Letter 8-16-11

Transfers are tomorrow and I am staying in Syracuse, so my first transfer is done! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect as far as area or how my companion would be. I have learned a lot from Sister E., and this first transfer has been a very humbling experience I feel for the both of us. Oh and I want to share one of the experiences we had this week:

Yesterday we had just gotten done with teaching a lesson about testimony to a very strong recent convert. We were driving by an area where we have an investigator, E., who has a baptismal date. Sister E. said should we stop by and see how he's doing and I said sure. Thank goodness we did because when we went to his apartment, and we started talking to him he was trying to drop us from coming anymore. He said that he didn't feel that this church was the right church for him.
[Side note: He is a Hill Cumorah Pageant referral. He felt the spirit while reading the Book of Mormon after we left. He said he heard a voice telling him it was true and that he should join the church. He also mentioned to us one day when he was in the hospital that the day after he met us while he was reading the Book of Mormon that it inspired him to quit smoking. That was about a week ago or so.]

Now (yesterday), he was saying how it is hard to believe that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ when no man had seen God. He said that he didn't believe the Book of Mormon was true.
I was devastated to say the least, my heart was broken when he said that. I have felt the spirit while teaching lessons to him, and I felt such great joy the day he said he wanted to be baptized and I extended a baptism invitation to him. Now he was denying he felt anything at all. Sister E. and I talked with him and discussed his comments, questions and concerns. I pleaded with all my might, mind and strength that he would not give up on the gospel of Jesus Christ, which I knew he so badly needed. He was about to let us go and I pleaded for him to not give up on it, to keep reading and keep praying about it. He said that he will keep praying and reading. I know that what I felt in regard to him could be nothing other than charity, the pure love of Christ, earnestly pleading to him to keep trying. It was amazing. I haven't been able to really stop thinking about it since it happened. After we stopped and visited with him, I thought to myself, "I am tired of meeting these elect children of God, who I feel the spirit so strongly around and then the next time I meet them they turn their backs." I promised myself that, God willing, I will never let that happen ever again where an elect child of God tries to stop us from meeting with them anymore. There have been several occasions on which that happened and if I can help it, that WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. Course I know that people have their agency, but I also know how important it is for them to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ and for them to know the truth. It is true, I know it! Anyway that is my most poignant experience this week.

Thank you for those who write me! Every time I get a letter it is a treasure to me, so thank you soo, soo much for writing me. Love you all and pray for everyone each day!

Love,

Sister Gifford :)