May 19, 2014

Man, the week long... but it has been good I guess. I need to continue looking at the positives and not focus on the negatives. It’s hard, but it can be done. I feel like Elder Sandmaier is retraining me. My attitude has been sour and this week has been rough! I always talk about being optimistic, now it’s my time to act and stop flapping the jaws I guess. Monday we had a great lesson with Georgia on the small and simple things. A lot of members there to support her! Really good lesson and was excited for baptism on the 24^th, supposed to be this Saturday. I can’t figure out why it hasn’t happened yet. It’s been over a month and she isn’t there. Cold feet or coincidence, I don’t know. We will be investigating the subject tonight. We didn’t have any investigators at church. A lot of them were going to funerals. Seems like there is always one going on and if you wanted that could be your excuse every week and it would be truthful!! But such is life and we must move forward. Sasha is Georgia’s daughter. She is probably are next progressing investigator. Won’t accept baptism, but takes notes during lessons and always reads and prays. I think our biggest struggle in our area is getting people out to church. Hopefully we can seek some inspiration on how to fix that soon!! 

Tuesday was pretty sweet. We had a lot of appointments fall through so we got to do a lot of "finding through faith" and talking to everyone! Really helps you build your courage and confidence, but not very effective!! We found some awesome potentials though. Hope to see them this week!! But on our way home we helped push a man’s car to the auto shop, probably like half a mile. We thought we would be home late, but his boys gave us a ride home on motor bikes. I don’t know if that’s against rules, but it was sweet. Plus we saw the guy this morning! The rest of the week kinda smoked out the same way, appointments fall through, no one being able to see us so wandering around trying to find something good to do!! Really trying to work with the members cuz once we have them converted to the work, everything is going to fall into place!!!  We had some other good lessons this week with working class people, but that’s the thing, they are working people. They seem to get home when we go in and leave when go out! Could definitely bless the church, but going to take a few times to get them!! 

Thursday we had zone conference. It was really powerful and 7 hours long, but we talked lots about our first few minutes with investigators or anyone for that matter and leaving imPRESSions with them. Letting the spirit press something into them as we bear testimony quickly on a truth. Lots of roleplaying and such, but hey, I think I’m starting to like roleplaying. Should have been doing it all the while but I didn’t really have the desire to. And that was the other main focus taught on DESIRE. Some was pulled from Dallin H. Oaks talk on desire in 2011. Really good and really true! I have soo much to ponder and think about, but this one part stuck out to me and wanted to share it with you...he says:" desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming. Pretty powerful.. really something to think about and let sink into your heart. Also just like in Moroni 7:48 pray for this desire.. that’s something I learned I need to do AGAIN. I tend to do things for a season and then I am weak in that spiritual aspect once more. The power comes as we are consistent and not superficial or temporarily doing these things. But zone conference was a great reward as always! I’m thankful for such dedicated, inspired leaders.

The rest of the week was kinda terrible, but you gotta have the bad to have the good! But being humbled from time to time is great as well.. so we can gain some more strengths as we lean  to the Almighty! But thank you all for your plethora of prayers and support this week and all the many weeks past! I do appreciate them and I do know additional strength comes from them! So big up yo selves! Love you all, mannas and respect.

Elder Wilkerson