This week we did the unthinkable. The impossible. The beautiful. We taught every, that's right EVERY lesson with a member present. Our mission, the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission taught 93% member-present lessons for this week. We had all kinds of interesting things occur, from teaching during a tornado siren to crossing new creeks that developed in the middle of roads. Craziness.
We managed to teach every single lesson with a member. When we were short, we taught with less actives. It was ridiculous and legit. The spirit was really strong and we were able to learn a lot and teach a lot.
Other news: Our car that was backed into a number of weeks ago was repainted and fixed. The only issue: the bumper was painted a different shade of gray. Elder Brown was not too happy with their work, but the auto shop insisted that the color would dry a different color. We have yet to see it change color. We were able to ride our bicycle for a while and my bike is SICKK. Blue Green and American all over. I am in the process of outfitting it with American Flags. More pictures are to come.
Walmart- We got to OTM in Walmart a number of times. OTM (for the uninitiated) is Open Thy Mouth. We talked to many, many latinos. It was mostly fruitful, but some people turned us away. We went on to OTM in TJMAXX and other places like Ross.
Being a Spanish Missionary is the best. There are a lot of things that the English Missionaries have to deal with that is pretty difficult or weird, and a lot more rejection it sounds like. For us, it seems like doors are opening, people are being receptive, and we are progressing like crazy. The Lord has definitely blessed the people of Fort Smith Arkansas to be ready to hear the gospel. I Love it here.
This last week I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Tompson, who is our District Leader and also half Navajo. He can speak a little bit of it and has plenty of terrific stories. He is a very powerful leader and very obedient as well. We got a car stuck in the mud, and his engineering of putting a stick under the wheel saved our afternoon and an embarrassing call to a higher-up.
Speaking of mud. RAIN. RAIN. RAIN. There is a liquor store (SIN) next to us that has been flooded twice in the past week. It is ridiculous. The river and creek are very full and there is some flooding. We are fine here, however, and Oklahoma and Texas definitely have it worse off than we do. We had a Tornado Warning this week, which was sweet, but nothing happened except more and more buckets of rain. This month alone we have recieved more rain than is normal for the entire year.
The church is the same everywhere. No matter where you go, the gospel is the same, you take the sacrament, you sing hymns, etc. Something else that is the same is the Church Dance Playlist. I had the opportunity to do some family history Saturday night in the same building as the stake dance. THE SAME SONGS AS WHEN I WAS 12 PLAYED.
We had a Stake Priesthood Meeting last night and we learned a lot about Multigenerational Families. It is so important to teach the next generation about the gospel. They are so ready. We teach a family (Mayra and her children). Her children love to learn about the gospel and are so ready to commit and read the scriptures. We teach adults and they can't seem to find the time to read, but these children are so ready.
Share the gospel. In your home.
Anyway
"Faith is taking the first step, even when there is no staircase"
-Martin Luther King Jr. (thank you Popeye's sign)
Most Sincerely
Elder Matthew Busi
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| I Will Go(at) I Will Do the Things the Lord Commands |
