Monday, December 8, 2014

8 December 2014

The final District Picture of the transfer.
  Elder Paddock is on the left, Elder Garff is sitting, not sure who the photo bomber is,
standing: Elders Lambert, Pearson, ?, Taylor & Zack's companion, Elder Holman, is sitting in front of the podium.  
This week was a pretty good one!  We did so many exchanges!  But I guess that's what happens when the leaders (My companion and the Zone Leaders) decide to put them off until the last two weeks of the Transfer.(Transfers are this week....)  So as much as I don't like Exchanges for a couple reasons, it was good to be able to learn from Elder Pearson and Elder Lambert.  We had some pretty awesome experiences those days too! 
A lot of what happened this week is really not very possible to explain. Maybe in the future I can tell you about it.  Everything that did happen this week pumped me right back up though and even further proved to me that this is the work of the Lord.  Lots of things happened and I'm so happy to be in Crete to see these things.  Is the work moving super fast?  Not really.  But its through small and simple means that great things are brought to pass. 
Here's the update on the things in Crete:
Basically we're having to drop investigators, meaning that they don't really want to talk to us any more, and we're doing it to probably half of the people we talk to.  Chances are that whoever stays this transfer, (its like a 70% chance that Elder Holman leaves and a 29% that I will, and a 1% chance that we'll go another transfer together)  will have a lot of work in re-building the area back to where it once was.  We've gone from teaching around 20 lessons a week to 8 just because no one is ever home or every time we come over they come up with some excuse for why they can't talk to us and then schedule an appointment for later and the cycle starts over.  We're just sorting the Wheat from the Tares I guess.  I'll keep you updated if I stick around. 
GOOD NEWS THOUGH!  Saturday night we went over to visit our friend Kevin, who's a 17 year old High School Senior.  When we got there he said, "come on in guys." and sat down on the couch, but didn't look too happy.  After talking to him for a bit about what's going on, he told us that thinking about college hurts his head and I just laughed because I had told Elder Holman that exact same thing earlier that day.  Kevin said he was nervous about the future and he didn't know what to do.  A scripture came to our minds thats in 2 Nephi 32:3 that says " Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
And he sat there thinking and we talked about it and we asked him, "So what does that say to you?"
And he sat there thinking again and said, "Well if I want to know what to do, I need to read the scriptures more and do what God wants me to do."  That's exactly right!  God has a plan for each and everyone of us and He tells us what that is through the scriptures.  It was really a cool lesson up until that point, but it got so much cooler when he said, "I'm going to be at church tomorrow!" and his dad said, "And I'm going to take him."   And guess who came walking into the ward right as the Sacrament was about to start!   Kevin and Jose!  Elder Holman and I were sooo happy.  In the 4 1/2 months we've been together, we haven't had anyone Spanish go to church, which was really kind of a bummer, but in come Kevin and Jose and they stayed for the whole first two hours of church!  Kevin said he liked Sunday School and Sacrament meeting so hopefully they'll come next week too!   My whole week was made when I saw them come walking into the Chapel.  Its funny how things like that can make us as missionaries so dang happy.  
I love this work.  
I hope you all had a great week too.  I love you!
Lots of Love, 
Elder Paddock
Their Christmas Tree with 24 days
of Christmas presents from home
for Zack & his companion

Elder Zack wearing his cheesy Christmas socks sent from home.



No comments:

Post a Comment