Hey all!
So every week we have a new goal to help us focus our efforts for OYM. Last week it was baptismal invitations, and this week it was BoM copies handed out. We had some really cool teaching experiences. We didn't get the highest number in our district, not by a long shot, but I feel like every person who got a book got a lesson about how it would bless their life, and that's more important, right?
We tried our hand at street contacting (in downtown Fargo, which actually isn't our area, oops) and it was really hard! Lots of people didn't want to talk to us and even more didn't want to hear what we had to say. A homeless native guy walked up and asked us for money, so we gave him a BoM and that was not at all what he wanted. So then he walks over to this cop's car that was stopped at the crosswalk and throws it on his passenger seat. We just kind of started walking away because we didn't want to be involved in that situation at all. But all we heard was the cop saying "Be nice to them!" It was pretty funny. Hopefully that cop gets baptized.
We met a sweet lady named Lisa at Target and we were able to teach her family last night. They're from Liberia originally and they're Christian, and they were really excited to have us over. Lisa pulled out her Bible to read with us and her husband, Clarence, even turned off the football game without us having to ask, which is pretty amazing. We'll be going back next Sunday and hopefully we can get a little more formal lesson taught and invite them to church. Clarence said he'd write down five questions for every page he read of the BoM, and I mean I love questions but that seems excessive. I'll just be thrilled if he reads enough to have questions!
And we met this woman named Mandi in a trailer park and she was so excited that we came by. She has a minor mental disability and lots of disorders, but she was so sweet. She was telling us about all the hard things she's dealt with and how she wants to reconnect with Christ and be involved with good people and all this amazing stuff. When we gave her the Book of Mormon she said her goal is to be halfway through it by the time we come back on Wednesday. She's adorable, though. I already have so much love for her and know that the gospel could help her out a ton!
The women's broadcast was amazing! Go watch it right now if you didn't catch it the first time (or if you're a dude and thought it wasn't for you. It is.Go watch it.) I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk, and Sister Oscarson's. Those two answered a lot of the specific fears and questions that I've been having lately and it was pretty cool to feel the power of the restored gospel! Feel like I've been missing a little of that lately, which is ironic because my whole life is currently the restored gospel. But yeah, prophets still speak to us and they have some pretty great things to share, so listen up next week!
Love you all!
