Feb. 23, 2015

Hello!


I starting to feel like I've adjusted well to Litchfield now. I've finally met pretty much all of our teaching pool, which for some reason was a big struggle for since I got here, and I'm remembering the names of the members better than I expected to. It's confusing though because half the branch it seems is related to each other so there's a lot of repeats. There's a lot of old people too. I'd say the average age in the branch is in the sixties. This branch does have more youth than the ward I was in last transfer which still isn't saying much but they've got that going for them.


Last night we finally met our investigator Brian. After first contact with him the elders here weren't able to contact him for a few weeks besides a phone call where Brian said he was really busy otherwise he would have been at church that week. We stopped by unannounced to see if we could at least set something up with him. He was happy to see us and gladly let us in to talk. Brian is legit! He talked to us about how he got interested in our church (Mitt Romney's election being the reason) and since he first started researching it he's come across a lot of anti material and false accusations about the church from his baptist church leaders/members, but he described why and how he believes none of that can be true. He then went on about the church he grew up in and why he was turned off by them but how everything he knows about our church to him feels right and that he wants his family to come to church with him because he is greatly impressed by the youth of the church. Then he went on about some of the commandments of the church that he'd have to obey and how he has no problem with that and he would easily give up his three glasses of wine a year if he had to. We didn't even talk about the word of wisdom with him! He's only been taught the restoration. Next he talked about how people get a witness from God or a strong feeling that He's there and loves us when they read the scriptures and go to church but how he's never gotten those feelings, but when he reads the Book of Mormon he feels it a little. He told us how after reading the Book of Mormon one night he decided to pray and he's been praying every night since and he's seen a difference.
He has definitely received a witness of the church and the Book of Mormon, so we are going to work on helping him recognize it. I'm pretty sure he's the first investigator I've had to commit himself to the missionary commitments before being asked to. I'm really excited about him.


That was basically the highlight of the week. There's a lot of baptists here that just seem like they're out to get us. But every time one of them contends with us I feel like my testimony of this gospel only gets stronger as the Spirit whispers to me again and again the truth about faith in Jesus Christ and the ordinances of the gospel and the need for a living prophet. God works in mysterious ways but I feel His hand in all these experiences as He continues to prepare me and help me grow.
This might have been a hard week where almost none of our efforts seem to be amounting to anything but that usually means something good is on the way. The only thing I'd change about my condition here is the weather. Ugh! It's been so awful. Below freezing with killer wind chill and lots of snow which resulted in our cars being parked for a good portion of two of our days. But come what may and love it, right?


We're hoping to pick up lots of new investigators and make some progress with the ones we have. Thank you for all of your prayers, they are so appreciated! I love you all so much and I hope you have a very pleasant week.


Love, Elder Aaron Curtis