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| We went knocking on the Reservation in Woodstock, NB. There were like a million dogs every where. This guy (Virgil) knocked the whole street with us |
The title of my letter for this week comes from the Book of Helaman
concerning Nephi and Lehi. We've had some interesting experiences this
week that are just evidence of the adversary's desire to derail our
efforts. I have learned a lot about the early missionaries of the
church just by being on a mission. We don't have to deal with a lot
that other missionaries deal with but we still are proselyting in the
least religious part of America. I'll give you more details later on
in my letter.
I've been studying a lot about the priesthood this past week. The
priesthood is simply defined as God's power given to man. We are the
only church that holds the priesthood. Priesthood keys are a pretty
unique doctrine to our beliefs. There are only a few scriptures in the
bible that describe priesthood keys. One in particular is Matthew
16:18 where the Saviour gives Peter the keys of the kingdom to bind on
earth what shall be bound in heaven. Then in the next chapter we see
Peter, James, and John receiving priesthood keys on the Mount of
Transfiguration. The Old Testament doesn't really explain much about
priesthood keys and neither does the Book of Mormon. However, it is
still an important teaching. Priesthood keys are the authority to
direct the priesthood. A priesthood holder cannot simply bless the
sacrament for himself and not go to church. People can't just be
baptized without an interview. Two people can't be sealed without the
proper authority. Our church is very organized and it is because of
that organization that the Lord's house is a house of order. I have
witnessed the power of priesthood keys in the interviews I have had
with priesthood leaders. They have powerful advice and help that no
one else in our live's can administer. I have a testimony of the
priesthood.
This past week we were kicked out of the Walmart parking lot again.
There's not too many options for street contacting in such a small
area and I don't just want to knock all day, although we could do
that. We then decided we should take our efforts to the Shop N Save
next door to the Walmart in Presque Isle. After contacting for about
an hour the manager chased us out of the parking lot demanding that we
never come back. So now we're onto the Marden's parking lot and what
little contacting there is down town in Presque Isle. We cannot be
stopped!
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| My nickname in Newfoundland found on a sign in Woodstock |
On Thursday we were knocking in Fort Fairfield. It had been a good
afternoon and we had two doors left before dinner. We went up to the
second to last door and no one was home. There wasn't a car in the
drive way or any lights on so we put a card in the mail box and
stepped off the porch. Then a car rolled up the hill and an older lady
got out of the car and immediately started swearing at us to never
knock on that door again. She explained that the lady that lived there
was older and that she could fall and hurt herself if she got up to
come to the door. I explained that there wasn't any reason to be upset
because we didn't know that. She still demanded that we leave but we
told her that we have a right to proselyte in America and that it's
Freedom of Religion and that she couldn't do anything to stop us. She
then yelled at us to get off her effing lawn (even though it wasn't
her lawn to begin with). I said no there's no reason to. She said that
she was going to call the cops so we said to go ahead, we've had
plenty of people call the cops on us. They wouldn't do anything. She
got out her phone and then put it back in her pocket because she was
too afraid to call. I said that this is ridiculous and that we have
other people to talk to. We moved on to the next door and throughout
the day not thinking too much of it.
The next day we got a call from Bishop Freeman. He said that an angry
lady had called him earlier that morning explaining that she saw two
young male mormon missionaries beating up an elderly man in Caribou.
Bishop thought it was ridiculous. We explained that we hadn't been in
Caribou all day on Thursday because we were in Fort Fairfield. If that
wasn't enough to add to the stress of the day we got a call from
President Pratt later that afternoon about the matter. This lady was
trying to ruin our reputation. President Pratt said not to worry about
it and if anything comes up to give him a call and he'll handle it.
(Nice to have a lawyer as a mission president.
And if you wouldn't believe any of that, yesterday we were driving to
correlation meeting in Presque Isle and the cops pull me over. I was
like this is just about the most ridiculous thing that has ever
happened to me. The cops said that some crazy lady had called and said
we were beating up people at the door. They said that they didn't
believe it and that if anything else comes up to get in touch with
them so phew! I'm not going to jail this week!
No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing-Joseph Smith
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!
Love,
Elder McGuire
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