Defender of the Dakotas: 47 - On the Flip Side of the Area

A Sister TRIO

Maybe I can try to catch up on the things I have yet to talk about this week.

But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh, (Jacob: 5:47).

Henry and Elizabeth were going to join us for a family night on Monday, but Elizabeth and the baby were sick. The family night activity with the members was still fun though.

We haven't seen Henry and Elizabeth at all this week.... I miss them so much. But Elizabeth has totally been avoiding us. And we've not been knowing really what to do. Sister Stephens has been praying to know who to focus on with no clear answer. I have had no clear answer either. Henry did contact us though yesterday and we set up a time to meet Tuesday. We will see how the spirit guides.

But man, it's so sad, I really... I want to know how to help them, especially Elizabeth, but then I read the above scripture in personal study one day and it gave me a lot of comfort. Even the Lord declared that he did all he could when his hand was stretched out 'almost' all the day long. It helps me feel okay, like I really am doing all I can, even though we haven't seen them at all...

It's been a downtrodden kind of week. We have been spending our time finding less actives who we know nothing about and we tracted a lot on Friday and Saturday and a bit on Sunday. When your area is one in which you taught a decent amount of lessons and then turns into an area where no one is currently progressing, it is very discouraging. The contract has been stark and sad.

But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me, (2 Nephi 31:14).

One of the hard things about this week was that the less actives we found were not interested at all in coming back to the faith. One had no faith in Jesus Christ, others left when in their youth, and one couple has completely denied the faith after being active through their young adult lives, return missionary and everything! Man, so so sad, and just as it says in D&C 82:3, the greater the light, the greater condemnation.

We felt really bad because we didn't know what to say to these people. I read Jacob 6 this morning for personal study, reading through the Book of Mormon, and I wish I would have had verses 8-9 memorized so I could just say to these people:

Will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?

Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God?

That would be so intense. Man. So, yeah, the less actives were sad.

Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions , and I will give unto you success Alma 26:27.

I think all missionaries eventually have a personal experience in really relating to this verse. Friday was really rough. First day of tracting, and it's hard when that is your only go to when it hasn't been ever. It was like I was back in Bismarck again... having no "go to" but tracting... And there were some discouraging moments where things were just awkward, or we didn't know what to say and felt like fools because we didn't know how to respond, and just... it was rough. But Heavenly Father blessed us for our diligence and only at the end of the night did we meet some people that were a little more encouraging.

We were coming up with tracting approaches during companionship study earlier that day that were pretty ridiculous.

We really needed to laugh and be crazy.

We didn't really use any of them really, but it man, we should! haha.

And at least all this tracting gives us good time to get people excited about the #BecauseHeLives video coming out on March 28th.

We've been sharing with people the #BecauseOfHim video that came out last year while we anxiously wait for the upcoming video.

The next day was a bit better. We took another adventure in Worthing! Took the bikes, ate some hot pockets at the gas station, as well as pringles and nutrolls, for dinner. It was great. I don't know how many cards exactly that we handed out, maybe around twenty, but we have someone that we found that is much more promising as far as a return appointment goes than any of the people we found around Christmas time.

We shared the Because of Him video with her in her home and explained a little bit about the beginnings of the restoration and committed her to watch the restoration DVD and we marked Moroni's promise for her. She has a super strong testimony of prayer and we hope and pray that she will ask with real intent so she can find for herself that this is the right path for her. And we gave a Book of Mormon to someone else who's wanted to get more into religion and we are excited to see if that will turn into something.

Best tracting story of the Worthing day:

*Knock on door. Two little boys answer.*

"Hi! Are your parents home?"

"No."

"Oh, ok. Well here is this."
*Hands pass-along card.*
"It takes you to a video about Jesus!"

"...*'what the heck...'*"

*Waving goodbye* "Happy Easter!!"

*Door closes.*

Sister Stephens was cracking up at me.

haha.