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| Kosice Elders with Elders Ringger and Ferrell, Sisters Senninger, Kane |
| Humanitarian Missionaries Elder and Sister Miller with Elder Ferrell
Well,
this week has brought to my realization that this transfer has been going by
tremendously fast and I have no clue why, it just is, I don't really know all the
logistics for the speeding up and/or slowing down of weeks or days or transfers
but I really think that the thing that makes it go fastest is not focusing on
the time until the end, but rather focusing on those in your life now and
focusing on the people around you, such as your investigators. I really think
that is when it speeds up the most and when you learn to love the people the
most and it's probably the most rewarding time as well. If I could tell one
thing to all the missionaries in the world it would be to put all your desires
away and focus on the people and then forget about what has been done and do
what you want to accomplish. I was just thinking about that, and I feel that it
is most definitely true and that missionaries don't understand it and sometimes
just don't get it. They don't get that your time here will go much faster if you
would just get in the work, and learn to love every minute of it. Their deepest
desire to just finish their time and get out will go away and in the end it will
happen anyways and their desire will come a reality.
Anyways, this
week has been pretty awesome at least I have been tremendously satisfied with
it. I feel that we have probably been the most productive this last week as
opposed to the rest of the transfer. Me and Elder Ringger had talked a lot about
the past zone performance and we are over-delighted
with how things are turning out because missionary work really is evolving here
in Slovakia. I can see it. We're finally breaking away from the old traditions
and carving out a new path, one that we hope will be a more successful path that
will lead to more and more people joining the church and strengthening the branches. The only thing that could
be missing is the unity among companionships, the idea that when one person is
baptized in an area, that's not just a baptism for the missionaries but it's one
point for the whole team of Slovakia. That's why I would not mind having 10 kids
and living here in Slovakia because then it would boost the branch wherever
I would be and could support the branch and just make it seem so much bigger for
the members and investigators visiting. But, that thought is only a dream and
what I can do now is only try to find the people to take my spot out here and
work to bring them to the knowledge of the truthfulness of this
wonderful gospel, and show them the kind of happiness that can be theirs, and
then they just need to accept it.
That's really
what I'm kind of struggling with, with some of our investigators, just trying to
help them understand that this can make their lives so much better and so much
happier and fulfilling, and they just don't want to get it. I know with a
certainty that it can and would help if they would just give it a try, no matter
what happened in the past or what they feel would keep them from a life in the
church. So many people don't want to give up their traditions either and they
are also afraid of the people around them that may judge them for choosing the
standards of the church or that their grandparents would disapprove of them
joining the church. I just wish some people would just get it and figure out
that they need to make the choice for themselves and not worry about what other
people say. Michal is such a cool guy and would be so much happier in the church
and I think he knows it, but there are some doctrines he doesn't agree with and
he is also afraid of what his parent would think and what others think of him.
Then we have Rastislav who believes the church is true and that the book of
Mormon is true but says his mom and sister and girlfriend would disapprove of
the church and of his joining of the church. It's so frustrating to see them not
working on it and not giving it a try when you know it can just change them so
much ahhhh, but we'll keep on trying and try to think of innovative ways to help
them accept the gospel.
As
well as this week we went to Banska for an exchange and that was pretty good. I
was with Elder Rasmussen and Elder Ringger was with Elder Lamb. We drove there
the night before and the drive there is just so pretty and great I love it. It
takes about 2 and a half hours to get there and we drive through the mountains.
But the work with the elders went great we studied and ate some of Elder
Rasmussen's food because he got a bunch of goldfish in the mail and so we ate
them for him ha-ha. We talked about how Elder Rasmussen can be a bigger part of
the missionary work in Banska and I think he took something from it. We were
able to go to the namestie there and see a bunch of people getting married in
the churches there and all in all it was really good. Then we went to Zvolen for
district meeting and we ate a pizza restaurant which put corn on my pizza and
then made me hurt the next day ha-ha. But it was good and then I was able to do
some contacting with Elder Roosendaal in Zvolen and that was pretty good we were
able to have a spiritual experience with a lady together so that was wonderful.
Then we came home and it was back to the grind ha-ha.
Probably the
crown of this week was that we were able to get a guy that we had been trying to
work with to church and the branch really just welcomed him with open arms it
was great, they were all so supportive. Then another thing is that we had set up
a meeting with the Mexican guy, Alvaro and he wasn't there because it rained so
for the rest of the week we went looking for him all over the city and finally
on Saturday, he found us. He walked right up to us and we were able to walk with
him and talk with him and he just kept on asking, so what's another lesson for
me today. We talked with him about baptism and taught him the Gospel of Christ
and then we challenged him to meet with missionaries in Mexicali because he goes
back today and we won't see him again, and he agreed. He gave us his name
address phone number postal code, everything ha-ha. He said it was great to
speak to us and he's excited and willing to talk to people in Mexico, so we're
going to give them a very prepared referral and like we said last week, Mexico
just got another member. Then Vlado the man who came to church yesterday said in a prayer that he was
glad he met with someone to give him more answers in his life because he's been
lost for a long time and he's happy someone knows how to explain it, so I
testify that God is a god of miracles and he is preparing people this very
moment to accept the true restored gospel.
Well,
that's everything for today but
this next week we're going to Nitra and we're excited for that. It's going to be
a great week and we're pumped for Vlado and all of our investigators, but thank
you all for the tremendous support that you've given me and I wish you all the
best and hope that you have a safe and wonderful week!
Elder
Ferrell
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