So!
This is a story I shared with President Jeppson and it took too long for me to write it so I'll share it with you:
This week went by way too quick. I lost Elder Estipona :( I loved him. I got a new companion who I love, Elder Thompson, and we have a lot in common and we get along well. We had medium success in our teaching this week. Many of our appointments fell through and our finding of potentials didn't yield many new investigators. However, one of my strengths is that I do not get discouraged easily. Probably because I have a new missionary's state of mind - everything is possible! I hope I never lose that attitude. We continued to work and by the end of the week we had seen many less-actives and former investigators that I had never met before. Many of them just needed a little push to help them get back on the straight and narrow. So that was good. However, Saturday night and Sunday morning were really tough for me. All those people that had promised to come to church weren't answering the phone. We probably made 50 phone calls. I wanted to give up! About an hour before church started I called an inactive member (Kameron) we had been seeing and he said he was awake and ready for us to pick him up. I was so happy. We got there and he would no longer answer the phone or the door. I was going through a roller-coaster of happy, light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-feeling and disappointment. I called several times and we waited for almost 10 minutes before I decided I needed to say a prayer. Just a quick one, nothing special. I asked God to PLEASE help us find some one to take to church. Even just this one. I told Elder Christiansen I would make one last phone call and if he didn't answer, we would go back to church. And wouldn't you know it, Kameron answered! He had just woken up so we had to wait a little while, but he came. I am so thankful Heavenly Father made that happen. That was an answer to my prayers.
So, after a discouraging weekend my Spirit was lifted. It turned a rough week into a great week. I was reminded of the scripture, in D&C 18, that if we bring save one soul to Christ, how great will be our joy. Well my joy was great!
One other thing that was good too is that having a new companion allows me to start implementing new tactics, so to speak, that worked in their last companionship. So we've been doing lots of new stuff and it's actually been working well. Elder Thompson is an organized person, even more than I am. We've been going through our less active list and sorting them into groups that will allow us to quickly find backups in the area if our backup appointments fail. Being organized saves us a lot of time. So I enjoyed our first week. Elder Thompson is really quiet around others but when he gets going he is a great teacher. He's opened up to me and he's a funny storyteller so I have enjoyed his companionship. I think it will be a super transfer.
Alright I am out of time (sorry!) but as you all know I love you! Thanks for writing me every week! I wish I had more time to write back more often. Oh and thanks for the most recent package with the recipe and framed photo! It was great. Almost done with the Book of Mormon!
Love,
Elder McLain
He sent a second email that was mostly to answer questions I asked him but I will share it too......
So I'll answer these really quick:
1. Yes (I got the family picture) and no it was not broken.
2. Yes! I got Grandma Sharon's card and that was really nice of her! Tell her I love her.
3. Yes!!! I got Aunt Dottie's too.
4. Elder Estipona got transferred to a place called North Branch. I still talk to him like every day because he's awesome.
5. I don't need really anything. I had a small pan that I used in college - that would be good - and then a knife sharpener. We have a nice knife set but they're all dull. Just one measuring cup that has marks for like 1 cup, 2 cups, 2.5 cups. You have a metal one I liked to use - something like that.
6. Yes, we stay plenty warm in our apartment. I don't even need that comforter! Yet
7. The other new roommate's name is Elder Mark Guymon from Huntington Utah and he's so hilarious. He is A LOT like me. He's a little funnier though. He plays golf!
Haha! Gotcha
Man you made me cry with that story! You better tell Rorie I love her lots and I'm proud of her. She's my motivation!
Almost done with the BofM - I just hit 4 Nephi.
Your fasting worked! We had a good week. Thank you!!
Love,
Tab
*The story Tab is talking about is one I shared with him from Christmas Sunday. It made Christmas extra special for me....
Oh, one last thing. I wanted to tell you a something Rorie did on Christmas Sunday at church. Her primary class was doing a reading of the nativity story from the scriptures and Sister Madsen invited the parents to come in to watch. At the end of the story she invited all the kids to take turns telling a favorite tradition their family did or bear their testimony. All of the kids shared a tradition but Rorie bore her testimony. She said she was thankful for the Savior and his birth and then said how thankful she was to have a brother serving a mission and teaching about the Savior and how much she loved and missed him, then covered her eyes with her hands and cried. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. It was a very tender moment. So your example means a lot! Thank you for being the best big brother and setting such a wonderful example for them to see. I love you for that!
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