Hey Everybody,
Time is shorter than usual today. Here's my letter to Prez-o. Everyone seems to like those:
Hello President!
Another good week! We've been working hard. I guess the only thing that holds us back is the sun setting each day. Things like leadership training and rehearsals, no matter how beneficial, are also 'interfering' with our work. We have SO many people to see that when things like that come along, it means that someone has to fall by the wayside for that week. Regardless, we did very well this week.
This area is so darn busy! Elder Willis and I are to the point of almost AVOIDING new investigators because we simply can't take any more! We're certainly being pretty picky about who we visit. We have to, otherwise those that are earnest seekers of the truth cannot progress. We have thirteen people that we have high hopes for in the month of April to be able to enter the waters of baptism. We had a lofty goal last month of twelve, but because of one thing or another, many of them weren't able to commit themselves to baptism. This month, however, we really feel that we can reach this goal. These thirteen are prepared people who are already progressing towards baptism.
I think our greatest success this week comes from the sister that met us at the leadership training this past Tuesday. As you know, I took a step that I was very afraid to make, and I invited her to keep the law of chastity that very day, which meant that she'd likely have to move from her home. Well, it worked! It was miraculous! She went home that night and found that the man was sleeping to his working place that night, so she had the room to herself. She spent all of the next day praying and fasting with a member friend to be inspired with what to say and do. When the man came, she spelled it out to him that she wasn't going to sin any more. The man's heart was softened, and he agreed to move from the room until her dowry was paid, which he committed to pay by May. He also provided her with some money so that she could kick up her own business. All in all, things are going great for her! She's so happy now that she is keeping the commandments. I was honestly surprised that it worked out so well for her. She is such an amazing convert.
Elder Willis is a powerhouse, as usual. Both of us are reaching the ends of our ropes physically. We're just burning out a little. Each day we're able to dig down deep and pull off another full day. He's truly inspiring to me, and i will lament the day we must separate.
Since that same training, I've been doing my best to help my district members learn and apply the doctrine of Christ as found in the first fundamental. I'm going to make it the focus of this week's district meeting.
I went on exchange with Elder [X] this past week, and it was great. I had some good time to talk with him and get to know him. He's a really excellent teacher, he just needs to overcome some of his pride. He has his way of doing things, and it's been hard for him to do things any other way.
This week we had a good breakthrough with Elder [X] and Elder [Y]. I was sensing a little tension with them, so I took a minute to sit down with them and talk before going out to teach Friday morning. It wound up into a two hour talk, in the which Elder [X] opened up a lot and was able to share some things with his companion that he was holding inside. He's felt that it's better to "tolerate" the negative or irritating aspects of a companion than to help or correct them when necessary. I think the hardest thing for him was admitting his own shortcomings in order to help his companion with the same ones. In the end, both of them were able to set goals on how to become better, more Christ-like missionaries.
We also performed a district service project this week. We moved our morning study time to the evening on Friday to give us time to go to a community well to help them dig the sand out of it. It had become too dirty to use for anything, and the people in the community were going without water. We were wise and didn't enter inside the well, but we sure did our part in helping them haul away the soaked silt. We also made sure to sling a few mud balls at each other for fun. ;-) In the end, it was a positive experience for everybody. From what one of the members living in that area told me, it's done a lot to soften the hearts of some of the more stubborn people in their area. They said that many people that saw what we did were asking why a few white guys were so willing to get down and dirty when they had their own well. It was a lot of fun.
Well, I'm looking forward to another week in Zion! Thanks for all that you've helped me to learn!
Love,
Elder Vaughan
As you can see, busy week! The best part for me was the leadership training this past Tuesday. It was just the District Leaders and Zone Leaders in Monrovia Zone with Pres. and Sis. Roggia and the Assisstants, as well as Elder Krumm, one of the senior couple missionaries. Our main focus was on magnifying the doctrine of Christ in our own lives, and becoming more converted. Doing so helps each individual missionary to become more successful, because everything he or she does will be driven by a desire to serve the Lord. It was real sweet.
We had been informed that we should have an investigator meet us at the chapel after the training segment in order to do some 'practice'. We had a sister come who was struggling with cohabitation. We did everything we knew how to help her to find a diplomatic way to fix things with the man, i.e. get married, separate, or whatever it was going to take. In the end, nothing was changing fast, and she was still breaking the law of chastity, and she was completely unhappy.
Before she arrived at the chapel, I was able to have a great conversation with President Roggia and Elder Krumm about what we should do to help this sister. Elder Krumm was my companion for the exercise since Elder Willis was away on exchange during the meeting, so we were also discussing what we should teach. We talked for a good hour or so, and President Roggia's advice was to actually drop this sister because she wasn't 'progressing'. In his eyes, he felt like we had done everything we could to fix the problem, but that the ball was then in her court, so to speak. Elder Krumm and I decided to revisit the law of chastity once again with her with a special emphasis on temple blessings when she arrived.
She arrived late, as Liberians usually do, but this time it was attributed to some severely redirected traffic. She ended up spending all the transportation money she had to get there, and arrived after nearly two hours of traveling. As I saw her enter the chapel, I whispered over to Elder Krumm "I hope we can make this lesson of ours worth the great sacrifice she made to come." Indeed, I was outstandingly nervous. I was afraid that I had wasted her time and money in coming to the church just for a lesson. How wrong I was for supposing such a thing!
The discussion that Elder Krumm and I had with here was miraculous! We talked at length about the temple, chastity, the blessings thereof, and being right with God. In the end, I did what I was afraid to do, and felt that I lacked the faith to do, which was to invite her to keep the law of chastity from that moment on, no matter the cost. The Spirit was there in such a way that is rare for even a missionary to find! The environment and atmosphere was perfect for the occasion. She was on the verge of tears the whole time. She accepted the invitation, and committed to never violate the law of chastity again.
At the end of the lesson, she knelt and offered one of the most sincere prayers I've heard on mission. She pleaded with the Lord to "Part the Red Sea, even as He had done so for the Israelites." From there, she went home, and we waited to see next what would happen.
Elder Willis and I met her at her home a few days later. Just as I related to President, the following happened:
I think our greatest success this week comes from the sister that met us at the leadership training this past Tuesday. As you know, I took a step that I was very afraid to make, and I invited her to keep the law of chastity that very day, which meant that she'd likely have to move from her home. Well, it worked! It was miraculous! She went home that night and found that the man was sleeping to his working place that night, so she had the room to herself. She spent all of the next day praying and fasting with a member friend to be inspired with what to say and do. When the man came, she spelled it out to him that she wasn't going to sin any more. The man's heart was softened, and he agreed to move from the room until her dowry was paid, which he committed to pay by May. He also provided her with some money so that she could kick up her own business. All in all, things are going great for her! She's so happy now that she is keeping the commandments. I was honestly surprised that it worked out so well for her. She is such an amazing convert.
(I don't know if you knew this, but the Brethren recently announced that the Church now views 'traditional' marriage (i.e. dowry) as a full and binding legal marriage for all ordinances in the church. Therefore, one who is 'traditionally married' is eligible for baptism, temple ordinances, etc., and are not violating the law of chastity.)
We've been so happy for this sister! I was amazed at how seemingly lacking my faith was... Sometimes I feel like my faith is unshakable, but when things like this happen that test my faith, I discover just how truly feeble it is. True enough, faith precedes the miracle.
Well, that's about all I have time for! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Vaughan
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