Pittsburgh Mission Memoirs

October 14, 2013

Missionary Slim sees a TON of fish but is having the best success being a 'Fisher of Men' (Week 88 in Pennsylvania, Week 12 in Dover, PA)

Missionary work is going well. We pulled out our area book this week and found this name under the potential investigator section:
 
Valentin.  Contacted August 2007. Note: "This guy is SO prepared!"
 
And with that to work with, we stopped by. Sure enough, we found him at home. Actually, he was leaving in about 5 minutes, but he had time to get to know us a bit, tell us that he could visit with us in the morning, and get our phone number.
 
We stopped by two days later in the morning and he let us in with this greeting: "Guys, this is going to be the first and the last time, because I'm just so busy, I can't commit to anything. But come in for today." We sat down and he just started talking to us, with us making comments here and there. He talked about his work, his family, his homeland Mexico, his wife, his church that he doesn't attend. You know, all the important stuff. We just sat and listened. Every now and then, he'd stop, think for a bit, and then throw our a super-inspired question. "So, what is it with you guys? What makes your church any different from any other?" or "What happens to us when we die? Coz my kids have been asking and I don't have a good answer." And we answered. We gave him a Book of Mormon, and he seemed thrilled to give it a read. We'll see what happens.

Same goes for the wife of a less-active member who we started teaching this week. We've gone over in the past to chat, to help them with their fish (they have a TON of fish), and other stuff. This time, though, we were going to teach. She had a TON of questions too (not as many questions as fish, though), and we were able to answer every single one. She's going to think about what we shared and decide if she wants to learn any more during this coming week, but I'm hopeful and confident that she'll choose to keep learning.
 
Also, we had the chance to visit with Noel again. Without going into detail, she told us one of her biggest hang-ups with coming to church. It was incredible how the conversation just naturally flowed into the gospel and the love which Heavenly Father has for us and how much He wants us to just make good choices and follow Him. He knows what will make us happy, and He's going to try his hardest to help us. She seemed a little bit more comfortable after that.
 
Finally, we had an awesome baptism this week. Kyle, who I mentioned many weeks ago, has been taught by the sister missionaries in the ward. They've worked through all his concerns and questions until he finally decided to be baptized. It was a great baptism. Like the baptism of Sarah a few months ago, we were able to have a Skype session with the missionaries who taught him online. They were awesome guys too - one was paralyzed from the hips down and the other had cerebral palsy. Both were dedicated servants of the Lord, though, and were trying their best to share the gospel.
 
Kyle gave his testimony as well. He explained how he came to find the church after taking a survey online about which religion he affiliates with the most. Turns out that the result was "Mormon." So he got online, got in touch with those missionaries, they got us in touch with him. He said that his first visit with us was "intimidating." (ouch...) But the sisters came in right after that and softened him right up. He's totally dedicated to the church and gospel and is ready for his new life! That's just testimony to me that the Lord really is in charge - He'll make everything work out.
 
Anyway, it's been a great week. I hope yours has been too!
 
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

No comments :

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

About Me

Get to know me.

Blog Archive

  • 2014 (6)
    • February (1)
    • January (5)
  • 2013 (52)
    • December (5)
    • November (4)
    • October (4)
      • Missionary Slim doesn't have to use his ruby slipp...
      • Missionary Slim likes photoblogging (Week 89 in Pe...
      • Missionary Slim sees a TON of fish but is having t...
      • Missionary Slim has a few words to pass on to ever...
    • September (5)
    • August (4)
    • July (5)
    • June (4)
    • May (4)
    • April (5)
    • March (4)
    • February (4)
    • January (4)
  • 2012 (52)
    • December (5)
    • November (5)
    • October (5)
    • September (4)
    • August (4)
    • July (6)
    • June (4)
    • May (4)
    • April (5)
    • March (4)
    • February (4)
    • January (2)
  • 2011 (3)
    • December (3)

Popular Posts

  • Missionary Slim Wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Advent? Is Slim getting confused? (Week 95 in Pennsylvania, Week 6 in Wintersville, Ohio)
    Happy Turkey Holocaust Day, everyone! And happy Hanukkah. And Advent. All that jazz. We had a crazy week. We were walking around in downtow...
  • Musings From my Personal Study
    Little known fact: I prefer my scripture study in the evening. Peace and quiet, plenty of time (I believe that sacrificing sleep for The Lor...
  • Missionary Slim is closing in on 2014. Happy New Year! (Week 99 in Pennsylvania, Week 10 in Wintersville, Ohio)
    It was a delightful Christmas for Missionary Slim. Few presents except an overload of candy and goodies, no snow, but still good company and...
  • Missionary Slim finds out that giants really do exist and they are friendly! (Week 82 in Pennsylvania, Week 6 in Dover, PA)
    This blog post is probably going to sound like a Shakespeare comedy or a daytime soap opera. Just sayin'.   Earlier this week, we...
  • Missionary Slim has a few words to pass on to everyone (Week 87 in Pennsylvania, Week 11 in Dover, PA)
    Today, Slim has been extremely busy and didn't have a lot of time to write. Here are a few of his own words to sum up his week:  -G...
  • Confessions of a Returned Missionary
    A multitude of things have surprised me about coming home. Many things were totally unexpected; some things went beyond expectation. Here ar...
  • My name is Slim. Just Slim.
    It's been long enough. Now that a full week has passed, it's time I come out of hiding. I'll start with last Tuesday. Elder Almo...
  • Missionary Slim is Homeward Bound (Week 101 in Pennsylvania, Week 12 in Wintersville, Ohio)
    It's a challenge to put my thoughts and feelings into words, mainly because there are so many of them. This whole post might be the vagu...
  • Incredible Beginning (Week 1 in the MTC, Provo Utah)
    Here I am. The first week here at the MTC, and first week as a missionary. I don't even recognize myself anymore. It has been such an ...
  • Missionary Slim eats some Mystery Meat (Week 5 in Pennsylvania, Week 5 in Lebanon, PA)
    As I said last week: when a member gives you food, you eat it. No matter what it is, you have to eat it. No exception. End of story. We...

© Pittsburgh Mission Memoirs