All is going well. We've been improving in numbers each week this transfer and as a companionship we are improving in the goals we have set. I still get frustrated with myself when I know we should have done more that day but let our weaknesses get in the way. Something I have really enjoyed this week is my ability to learn a lot more from the meetings that I attend. I'm really trying to focus on getting more out of the talks and lessons. There is something to be learned as long as we are open to the spirit. Also, it has helped to have my mind focused on not just writing what I hear the speaker or teacher say, but write down the random thoughts that pop into my head during their talk. Those random thoughts can be spiritual promptings of how to help myself and help others improve in the gospel. It's given me a new perspective on how I listen. It's helped a lot. I really enjoyed Sacrament Meeting yesterday where the talks were focused on conference and they stated things I had not thought about. I love having the opportunity to open my mind more and see more perspectives, and that only comes from discussions with others. That's one reason why we can't be satisfied with being personally religious. We need to go to church not only to renew our covenants through the sacrament, but also to learn and gain inspiration from those around us. As we listen to others, and we have an open mind and hear to the spirit, it's amazing how we are more enlightened to understanding the basic principles of the gospel. You learn something new every day.
Saturday was a really fun day for us! We hadn't tried to do a lot of ASL work in a while, so we decided to contact all the referrals we've received in the last two weeks - which surprisingly has been a lot! We called up one of our Deaf members and we spent the whole day together driving from city to city, from referral to referral, and although we tried to visit eleven people and only say two, I see it as a great success. I loved it! It was a full day of silence. We signed the whole time. It was also really good for Sis. Snyder to learn more of the language. Plus, any questions or confusion I had with signs, I was able to ask about them and get it cleared up. I learned a lot and already have applied it to my signing. Little by little, I am growing.
I'm not sure what else to write. We continue onward every day. We progress and grow, even when we have those darn bumps in the road. FYI: Pres. Hall has asked me if I want to return home in Jan or March. My ministerial certificate expires in Feb, so I'd have to ask for an extension to stay until March; but if I do, it would be my exact 18-month mark. I'm suppose to pray on it, and so will Pres. Hall. I'm not sure what has been decided yet, but it will probably be March 9. We'll see...
‘Make no small plans: They have no magic to stir man’s souls.’ This is the vision I have for the South. I believe that one day the South will baptize more people into the church than all other English speaking missions in the world together. There are great hosts of marvelous Baptists, and members of the church of Christ, Methodists and Catholics who are honorable people, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and love him. As they see their church veering off to the right or to the left of these basic teachings, they will begin to search for the truth. And as pivotal teachers come into the church and have influence, we will see the time when we baptize hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands. In your day you will see a million members of the church in the South. There will be Temples plural in the Southern States. What a great call you have to serve with these marvelous people. ~Spencer W Kimball (1974)
