And no way marks going off in basketball too huh??? Daaaang dude good work!!! Dad the office looks good!!
Alright well I completely understand what Will says haha when he talks about lame excuses people come up with to not listen to the missionaries... in colombia its often the same... allow me to share a story from the week. We got a reference from members in another ward, an older lady, went and taught her, her daughter, and her daughters husband, and it went well but her daughters really uninterested... so we went back the next day late in the afternoon when it was already getting dark out and they had the lights on inside the house, so the gate was closed and the daughter came out to talk to us. We asked if her mom was there to teach them a lesson and she said no, that she was alone. Little did she know the blinds were open and we could easily, clear as broad daylight, see her mom right there inside the house watching tv, and so i told her of course haha ´´uh, and that lady right here watching tv, whos she?´´ she said ´´oh, a friend...´´ and we said ´´oh, so your not alone... hmm... well, isnt that your mom right there watching tv?´´ and digging herself deeper in a hole she said ´´no its a friend who looks a lot like my mom´´ hahaha ahhh that was great.
So our leaders have been training us a lot about being bolder missionaries. Its a bit tricky because we cant completely insist on people and be overbearing, but we have to be bold and more persuasive with our ways of getting in the door, teaching, and helping people not just listen, but keep commitments and really change their lives. I love the scripture in Alma 38:12 and understand from it that the difference between boldness and overbearance is the amount of love we express for the people... the more we are kind and love them, the more we can pressure them into doing whats right without it being overbearing... We had a sweeet experience with that this week. On thursday there was a huuuge soccer game, all you could hear walking through the street were the tv commentators yelling and all, not a single person in the street unless their eyes were glued to a tv outside, and we managed to get a lesson during that hour!!! We went into a ladys house and her husband was watching the game... We explained to her the importance of having him listen to the lesson as well, and tried to help her invite him to turn off the tv and come listen... she didnt, so we proceeded to do so oursleves. We told him what a cool pretty house he has and all, and how good colombias soccer team is and how we love the colombian people, but then firmly told him to turn of the tv for just 5 minutes and listen. He did so, we used more than 5 minutes (haha the 5 minute trick works every time), we shared the story ´´He took my lickin for me´´ connected it to the Atonement with Alma 7:11-13 and he loved it!!! We felt the spirit a lot in that lesson, and walked out with stronger testimonies of the power and authority by which we really are set apart to preach this gospel!
La osadía viene con la dignidad puesta con el hecho de ser apartado, y con el amor que expresamos por la gente. Mi compañero y yo aprendimos eso esta semana por experiencia propia. Sé que además de eso, entre más comprendemos la autoridad que tenemos como misioneros apartados, aun más probable es que la gente nos escuche y haga caso al mensaje que tenemos, y aun más se siente el Espíritu también. Lo comparto en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen.
los amo
nos vemos
Élder Tenney
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