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Dear Family,
Not the best week on my mission and I could complain about several things, but that's not what this life is for. Coming to our Heavenly Father with problems and not solutions is a pretty lackluster way of fixing problems. I believe I've explained this before, but when the Brother of Jared was tasked with getting his people across the ocean (the ocean is ginormous), he had the problem of putting light in the barges. He told the Lord, "Hey, I've got this problem, I know you can fix it so fix it" The Lord responded "What would you have me do?" As if he were saying, "What do you think would work?" The Brother of Jared then came to the Lord with a solution to his problem rather than complaining more about light in the barges. This makes prayer more effective and you will solve problems. Coming to the Lord with proposals rather than problems will make prayers a more spiritual experience. This happens in Moroni as we are asked to come to the Lord and ask if the Book of Mormon is true. "I think it's true and I want thou to confirm for me, if the Book of Mormon is true." That's how Heavenly Father solves our problems. We study out the problem. Find the solution through the scriptures and then ask Heavenly Father if what you've got going on is correct.
What does this have to do with my week? Well, here's the problem. The ward doesn't trust Elder Wolvers and I enough to give us referrals. I feel as if I don't understand the ward at all-and I've been living in St. Stephen for about three months. Here's another problem, potential investigators aren't really interested and appointments keep falling through. Also, Jason and Wendy, our investigators on date to be baptized, aren't returning any of our messages. These are a lot of problems and I could pray to Heavenly Father, "How do I figure these things out?" It doesn't work like that. That is why we have the scriptures or the words of Christ. The words of Christ as explained by Nephi in 2 Nephi 33 will tell us all that we must do. We have scriptures to learn the answers, we have prayer to communicate the answers and we have Heavenly Father to confirm our answers. That is how things work. So nevertheless, I have realized how much I neglect studying Preach My Gospel like a workbook. It's a terrific book to just read through cover to cover, but that's not the most effective way to study the scriptures. I am committing myself to understand how to work with the ward council better. I will constantly follow-up and keep people in the loop. I neglected that at the beginning of the week and I just didn't have information. When I don't have information I can't receive revelation. The more information you have, the more revelation you can receive. More on how I'm going to do that later.
Quote of the Week:
*Elder McGuire and Elder Wolvers tracting in the ghettos of Maine (Best place in the world to tract)
Elder McGuire knocks on the door
Man: Sorry guys not interested, I've studied your religion and history for years and you won't convince me (To all you boneheads who run the news and with the recent release about the Church and polygamy, realize that missionaries have to deal with all the people that you confuse and lie to)
Elder McGuire: I know that I can't answer all of your questions. I do know that I have been called by Prophet of God to share what I know and I know what I share is true.
Man: Yeah I'm atheist and to be honest I'm pretty good with where I'm at. Any other time I would let you guys in and talk to you.
Elder Wolvers: May we come back at a later time?
Man: Hold on give me minute *Goes back into his house and grabs a klenex
*Man grabs my nose because it was dripping so badly. Gives me some more klenex.
*Elder McGuire is in shock that this random man just grabbed his nose to wipe it
Elder McGuire: Welllllll, thank you so much for that, we know you're busy. We'll get out of your hair.
*Elder McGuire and Elder Wolvers move on to the next door
So yes, the weirdest experience of my tracting life happened the other day. It was a tender mercy from the Lord honestly enough. I was pretty mad this past week with appointments falling through and when that man did that I just had to sit back and laugh about things. It was a plum week because we didn't find any new investigators and when that's not happening you just feel like you aren't accomplishing anything. I even gave a training this past week at district meeting about how to get a new and real investigator-in particular a family. As I applied my training, we did save resources (Calling people to confirm before we use gas to get to their homes) but we ended up empty handed with new people to teach. I am committed to read through the area book and see what works for finding around these parts because street contacting and knocking just aren't doing it around here.
So here's my solution to our finding predicament. I phoned into Caribou, Maine to get the St. Stephen ward onto the Addiction Recovery Program meetings. We put it on Facebook and we are going to advertise for it better this week. There's just a lot of people on drugs and doing vile things with others around here. I can't have a decent conversation without having people blow smoke in my face. I really enjoy how much the church cares about the materials they put out. I have realized that everything in this church is designed to help people, to fix problems. That is what the gospel does, it improves people. It solves problems. That is because it was created by Jesus Christ who is perfect and loves us enough to die for us. The gospel is beautiful and always works.
Unfortunately, and this is my worst news for the week, we are dropping Jason and Wendy. Looks like we won't have a baptism on the 20th of December. They just aren't returning phone calls, Facebook messages, answering their door, or calling us back. I just have to keep my cool and realize that other people are prepared to come into the fold. When we drop people who aren't progressing we find people who will progress.
So I don't know about you, but I haven't shoveled this much snow in my life. We got a good two feet this past week and the schools had a snow day. Nevertheless, we did snow shoveling contacting. What a work out. In a suit! The snow is not like the snow in Arizona. It's like wet and dense and sticks to everything and freezes. This is only the first storm too gahhhh. We knocked on this one man's door and he said to go right ahead and shovel. Then after we were done he proceeded to bash with us about the Angel Moroni and Joseph Smith. Good gravy people, I was expecting hot chocolate. (By the way, Tim Hortons just opened in Calais, ME! Not like that's cool or anything, but Timmy's is invading America). Finally after several driveways clear and no one being interested. We found this family. The Faloons just moved here from Nova Scotia. They can't meet until after Christmas, but they know a lot of members (Hint the prepared people in your area is the people you already know, tell the missionaries to go see these people) and want to start going to church. If a good hard week gets me that I'm just happy.
Thank you all so much for your letters!!! I love you all!!!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!
Elder McGuire (Now the only one :D)
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