Week 29 - Good Afternoon!

I hope you all have had an awesome week! This week was another week that just flew by! It seems to be going that way lately. We hardly have time to breathe before we are off and about trying to get something else done. I did enjoy everything this week. We did a lot of service, lots of lessons, a bit of tracting, and a bit of everything in between. That is definitely one of the nice things about serving here in this area. 

I will just get right to the meat & potatoes of the week...So this week we had an awesome lesson with Shirley. (She is one of the less-actives we have been working with). We went over there and we taught all about Faith. A simple principle at the surface, but after that it gets so much better. My focus in the lesson was trying to answer every question through a scripture, and I was doing that, but then it got to this point where I felt like we should just stop and bear testimony on a few of the things that we were talking about. Her question that caused that was basically like, `have you not questioned all of this before? We then bore testimony on basically how we got to where we were and she was almost floored with seeing that we had the same questions she is having now about everything. We have asked her and she really sees us as these people who are practically perfect and have everything figured. (How wrong she is..)  But we were able to explain that what she is going through is completely normal. She should have these questions, and it turned out to be an awesome lesson that I do believe helped her so much. We have been able to see such a change in her life over the last couple months, it`s been so neat to be a part of! 

On Thursday we had a meal with the Stephenson family. They are relatively new to the ward, but they are a less-active family. We got up there and had a great time with them, a great message, and just an enjoyable time. She said at the end that this is the first time in 20 years she has had the missionaries in her home for supper...so that was pretty neat! That night we then went over to the Schallocks, where we taught the family, this is the family that includes Madi. It was a lesson about allowing the gospel to be our Liahona. It is a lesson that bases out of Alma, and relates the Liahona they used to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives now. It is one that really does make you think a little bit. It`s lessons like that where I have to ask myself questions and then set goals for my life in the future. I do that hoping that I will never stray from this gospel that I have found out to be such a great direction in my life. 

We were able to have a lesson with the Lungers this week which was good. It had been a while since an actual sit down lesson. We talked about keeping the Sabbath Day holy. It was one where they seemed to really understand and agree, committed to being there on Sunday, and yet they were nowhere to be seen. That is one of the most frustrating things that can happen in a missionaries life I am pretty sure. 

We had something good happen this week though! We had an investigator that has been living in Hinton, a couple hours away towards BC, move into our ward boundaries! We helped her move on Saturday a bit, then a little more on Sunday. (just think, Ox and the Mire).. And so it has been really good to see that maybe a new face into the ward. She is close to being baptized, just has to work out some details in regards to a common-law husband and things like that. She has such a great desire though! We are supposed to be meeting with her this Thursday. 

We had a good experience with a Jehovah`s witness this week, which is a first!  We were tracting and we came up and just chatted with this lady for the longest time. It was different than most because usually they just try to bash and try to prove you wrong. Well I actually was able to have a good conversation where I learned a lot more about what they believe, and answered a lot of questions for her on what we believe! So that was good! There was also a little street fair on Saturday we just walked around and talked to people! Pretty sure that is the biggest event in Barrhead! Good times though! 

I will try and accomplish many great things this week! I love you all very much! Have an awesome week down there in the U.S.A.!

Love, Elder McFall