Monday, February 16, 2015

Farewell to my Sister and a Hopeful Dream

 
Sara is going home!!  I'm really sad, actually.  I'm not sure exactly why, either.  She will still email me, I know, but I feel like she is leaving my mission for whatever reason.  It's really weird. 
So, this last week, our investigator, who had dropped off the face of the planet, called me!!  We met yesterday before church.  We didn't have a member there, because we felt he would be uncomfortable even with the Members he has made friends with.  He explained to us that after New Years, he had resolved to never smoke, drink, or party again. He went to his Mother's place in order to avoid all that stuff over the holidays, and he thought he had.  But some friends got a hold of him, and he went to a party a few days after New Years.  He said he had never gotten so smashed with alcohol in his life.  His friends had to take him home to his Mother.  He lost his phone, so we couldn't get a hold of him.  He continued to hang out with friends that lead to temptations to continue these kinds of behaviors, which he said lead to worse consequences that he had never had from partying or smoking before.  He felt that God was punishing him for stepping off the right path, and he didn't think he could return.  Not long ago, however, he decided to fast.  He didn't think that he could last 24 hours without food and drink; he had never fasted before.  But he discovered that the longer he went through the fast, the easier and even more enjoyable it became.  Not too long after, he had a dream.  In the dream, there was a person, he didn't know who it was, but he thought it was either me or Elder White.  This person was trying to help him.  Then he was with a group of a bunch of people.  They were all excited for a trip, and he was going with them.  He thought he was going to the temple.  
He wants to do better, but he feels really bad for the big mistake he had made.  He had quit smoking even, but he fell back into it all hard.  We didn't set a baptismal date with him, we felt that we needed to just help him understand he can be forgiven, and we asked what he was going to do in order to live his life in a better way.  We are going to meet with him on Tuesday.  I really hope we can help him.  He is the most prepared man I've taught on my Mission, he just has some problems.

That's my story for the week.  Take pics of Sara coming home!!!

Love you!