This week was fantastic!
In our schedule app (Area Book) we have a system to help us keep remember all the people we meet. Next to each name is a color dot: Grey dots (They were not interested), Yellow dots (Interested), Green dots (Currently Teaching), and Blue dots (Already Members, or baptized)
We contacted a grey dot friend who hasn't been taught for 400+ days, and asked if we could swing by. He eventually texted back and said, "Yes! I'm interested!"
The next few days me and Elder Loveland swung by and knocked on his door.
He opens up the door, but he's very nice. He invites us into his apartment, apologizes for the mess, we sit down on his couch and introduce ourselves.
He gives us a background of how at a young age he was a heavy smoker and drinker, and saw that his health was slowly declining, so he has been wanting to change that. He has been making some progress, changing from smoking to vape, trying to break out of this addiction.
We tell him how happy we are that he wants to improve.
Later at the end of our lesson he says, "If there's one goal that I have in life is that I eventually want to be baptized into this church, because I know this church is the only true church."
Me and Elder Loveland were amazed at that comment!
Like, whOA AWESOme.
But he says that he just has the addiction problem and is trying to get out of it.
The Spirit was strong in the room, in his apartment that day. It felt good.
Theres another guy we're teaching because he texts us out of the blue and basically wants to meet with us. We saw him at church and talked about the book of mormon.
We find out he's from the country of Turky, and had to immigrate because the government didn't like him for talking about the gospel or something. Anyways, we met with him later and talked with him outside his porch.
Some of his friends join along in the conversation, and we start talking about the Restoration of the Gospel. Orhan actually believes, although he has a few personal beliefs that are kind of confusing, but there's nothing stopping him from being baptized, we're thinking of asking if he wants to be baptized this upcoming week! He's really elect.
One last highlight of the week.
Theres an African family in our area who has a son who has a baptismal date set for July 30th.
We had a lesson with them last night and talked about baptism, the first covenant we make with God.
15 minutes later, the Kjars (Senior Couples) come by and we have a good time.
We eventually start talking to the father who hasn't come to church in 3 years, but his family has been active. We start talking about temples, and Sister Kjar tells him that she wants to see him and his wife sealed in the temple with his family before she leaves.
It was a powerful statement.
Later this father tells her that he wants to come to church this Sunday.
And Sister Kjar's reaction was priceless.
Anyway, we ended up giving his wife and daughter a priesthood blessing because they had a close friend who recently passed away, and the daughter has an exam the next day.
The blessing was spoken in French. I didn't understand, but it was powerful. I could just feel the love and hope for them in the prayer.
THIS has been a LONG email. SO MUCH happened this week. GOD IS GOOD, I LOVE my mission.
Peace
Elder Adam Johnson