Hello everyone!
So this past week was kind of a slow week for missionary work, but was actually a pretty busy week altogether.
Last Tuesday was pretty fun! We went on exchanges with the zone leaders. I went into the zone leaders area and Elder Fisher stayed in our area with Elder Radford. I kind of figured that Elder Radford would be coming down into our area because a long time ago he used to serve here and would want to see members, former investigators and people that he taught. For those of you who serve missions, I don't know if it was the same way for you but here it always seems that when you go on exchanges, one area does really well and the other one kind of flops. Well on the exchange that we went on, Elder Bledso and I didn't have much luck. Our day was full of appointments, and they all ended up falling through. So we ended up knocking a lot of doors that day. haha.
It was great though because that night we had dinner with some members in their ward and it turns out that they were actually members from when I served back in the Capitol Ward. I had actually help them to pack up their storage unit back when they moved out. So it was good to see them again :-). I felt really bad though because by the end of dinner Elder Bledso got really sick. He was just having a lot of pains in his lower abdomen area and we thought that he had appendicitis! It was kind of a scary thing, but he talked to Sister Cooke and everything was alright in the end. He just had extremely bad stomach cramps.
Now Elder Fisher and Elder Radford on the other hand had a lot of success! They were able to check on some former investigators that we had tried to check on in previous months, and actually got somewhere with it. When we had tried to visit them, pretty much every former investigator we talked to said that they weren't interested anymore. When Elder Radford went to see them though, a lot of them remembered him and welcomed him and Elder Fisher into their home. They were also able to visit a couple of less active members that, again, we had tried to check on before, but they either weren't home and/or wouldn't answer the door for us, but Elder Radford and Fisher were able to get in. So they were able to set up a few appointments for us in the next couple of weeks and we're excited to go and visit them!
Then Wednesday we had, once again, the fantastic opportunity to go to the temple! I love and am so blessed to have the opportunity, each transfer, to go to the temple to do an Endowment Session. I mean the drive out there is kind of a pain in the butt, especially when traffic is horrible! It's entirely worth it though. It really is a special opportunity to go to the temple, especially when there are so many missionaries around the world who don't have that opportunity, because there is not a temple close to them. I'm glad I'm serving here in Washington DC North Mission :).
So this past week we were able to meet with the Dominic and Saundra! We taught them the 10 Commandments, the law of chastity, and tithing. Everything was going really well, and they were loving and accepting it all! Then when we went started the discussion on tithing, Saundra had a little bit of a concern. Like everyone who lives the gospel, her main concern was "how am I going to pay tithing when if I do it's going to take money away from our house payment, food for the kids, money for bills, and stuff that we need? I mean surely God doesn't want us to run short on money so we can't support ourselves and our family?". When she brought up the concern, once again the room was filled with the spirit! Both Elder Fisher and I were able to bear testimony of paying tithing and where we have seen the blessings that come from doing so. Then we had brother Watson, who was joining us for the lesson, also bear his testimony of how paying tithing has helped him and his family. We then explained to her that yes, while it may seem hard and that paying tithing seems like it will be taking money away for things that you need it for, however by paying tithing it would show God that she's willing to follow his Commandments. And, that if we do pay tithing you're given a promise which is "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10). So as far as we know from teaching that to her she was okay with paying tithing afterwards and committed to live the law of tithing.
Then last Friday they had a super fun time with the Teachers Quorum in the ward! The previous Sunday the Teachers quorum president and the adult leader invited us to go on a biking trip with them last Friday. Well all of us love biking so we thought, "Heck why not! It'll be a good relationship building experience with young men." So we got ourselves are prepared with our bikes and went to the activity. We were told that the trail was pretty simple and that it would be really fun. Well the second part of that was true. The first part not so much! I don't think I've ever been on a biking trail that had so many routes in my lifetime. We were going up super steep hills and trying to climb over these routes as stay on the pathway as well. In all it was about seven and a half miles of that. By the 6 mile mark, my quads were giving out going uphill! haha I was trying to peddle and my legs just stopped working, so I had to stop the bike, and sit there for a second, so I could get strength back, and then had to get off my bike and walk up the hill. I hadn't realized how out of shape I was until I went on that bike ride!
Something not too good happened though, during the bike ride. Brother Utzinger, Elder He, and I were the last three in the group on the trail. While I was biking, Brother Utzinger came up behind me and so we started biking together. When he got to me though, I asked where Elder He was and he responded that at first he thought I was him, but that when he caught up to me he thought that Elder He was ahead of me. I told him I thought he was behind us because he hadn't passed me. So we kept riding hoping and thinking that Elder He was just way ahead of us. Well we finally got back to the head of the trail and everyone was there.... but Elder He, and it was starting to get dark. So the leaders that were there sent Elder Manning and Elder Fisher and one of the young men to go back onto the trail with their bikes and look for him. They thought he might've taken a different trail that the park had just opened up. So about half an hour after they sent those guys out, I suggested that we start in the opposite direction and look for him on that side of the trail in hopes that we could catch him after he possibly turned around when you couldn't find any of us. Before we started out to search for him though, Brother Utzinger said "Let's say a prayer before we go.". So he offered the prayer, and I think it was one of the most faith filled prayers I've heard on my mission. The prayer was simply this, "Heavenly Father, please bless that as we search for Elder He now, that we will be able to find him before it gets too dark. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." And then off we went.
About 20 minutes to a half hour later we got a call from the three guys we sent earlier saying that they had found him. There was still plenty of light left. To me it was such a testimony builder of the power of prayer and how our prayers were answered with a miracle of finding Elder He before it got too dark. I felt so bad for him! When he got back he was just so tired and worn out. I think he was pretty brave to be someplace he was not familiar with and could barely speak the language and then to be so calm and collected and just keep moving on when he knew he had to even though he was so tired. Needless to say we are all happy to see him safe and well :-)
Alrighty, now about transfers! Elder Manning is completely leaving the area and Elder He has been moved to the Lexington Park Ward and is moving to the apartment just down the road. Elder Fisher and I are staying together, but we're moving apartments. We were kind of confused about us moving to a different apartment. So the plan is that each ward is going to have one set of each Elders. We had to spend most of the day today though going to the other apartment and cleaning it out. The previous missionaries who lived there before didn't take very good care of it and it's a huge mess. So we are having to go and clean it out so it's actually livable. It's not very fun, but the work will be well appreciated.
Well that is our week! Hope you all enjoyed my letter and that you are also doing super well! Remember to open your mouth and to be that instrument the Lord would have you be in his hands. I love you all!
Love,
Elder Gold
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