So, a lot could be changing this next week. First of all, we are moving out of our apartment this week. Get this, so because the church has no loans and they pay everything off upfront, the church has no credit score. Because of this, the apartment complex that we are living in right now won't let us renew our lease because their lawyers want a credit score, even though the church has been paying them full ahead of time for eight years now. Dumb huh? So we're moving next week. It's a member home, and I have no clue which member. Hopefully, I'll have an address next week. But just in case, everyone just send anything you have for me to the mission home, and I'll get it eventually. It'll be slow, but I'll be sure to get it. (Mom, that means you have to change the dearelder.com thing too).
Second, our PDays are being permanently moved to Mondays. I don't know why they are doing this, but it is really going to be a pain because there is only one library in the entire valley that is open on Mondays, so every Monday it is going to be packed with missionaries trying to email home. Oh well.
Third, transfers are next week, so Elder Shupe is probably going to leave me. He's been in the area for seven months now, and President Ellsworth talked to us the other day and pretty much said that Elder Shupe was leaving.
As for how I'm doing, it's going great!! We have another baptism on saturday, and then we have them scheduled for every other week for the next month and a half. It would really be cool if they could all happen, because then we would have a baptism every two weeks for almost 3 months!! That's like triple of what the mission goal is.
Phoenix is still fun. The other night we were leaving a lesson after Elder Shupe and I got a distinct impression that we needed to get home RIGHT THEN. Which was weird, because we usually stay out until about nine, and it was only like eight thirty. So, we leave, and then as we were driving away, we hear a succession of gun shots. A few minutes later we get a call from the family that we were just at, and they asked me (Elder Shupe was driving) if we were ok. I first asked if they were all ok, and they said yeah. They then again asked if we were ok. I said, "Yeah, I'm fine, but I have no clue where Elder Shupe is. Oh well, he can handle himself." There was just dead silence on the other end of the phone, and I finally told them the truth. haha. I'm so mean!
Another interesting story that happened just last night. We have an investigator named *****. Shes been meeting with the missionaries for almost a year now. She really knows that she needs to be baptized, she just doesn't know which church is right and shes been thouroughly investigating each one (even though she told us that she loves us the most out of all the different missionaries). She was going to church like every week for a couple months before I came, but then she just stopped. Well, we've been having a lesson here and there with her, and we went over last night and had a really interesting discussion. At first we thought she was dropping us.
She said that she had a dream the other night and that she felt that it was an answer as to where she belonged. But before she told us what happened, she was really having a hard time and told us that she didn't want to offend us and she didn't want our visits to stop. She tells us, (I'm summarizing) that she had a dream where there were a ton of people being killed. She couldn't see anyone being killed, but she could hear them. Then someone she knows approaches her and tells her something. She said that he told her what she needed to do. But for some reason, she would not tell us what he said. So Elder Shupe and I are trying to to ask twenty one questions and find out whats changed.
At first I thought that the person told her not to be a mormon, because she finally started to tell us what he said. She said he said "Whatever you do. . ." and then she wouldn't finish!!! We continue asking questions like, "do you still feel like you can read from the Book of Mormon?" She replied oh yeah, definately. Ok, do you still belive that you can come to church with us? Of coarse. At this point, I am totally confused. Now I'm thinking that shes decided to become Muslim, because she said that shes been dealing with a lot of Middle Eastern people through her job and that she read a book that has really opened her eyes on the Muslim religion. But then Elder Shupe asks "Do you still believe it to be an option to be baptized by someone in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?" Oh definately!
Finally, I'm like, "So what has changed?" She says, I need to be more active in doing the things you've been inviting me to do, like going to churhc, reading, and taking lessons more often from you guys. ??? We were releaved, but still confused. She never did tell us what the man in her dream told her, because she thought it would offend us. Oh well.
Another one of our investigators, one that I thought wasn't really going anywhere, had another break through. We were talking to her and her family, and she told us "Well, I've been thinking about becoming a mormon or not. The main reason why I don't is becuase I don't want to serve a mission." hahaha. We told her that she didn't have to. We are still working with her and her family, but something will come from it. It will just take more time then usual. But thats just fine.
So thats my week. I hope you guys are doing well, and I miss you all a lot. And just so you know (Kenzie and Chad), you can write me back. I want to hear from you guys!!! Luvz
E Denison
