Hi! I hope you had a great week!
Dave Brook is an army vet living off of veterans assitance and social security in an apartment by himself. There was a confusion that caused his social security to be turned off. He didn't know why he couldn't pay the rent, he just knew he was behind from all the notices he'd received and his moderate case of paranoid schizophrenia led him to deduce that the bank was skimming money from his checks. He's been a member of the church for 8 years, he attended for little of that time, but has an excellent home teacher and elders quorum president. We were meeting with him regularly in our early afternoon hours to help build the faith he'd once had and in the process he told us about his accusations toward the bank. While leaving one day we saw a constable walking up to his door and knew that it had been going on far longer than he'd led us on to beleive and reported to the bishop what we knew. I say all this just to conclude that if it weren't for that home teacher and elder quorum president Brother Brooks would be homeless and very confused. They figured out his finances, made a cummulative 100 phone calls or so to find a new apartment, organized his legal team between him and his apartment complex and after we'd packed up his house (FULL of stuff - Elder Dewitt said he was just a homeless man who happened to have a house) 10 men from the elders quorum came and moved him on thursday night in 40 degree weather out of his 3rd floor apartment and then into his new apartment saturday morning. Kudos to the ward.
This contrasts with Rob who Elder Dewitt met on exchanges who graduated from Texas A&M but is living out of his car in the park. He asked the missionaries for some help, we told him to come to chruch sunday and meet with the bishop to see what could be done. He said he didn't want to hear a speech from anyone, he just wanted food shelter and money. We hooked him up with our employment specialist and he said he didn't want to go to a career workshop, he just wanted a good lead to a job.. although apparantly none of the leads which our specialist had to offer were satisfactory. We said our organization would help him become self sufficient, although he seemed more inclined to accepting hand-outs. After we told him our procedures were set in place although we'd be happy to do what we could, he denounced our church as evil for not conforming to his needs. There is God's way of happiness as taught to us by the will of the spirit, and their is our own way, which leads to misery according to the will of the flesh. Unless he's happy in the park, I hope he realizes what he'd doing now isn't really working for him.
We had a good experience contacting in an apartment complex the other day. We had 30 minutes before dinner, so looked around and decided which building we'd go to. We walked to one, knocked on a door that had indications of a new born baby around it, and before leaving, there was no answer, I found myself walking to the door right above it. There we found German. He was looking for truth that would fulfill his spiritual needs.
We also started teaching Matt and Evan this week. They both have accepted baptism but we haven't set them with a date yet.
I went on an exchange with Elder Ware. It was hilarious to work in an all spanish area with him again. His area covers 3 missionary areas, but he's only called to teach spanish speakers. So we looked for houses that had evidences of spanish speakers living there, hahaha, it was just silly how accurate his clues were for to finding the hispanos. It was great to speak the language again, i'm on my 3rd transfer in an english area.
Acts Chapter 4 gives an example of christ's apostle's prayers concerning a political problem they had encountered. They did not pray to have the problem removed, nor did they pray that they could in the strength of the lord overcome the problem at hand. They prayed for the blessings which were promised to them concerning their calling as apostles of the Lord. They then received the boldness to speak the word of God as they had asked, and the power to do miracles in the name of Jesus. The heavens answered by shaking the walls of building they prayed in, and giving them according to their desires. By going out and acting, and by magnifying their callings, "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." The effect they hoped for was still attained, and it was done in the Lord's ways. Pray specifically, according to your duty, and it will be given to you.
I love you!
Stay Salty,
Elder Tyler Meidell
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