Gone One Month Already!

Hello EVERYONE!!!!

Please- everyone- RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND . . .  do it! Now SLAP YOURSELF! Because that is what you are doing to me when I don’t get a letter!!!!! Lol

 I am so excited that it is yet another Monday! I have been looking forward to writing this email to tell you all what my week has been like!! Starting with last Tuesday

 3/15- We went and taught a guy that we contact the first week I was here, He was super high! We left smelling of it. My companion and I, along with the member that was with us, didn't feel good when we left. Too much pot I think. We did get a return appt. with him. We meet with another investigator. He is struggling to know what he should do with baptism and if he really wants to take that step. We told him about Elder Bednar's visit he said he would go. Then we met with another investigator, he read the book of Mormon and knows that it is true, He is from South Africa and super cool! We invited him to be baptized on whom he accepted but he works Sunday’s so we are praying hard for him to be able to get it off. It hasn't happened yet.

3/16- ONE MONTH! Can you believe it! Ha-ha I thought of everyone today because most of you I haven't seen for that long. Lol Today was my first experience of being on campus and teaching and passing out pass along cards. It was a long day, but I am excited to say that I talked to a lot of people and passed out a lot of cards to the students that walked by. I even got my FRIST TAN LINE!!! Hahaha I am official! Lol I showed everyone this wicked tan line, it isn't as dark but we have another Wednesday coming up. Hahaha.

3/17 St Patty's day. What a party! Here it is just another reason to drink and dance the night away. There is an Irish pub close to our apt. so we had to use ear plugs to get to sleep the music was so loud. It was like new years I swear! We met with the guy that was high this day again. You remember the challenge we gave him to not be high!? Well, his house didn’t smell of pot, which gave us hope. Then he wasn't answering the door, which made us nervous, but then he came and he was SOBER!!! YEEHAA!! We taught him an awesome lesson. He said he was "feeling good" so we explained to him that that was the Holy Ghost. And he goes "What, really? But I am not shaking and foaming at the mouth!!" lol too funny! We set another return date with him. We did find out that he is married so we have to pass him along to the Elders to teach, since we deal with singles only. Then a miracle came. About a year ago, sisters that were in this area tracked into a young man. They taught him and set a date with him to be baptized. Before he was baptized he moved to Korea to teach. This day we got a text from him, telling us that he is back from Korea and wants to be baptized!!! YAY! It is awesome how he still has the desire after so long and that the truth of this church was able to build on him and give him a stronger testimony and desire.

3/18- The day we have all been waiting for!! ELDER BEDNAR! It was so awesome. Words cannot give it full justice of what we learned as missionaries. He ever told us stuff that he instructed to not include in our emails home. I would not be able to write the things anyways; because the spirit worked on me that I would not be able to put it in words. I hope that helps you all understand what I mean. We had a Q&A which was legit! One thing that he did say that I can say "Members of the church are FULL-TIME finders, and the missionaries are FULL-TIME teachers." What I learned is that as members of the church we take the time to find those for the missionaries to teach. When we don’t help the missionaries, the missionaries have to spend the time finding, and that time can be used for teaching. You see me? Me and my comp and taking the time to find, because single member tend to slack off a little, and I knew this. But it makes more since, since being out here as a full-time missionary.

 Please pay attention to Elder Bednar’s conference talk. He told us it was going to be really good for people everywhere! Open your mouths and talk to everyone around you.

It was amazing. The temple here is so beautiful! I loved every minute of it!

I am running out of time so I must skip a few days.

I was able to have my first baptism of many yesterday!!!! It was amazing! I love being on the missionary side of things when one decides to join the church! It was incredible. My comp and I sang a song for him on which was the biggest surprise. He loved it!

The Lord loves us all. I love you all and hope that you will take my challenge to be the FULL-TIME FINDERS!!! So we as missionaries can teach!!

-- 

 Sister Shannon Durr