Well, this week has been full of creative finding ideas. As you know President King was a/the creative director for his company. And with studies from the MTC that show how tracting in the southeast closely associates us with Jehovah's Witnesses we try to perform service in the area and be creative in ways that we find people before we start tracting. However, we still tract if we don't have any other finding activity planned. That is something that kinda surprised me when I first started serving. But, we, in this area try very hard to use the ward members. We've started creating Family Mission Plans with families as we have dinner with them. We commit them to set a goal date and have 3 people in mind that they can invite to some sort of church function by that date. Those fruits will probably be after I leave this area but it is important to get the members involved (see PMG Ch. 9- quote by Pres. Hinckley that starts "So many of us look..." pg. 160). However with it being the Christmas season we have started to do some holiday oriented finding.
First is Holiday-Grams, which I described last week. Most of our afternoon time this week was organizing rather than delivering but we did deliver one. We started singing before she got to the door and her baby sitter kept passing by us so it was super awkward already. Then she opened the door, cut us off mid singing and told us she was giving her baby a bath! We quickly gave her the gift and left on our way. That was the only one we were able to deliver this week, so I figure it can only go up from there.
Next, and this was is a VERY creative way to find people. We were getting a ride with Sis. C*** to her house so we could pick up our bikes that we left there. (Side-note: Sis. C*** is an older lady in the ward who absolutely LOVES her dogs. She bears her testimony about them every fast Sunday and treats them better than some people treat kids: she's the ideal dog lady!) We were talking about her upcoming concert with the Sugar Hill LDS Choir and she was talking about how she gets pedicures before them and her eyes lit up and she proclaimed: "Do you want to go get pedicures?" I was shocked! I didn't know what to say so I deferred the question to Elder Mortenson and he said "Uhm, I guess so" So we went with her to deliver the Korean Book of Mormon she asked us to get for her pedicure ladies. We got there and the little Korean ladies come out and give Sis. C*** a hug and then she tells them that she needs to 2 pedicures and points to us! Needless to say they let out a little chuckle, realized she was serious and then started to give us our pedicures. I was just hoping that no one would come in the store, but I'll be man enough to say it: It felt SO good! And, we taught them about the restoration, invited them to church, gave them Alma 32 in the Korean Book of Mormon to read to them. They came to the Choir Concert on Saturday so, the pedicures paid off... in many ways! It was also fun because the lady doing my pedicure kept telling me how cute I was and then asked me if I had a girlfriend. I told her, "not until I go back" then she slyly told me about her 14 year old daughter. So I've got Sis. A******* (the 80 year old choir director) in Hamilton Mill and now a prearranged girlfriend for when I get back. Boy, sometimes missionary work is much different than you expect.
Well, from there the rest of the week is kinda boring, but T*** has moved his baptismal date up to Jan. 9th and asked A*** (a priest in our ward... Sis. S*****'s son and our main team-up) to baptize him.
Yesterday at church I was talking to people and saying hello before the meeting started and I looked out and say B**** (my friend from the Spanish Branch) with her kids come in. I went up to them and I****, her 4 year old ran up to me and threw his arms around me... we're really good pals. They stayed for sacrament meeting and then afterwards gave me a present. In it was a scarf (very stylish I might add) and a key-chain digital picture frame with pictures of all of you on it. It was the best present ever! She got all the pictures from Facebook, since I guess she's friends with Matt and Jordan. But she's so great, I love her and her little family. They are struggling financially right now, but that they would drive an hour to me and give me such a thoughtful gift I was deeply moved. I love the Spanish people in this area. I would love to serve them one day, I try whenever I can.
The last thing I want to mention, just briefly is Bishop Hilton. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to work with him. Like I've said before, I feel a special bond with Bishop and feel like I'm able to learn from his leadership and apply it into my life. Yesterday, I talked to him about how Elder Mortenson and I have been sick and we set up a time after church that we could receive a blessing from him. I will not go into detail about the blessing but he said some things to me that re-testified of the power of the priesthood. He is like my father away from home, something I miss so much this holiday season. Sis. S***** is my surrogate mother and this ward is my surrogate family. I love serving here and while, during the Christmas season, there are additional trials in missionrry work (as well as additional opportunities) I know I'm where I need and want to be for this time in my life.
Love,
Elder Davies
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