the law of tithing. In front of half our mission. And the mission president. And a general authority. We were really nervous but decided just to focus on the "investigators" and their needs and it went great :) Elder Perkins actually used the words "best I've seen" and President Christianson only had one small comment (I said gold plates instead of brass :P). And we learned a lot from the role play as well. It is so cool that the Spirit knows what we need, and I really felt like the Lord was just reassuring us that we are doing okay.
That experience helped in a teaching appointment we had last night as well. For the first time in probably my whole mission, a contact of ours called US to set up an appointment. (Also his name is for real Michael McClain. And he's musical. Weird?) We were a little worried about his motivations, but the lesson went really well. He seems really sincere and we were bold enough that he knows our purpose (to invite and baptize) and what he needs to do to find out for himself. I'm grateful for what we learned about teaching people, not lessons, in our role play because I really felt the Spirit both as we testified and as we gave him opportunities to testify. Hopefully things go well there.
Bill is doing great! It seems like ever since the first vision sunk in with him, he is retaining and understanding so much more! He didn't make it to church because of a medication mix-up and he slept in (he's 82, mind you). Today is supposed to be his last day off of coffee, and then he is ready to be baptized next weekend! It has been so cool to see a change in him. Not that he was a bad person before, but the Spirit is really... sharpening him. It is making him more aware, and giving him a reason to be happy. It is amazing to feel a part of the love God has for his children as we teach.
I need to go for today, but quick medical update: My chest is doing a little better. I've been on these meds for almost 2 weeks now, and they are supposed to take a month to kick in fully. If they aren't solving the problem by then, I'm probably going to a specialist. For now though, the pain is pretty constant but very manageable. it's not getting in the way of anything I do, just kind of annoying in general. Other fun medical fact: I had minor surgery at the hand of my ward mission leader this week, at his kitchen table. :) Not a big deal, I've had a cyst in my right ear for probably a month now and he's a ER nurse so he just numbed me and drained it. It still looks pretty gross but it's a lot smaller and hopefully will continue to go down. Worse case scenario, we have a less-active dermatologist in the ward ;)
Okay, really need to go. Thanks for all of the love coming by mail :) Love you all sososo much! Have an excellent week. <3
