Monday, October 29, 2012

email: October 29, 2012

I love hearing that things are going well for y'all back home. Everyone seems to be staying busy and continuing to grow and progress. Good things happen when we stay busy. How is the family on the East Coast doing? I have heard that Sandy is starting to pound the coast. They will be in my thoughts and prayers this week. How did Grandma Tonini do this week? I did my best to not feel depressed about losing Grandpa and I can only imagine what she has gone through. I loved his example and those last few precious memories that I had with him. He is in a better place now so it is all worth it. Death isn't the end, it is only the beginning.

My week started out rough. We had the funniest DDM (District Development Meeting). After that, my companion and I got into a fight on Tuesday. He said a few things and I said a few things back to him which made him snap. Johnson is a BIG dude and I was totally expecting to take a punch in the jaw. We have cleared the air though. I feel like he judges me all the time and he feels like I judge him all the time. He says very sarcastic things that really irritate me and I feel like he attacks me a lot. However, we cleared things up and things have gotten a lot better since then.

We taught a BOMB lesson to Corinna again and boy did she feel the Spirit. We taught about the Plan of Salvation and when we were in the lesson she got a call that one of her close friends is going to die soon. She felt the Spirit so strongly when we took the opportunity to teach about where we are going after we die. She is really solid and is still progressing. we might have to push her baptism back but it will still happen. It is awesome to have Victor there to help us teach. He really helps to invite the Spirit into our lessons.

On Wednesday, I went on exchanges with Elder Locklear and it was one of the most spiritual days ever. I went into Yuciapa and worked with him there. He is only two weeks old in the field so it was a great teaching opportunity to help him. His way of contacting was to only give people cards and to not talk to them. I helped him get over that and make the changes to become a better missionary. Our companionship study was him teaching me more things about the gospel. I learned things that I had always had questions to and my knowledge of the gospel exploded. I am so hungry to learn more and to get more out of the scriptures. There is so much to learn that I cannot wait to learn about it. I also found out that he cannot eat meat, his body won't allow him to. He is a Lumbee Indian and so he had a lot of cool stories to tell. We taught really good lessons and Elder Locklear even had his first bike wreck! He fell REALLY hard down a good size hill. He messed up his knuckles bad, ripped his shirt and cut his wrist. He got so lucky that he isn't separate his shoulder. I honestly think it was because he was wearing his garments that he didn't get hurt much worse! It was so much fun being in a new area and seeing different people. I love Oak Valley but I am ready for a change.

Thursday we went and ate at Tacos & Beer with Austin again. It was so good! We then went and taught a lesson to Janie, one of our new investigators. We went in planning to teach the Plan of Salvation but we ended up teaching the Gospel of Christ. Janie felt the Spirit so strongly that she started to cry. She wants a new life, to feel the power of baptism so we invited her to it and she accepted. It was one of the most spiritual lessons that I have had on my mission. It is amazing to see how our Savior can make the difference in peoples lives. She is really looking for a change and she knows where she wants to find it. It is awesome and I love seeing the gospel and the truth that it has bring people happiness!


Then something crazy happened. I talked to this guy outside his house and he told us that he wanted to learn more. As soon as we rode off, an undercover cop car pulled up and started to pat him down. Next thing we know, he his cuffed and sitting in the back of the car while another one rolled up. It was Gang Taskforce so who knows that happened! Just another day in Beaumont.

We went and saw Mike on Friday morning with Brother Bailey. Mike has had some good anti-questions that we have had trouble answering scriptural things to him. We brought Brother Bailey to help us because he is so intelligent in the gospel and teaching people. It was awesome seeing Mike understand things and to come closer to understanding. We talked about the Trinity, the Spirit World, becoming like God and some other things. I learned so much and I was supposed to be teaching! I learned how to better teach and help people to understand things better.

That night was our Halloween party and we were the judges for the best chili. Janie and her grand daughter came to the party! I seriously ate SO MUCH. We then had to judge the best costume as well. It was so much fun, I love my ward even if I have been here forever!

Our ward mission leader came over and we correlated for the upcoming week on Saturday. His son, J.T., tried to lift weights while we were talking and it was so funny to watch. It is so awesome to have a good Ward Mission Leader that is very proactive with us. I then had to catch up on some paperwork that took me three hours to finish! Lesson learned: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. We then went out and contacted people until we went over to Brother Day's house to help him with a few things. He cooked us steak and we got to play with his remote control car. That little car will get up to 40MPH! It was so much fun. We then went out and talked to people until we got a call from Chris, wanting to talk with us. Chris has become less-active because of some things that have happened in the ward. However, we had a good talk and set up a plan to get him back on the right path. Hopefully we can help him feel the spirit and get over things that have happened.

Sunday was awesome, Janie and her grand daughter came to church! Janie loved church and really felt the spirit there. We also learned something that is sensitive information. I don't know if the stake there has told y'all about this but I thought I should y'all the heads up. Someone videoed the WHOLE temple session including the stuff at the veil. Not good... And the video has gone viral. So just a heads up, just in case people start to ask about the video. We have been instructed to refer non-members directly to SLC and for members to talk to the stake president. Hopefully this won't be a stumbling block for the church. It will be interesting to see how this will affect us. Other than that, my Sunday was awesome and we talked to a lot of people.

Well, that is about my week. Things are starting to slowly look up, a day at a time. I love y'all and miss everyone dearly. I am so grateful for my Savior and the comfort He gives to me. I have learned a lot about relying on Him and having Him help me get over my trials. I love Him with all my heart and I feel honored to be a servant for Him. Always remember that Christ paid the ultimate price for us and knows exactly what we need, He is the way back home. Hope y'all have a wonderful week and know that I love you!

Elder Tonini

1 comment:

  1. Mormon missionaries hanging out at 'Tacos & Beer.' I wonder what his mission president thinks about that?

    ReplyDelete