Dearest Family,
I love you so much!! This week has been another crazy one. We'll see what I can fit into this email. I think going chronologically will work for the most part for this email. I hope I don't forget something.
First of all, last Monday some members in the Stanley ward invited us over for their FHE. They know that Sister Hodson is new, and they really love and have adopted both of us. They are my favorites. I feel like I can be myself in their home. Anyway, they invited us over so that Sister Hodson could practice teaching on them. The grandparents, parents, and four children were there. Eight people. She taught them the first lesson, and it was nothing like an investigator lesson, but it was exactly what she needed. It wasn't perfect, but it was a learning experience for everyone. She has blossomed since then. They gave some amazing feedback, and we were all very happy. The father calls us his adopted daughters ("hey, where did my two other daughters go?" he said). He reminds me of dad in some ways. They are struggling a little with their intellectual daughter, and I totally understand her and suddenly she looks up to us. So I think we will be able to help them, too. We are teaching their niece right now.
Then we had some normal missionary days (tracting, street contacting, talking to random people, dinners with members that are great or not, and so on). Then one night when I was not feeling well, we decided to visit a former investigator. She met with missionaries last December, but then she was out of the country for a few months visiting her family in China. They haven't been able to reconnect since then. We rung her door bell, and when she answered she said, "Oh hi! Yes! I wanted to go to church this Sunday. What time is it at?" Bingo! We were so happy. So we answered her questions and set up a return appointment. She did come to church. :) Also that night we started texting another former investigator that has avoided missionaries for two months (since I got here). She quit her second job, so she has more free time and wants "to be very involved in the church". Both in one day! We were very very happy.
On Saturday we had a less happy experience. Really, it started on Thursday, but I'm going to tell it all in one piece. We got a referral from temple square, and it said to call first. We figure now that this man must have called one of the 1-800 numbers the church has and talked to a sister there. Well, I called. He answered and expressed that he had some questions about how a person could progress after they died. He listed a bunch of beliefs he has in common with us, but immediately expressed that he "didn't buy this 'I think, I feel' junk". He doesn't believe the spirit speaks to us today. He said if I could prove our doctrine to him out of the scriptures, he would change. He asked that I would do the same. I very simply stated that I do believe in the Holy Ghost, and I will always rely on it to teach me truth. He didn't go anywhere against that, but he did tell me I was unteachable.
He did have some questions, so we got him to agree to allow us to come over to answer his questions in person rather than over the phone. We were late to an appointment, so we had to go. We set up a time. He was very rude through the whole conversation. Later when we were thinking and praying about it, we felt very strongly that we should bring a member with us to back us up and protect us. A person came strongly to mind, but when we called him, he wasn't available at the time we set up. So we decided to move the appointment to another day so that he could come.
We called this man back to reschedule the appointment. When we requested to move it, he immediately got irritated and angry. He said that we had lied to him and we hadn't kept our commitment, and that we lied because we now wanted to bring someone with us. He would not allow us to reschedule, apologize, or answer his questions. We had blown it, in his mind. He went into a rage. He told me that I had sinned before God and that I needed to go to him to ask for forgiveness. It sounds silly when I type it like this, but when a man is yelling in a deep voice at you over the phone, quoting bible verses and calling you to repentance, it doesn't feel silly. I apologized again, but he would not have it. I hate to admit it, but he got to me, a little bit. I just asked him to show a little charity, and follow the second great commandment and forgive me. Clearly a BAD IDEA. He blew up even more. I had given the church a bad image, he informed me. He asked if we had someone that supervised us as missionaries. He wanted to give them a call and let them know how badly we had behaved. Sister Hodson unwisely told him we were responsible to ourselves. He just kept yelling and ranting, so we eventually had to talk loudly over him (because he would interrupt us) to say, "This conversation isn't going anywhere. If you have any questions let us know. Have a great day." and hang up.
A few minutes later he called us from a different number to tell us he had someone on a mormon.org line who had informed him that we had a mission president. He told us he was the wrong person to have made angry, and that he would call up the line until someone listened to him about how bad we were. I hate to admit it, but I got a little sassy (which equals failure as a missionary) I told him to tell President Keyes hi for us.
Anyway, so that was my bad experience of the week. I have been anti-ed so many times on my mission that I would have thought that I could handle this guy. But I failed. I was not Christlike, and I did not show or feel love towards him. I didn't represent the Lord well. I cried. It kinda threw me off for the rest of the day. But, the best thing in the whole church is the sacrament. I just have to let you know that I have a huge testimony of the sacrament now. I need it. It recharges me spiritually when I am drained every week. I needed it very badly this week. I love it. I know that the ordinance performed in the sacrament is of God. It is done by His authority according to his will and his pattern. It's not just something we do. The promises in it are real.
The other thing is that they asked me to give a talk in church on Loving your Fellow Men. It was funny after the experience we had had the day before. I really felt the Lord speaking through me in that talk. Moroni 7 is it. We must pray for this love--Charity. It is the only way we will be perfect, pure, and be like Christ when he comes. It is in all of our covenants. I am going to keep praying.
Yesterday we met with one of our investigators, the niece of the family, and she moved back her baptism date. I was sad about it, but she will be baptized. Just not yet.
As far as my studies go, this week they were awesome. I read Alma 8-15 (I think?) about Alma and Amulek. I love their companionship. They are the perfect examples. I read it in the light of Alma being the senior companion, the trainer. He does so well! It changed my whole perspective. I really want to be more like Alma.
Well, I'm out of time. But I love you!
I love you all!
~Sister April Atkin
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