Week 74

Wow what a week! one of the best ever, I am so excited.  So new companions are in, we have five new missionaries in our zone, two are brand new being trained and are one fire! We had a record month in the Cottonwood stake of 9 baptisms, and we are going to have even more in December, and twice that in January! I am on fire right now with excitement and energy and the Spirit.  My new companion is Elder Davenport, he interestingly enough just came from being companions with Elder Pryor.  Elder Davenport is awesome.  He's significantly taller than my last companion, a bit taller than me.  We have had such a good week.

Monday we finally met with the Dunbar family, we had a great lesson with them, and on Friday a second lesson.  It's a struggle right now, the wife is catholic and doesn't see a need for baptism, and doesn't want to come to church, but she gave the closing prayer, and kind of asked a question and started crying, and the spirit was real strong! it was wonderful.

That monday night we had an FHE activity with the fosters, and it was a lot of fun! oh wait... I think I already mentioned this last week, cause last week I e-mailed on tuesday, I forgot... okay, on to tuesday.  Tuesday night I went and met with a guy named Jason who has been investigating the church for numerous years, he has read Jesus the Christ twice, and read all the standard works, but has a few problems still, he wouldn't tell me, and the guy I brought with me as a member someone who tried to keep us off track it seemed! he did a good job. 

Tuesday morning we had a wonderful breakfast with our stake president, all the missionaries in our stake were there, it was a lot of fun, a few missionaries were a little immature, but its okay cause they got transferred =] ha. 

Wednesday, Transfer day! beautiful day.  We were in a meeting before the main meeting, and I came to the realization that there were two possibilities to be my companion, Elder Davenport and Elder ---- I'll leave it blank.  Well the second elder gave a talk in this meeting, and I just thought "Ugh, he's prideful, he wont do.  I need Davenport" I had heard a lot of good things about Elder Davenport before I ever met him, so I really wanted it to be him.  There were two places where these two missionaries could go.  Surprise Zone, and Cottonwood Zone.  So the surprise guy stands up and is awaiting to hear who his companion was, and I was praying so hard! just knowing that he would get Elder Davenport, but to my great pleasure, he did not! which meant that I would be getting him.  Hurray, it did in fact happen.  Things have been so nice lately, I am loving it.

Thursday we met this wonderful lady named Helen.  I'm trying to be more bold in tracting, so we start talking to her at the doorstep, and I invite us in to talk to her, she's about 90 years old, she said okay but just for a few minutes.  We started teaching her the Restoration.  At first she seemed very hesitant, and not wanting to answer questions, but then the Spirit really came in, Elder Davenport is an awesome teacher, and asked some great questions, we told her the story of Joseph Smith and bore our testimonies, and the Spirit was really strong.  We asked if she believed what we were saying was true, she said she did, and that she wanted to be baptized.  She said that she really wished that her family was there to hear what we had to say.  We set up an appointment to teach her, her daughter, and grand daughter on Saturday, we were so excited.  We got a call friday night, it was helen's daughter saying she wanted us to come pick up the book of mormon and that her mom wouldn't be available for the appointment.  NO!!!! I am a big despiser of Satan!

Thursday we met with a guy named art, that isn't going to go anywhere, but we have had more appointments this week than I ever had up here in cottonwood, Elder Davenport is a man of faith!

Well, its been such a good week, I'll have more to tell next week.

Elder Martin