Elder Sterling Tavish Wilkerson: December 9, 2013

This week to be honest was really slow and I feel like spiritually dead.. probably not even close to that, but this week was just out of the ordinary and different! Monday we had an awesome FHE with a Rc/la Stephanie Smith, on scriptures and played scripture Charades! Very good and picked up some of her friends as new investigators, but she still didn’t come to church this week.. disappointing! Tuesday we had a great day of visiting recent converts and less actives.. we got 5 new less active names to work with since we activated 3 of the other 5 names! Very cool to work with them. New challenges and concerns, but new opportunities to learn and grow!! Wednesday we had another wonderful district meeting. I love those, I learn so much!! We talked about chapter 5 in PMG and just hammered on the Book of Mormon and using it more when we teach. Do our best to use it in every single lesson!! Finished off that day with a few more lessons then cleaned up and taxied to Montego Bay and sat around KFC for 3 hours waiting for the zone leaders to pick us up so they could drive us into Kingston Thursday to see the doctor. We woke up at like 4:30 so we could arrive in Kingston on time for their MLC meeting and we sat around at the mission home for 4 hours waiting for a ride to the mission office. Finally get to the mission office and wait there like another 2 hours wondering what to do with ourselves. Then went out with the office Elders to lunch and then to the doctor. Waited at the doctor for 2 hours and talked to a super prepared lady! ( I think she was the only reason we had to go to Kingston) but the doctor finally looked at my arm and said it was going down and that it sounded like my bike wreck did the same thing he would have done! Poked it with a needle!! So $5000 later and we are off for a 45 min split then wait at the office Elder’s house til Assistants can pick us up! We stayed there then woke up again at 4 so they could take us to the bus station where we took a $2400/ ticket bus to Sav. Huge bus that could probably fit 80 people with a/c, tv, and the whole bit straight to Sav. and only 5 people were aboard! 5.5 hours later got home and had weekly planning then prepare for Friday night activities which is going super well and helping bring out and get our name out there and open teaching opportunities!! Saturday we had a big service project at the Williams(Shereca’s Family) and then more less active work! A lot of our teaching pool is families, but can only meet on Sunday which is hard to squeeze them all in!! Also another elder from our district went home Saturday, sad but glad they are fixing themselves! So much stronger that way! Sunday we had a great lesson at church on obeying the laws of the land and just cuz you have money doesn’t mean you should get away with breaking the laws! (which is how the system works in Jamaica - so corrupt! but whateva, can’t talk bout that!) And also a great lesson in gospel doctrine on tithing.. and Priesthood on Joe Smith and a little testimony meeting on him and the Book of Mormon - very cool! Something I learned this week while reading some books is that Joe Smith translated the Book of Mormon in 3 months with only 3 years of education and little help.. while the Bible on the other hand was translated by 54 scholars and it took them 4 years to do so!! Fraud book? I think not!! The facts don’t prove anything, but they shore are fun to learn about!! Sis Drummin from England fed us on Sunday a delicious meal and hopefully we can start teaching her daughter Barbara soon! Great little family!! Met with a few other members that night and tried to set up for the Christmas devotional, but it still didn’t work. Gotta get everything running for the 21st or we will be in trouble. They are going to send you guys the link that day as well a few minutes before it starts so you can watch it as well if you desire! Well this week was rough, but I’m still alive! We just had a lesson like 30 minutes ago! It was crazy how convinced some were and the other was like maybe I’ll try again in 5 years! I hope we can meet her again before that!! But I love you all and I hope you are enjoying the cold while I enjoy the sun!