This week has been another fantastic one. Last Sunday Elder Davidson and I were able to stand in on a baby blessing in Sacrament meeting and I ordained a convert of last year to the office of a priest! I love participating in priesthood blessings, ordinations and ordinances. I feel part of something greater than myself. This week was bitter sweet since about half of our district was transferred. We got lunch together on Wednesday and said our goodbyes. It stings how fast everything goes by. There's almost no time to stop and take it all in. Our week went about as normal with all our work. Saturday we went to a really cool service project with the Missouri State YSA Elders on campus. There was a giant food packaging drive and we went to help package and seal meals to be shipped all around the world. They played some pump-up music the whole time which was the best part! Any chance that I'm "forced" to listen to music is a tender mercy ;) Last night was awesome because we got a new investigator! We stopped by the house of a man named Charles because we saw that missionaries had tracted into him in March and talked to him for a little bit. We went to follow up and he was a really nice older man who's wife passed and he now lives alone. We gave him a BoM and he said we could come back and talk to him about it! So last night we went back by and he said, "wait here, I made you boys something." So he went inside and came back out with two gospel music CDs that he had put together for us haha! He eventually invited us in and we were able to teach him about the restoration. He's had a long religious history and has basically given up because there are too many unanswered questions. We're excited to answer them for him. He wonders about things concerning the nature of God and the plan of salvation, and we can tell him all about it! So that is a major answer to prayers. I feel a little bad for Elder Davidson, he really hasn't had a lot of new teaching experiences because all we do is work with less actives and try to find new people to teach in this area! But we slowly seem to be finding some which is great. It's hard in such a religiously saturated area, everyone thinks they're content and we're just another random christian church (either that or they think we're some non-christian cult and they won't have anything to do with us.) We get doors slammed and rude remarks everyday, but hey its fun! This ward has been a little frustrating as well. There is no missionary effort whatsoever and no one really helps us.. especially our ward mission leader who has no idea what his calling entails. They're nice enough people though and once they see us finding people on our own and bringing them to church I think it will spark the fire we need. In other news my ankle is healing pretty quick still which is miraculous.. but I'm starting to get reeaally bad shin splints on both shins. So that's annoying. One thing after another! Guess I'll have to take it easy on the court for awhile. Being district leader is fun and a nice little dose of added responsibility which is nice and will keep me focused. The weather cooled off this last week which was glorious with a cool breeze, but apparently it was just a teaser and will heat back up again this week :(
If there is one thing I treasure on this earth more than anything it is the Book of Mormon. If only I understood even the hundredth part of the miracles, mercies, prophecies, blood, and lessons contained within it. I love reading it every day! It's what gives me the power I need.
Elder Hakes
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