Letter 17: Da'gum Good!

Photos:  Throwback to June of time spent with Paula, the amazing one that bore her testimony at the Mission Pres. Fireside in last weeks letter? She's Awesome!!
I Love serving so close to Kirtland!

 

This week was da'gum good! We had chicken and waffles for the first time!!
 

 It was actually AMAZING!! it was so good! I was weirded out by the thought of putting fried chicken on waffles but it was AWESOME! We had this dinner with a part member family and the husband is the non-member. He said that he has been investigating for 19 YEARS and says he hasn't been baptized because he is "pushing for equality" until women can hold the priesthood. his daughters and wife who are SOLID members have explained it SO MANY TIMES but he wont get it. so we are going to do like Elder Holland does, "get in their face a little, like a good coach, just enough fire to singe the eye-brows." but do it with the spirit and all will go well. I'm looking forward to this lesson!! :)

We have been trying to get a hold of this investigator Ronny for the past 3 weeks and we FINALLY got a hold of him again! we stopped by and he was just chilling at home but couldn't hear the knock for some reason. we went in and he has an old, out of tune, piano. he had to run to the back for a little so we were sitting in the living room on the couch. I wanted to play the piano last time we were there but I didn't want to intrude and he came out and remembered that I played the piano (use of term is very loose) and said he wanted to hear sometime, so this time I JUMPED on that!!! I started playing and he came in so much quieter and was feeling the spirit. it was awesome! that lesson went better then the others because we had the spirit there. He did not smoke during the lesson, and he was asking questions that PERTAINED TO THE LESSON!!!! OH HOW SWEET THE SPIRIT IS!!! He said he really wanted to come to church but he needed a ride. We got him one but he wasn't there. Ughhh... he is getting so close!! COME TO CHURCH!!

We met with a few less-actives again this week. One brother we saw while we were service tracting (we go out in service clothes JUST offer service, BRILLIANT!! Elder Jarvis' idea) was smoking a rather large cigarette and tried to hide it when we biked over too him. All we said was, Hey! How's it going? and he says, "you got me!" as he holds up the smoking stick of death (cigarette). He went on to say that he was at an AA meeting and one lady said that the "higher power is drunk people." and that ticked him off... so in order too cool down and relax he gets a cigarette... ? so Elder Jarvis said, you got mad because you love God right? and God loves you right? Would God want you to show your love for him through smoking? The brother said "No, he wouldn't!" and he threw it down the sewer!! We offered any help we could and told him we love him. He lit up and said that he felt a lot better. We met with him later that day too for added support. Great learning opportunities for all of us!

I love being a missionary. I really do. It is hard, it is FREAKIN hard, but it is the only thing that I would want to be doing at this point in life! I know this is the work of the Lord. Moses 1:39 "this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the eternal life and immortality of man." that is my calling... to bring these people in the Cleveland Ohio mission and for the next few months Parma Ohio in specific. I have been preparing for my whole life for this purpose. I know this is true. I have so much fun and so much joy and this is because of the sorrows and pains we also must feel. Salvation is going to cost all of us something. This is amazing what the Lord is doing. I love this gospel because I live it, I live this gospel because I love it!! unitl next week!! :D

Fight the fight, stay the course, keep the Faith!
 

Love,

Elder Trey3 Toolson