Transfer 5 Week 2 1-9-12

Hello everyone!

So, the first full week of the new year was full of lots and lots of street contacting (OYM'ing). 

Tuesday, we contacted a guy we thought had lots of potential, gave him a restoration pamphlet with our number on the back if he had any questions. We never got his contact information, but he called us the next day saying he read the entire pamphlet and had some questions. We tried to set up a return appointment for the coming weekend, but it didn't go through. 

Wednesday, started out a funny day. We visited this 92 year old member, L., she is too weak to come to church so we visit her often. She lives in an old folks home here and her bedroom is right across from the bathroom in the hallway. When we arrived it smelled as if poo was smothered on the walls and floor of the place (but it wasn't). Imagine the worst smelling diarrhea combined with old person gas, times that by 40 and that was how bad it smelled. When I walked into her room, I was trying to keep myself from throwing up on the floor, haha. I was gagging from the smell across the hallway that filled that whole section of the house, especially L.'s room. We were there for an hour and a half, I was trying to breathe through my mouth but then that only made it so I tasted it, bleh! Haha, I had kindly asked her to see if I could spray some of her air freshener and she agreed. The air freshener barely touched the odor emanating from the bathroom. Eventually, after about 40 or so minutes the air became breathable, haha.

Thursday, we did more OYM'ing before weekly planning. We talked to this African American guy named C. He was super polite, always said yes Ma'am or no Ma'am. We shared some restored truths and he agreed to set up a return appointment for Saturday with him. When we went back for the return appointment, his aunt had joined in on the lesson. He was thoroughly looking through the pamphlet and we gave him a Book of Mormon. His aunt has breast cancer and has a firm belief in Christ but seemed open to learning more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have high hopes for C. and his aunt Ca., they seem very interested in learning more. We gave him some readings in the Book of Mormon and will be seeing them both later this week. So we picked up two new people to teach on Saturday! What a miracle! What a blessing!

Friday, we were OYM'ing between appointments and we ran into this guy walking his dog. He is pretty crazy, he is one of those who thinks the world is going to end this year, haha. He talked about how we're evolved from aliens, how there is this book the government is hiding called A Mystery Man 2012. He said that Christ had already appeared to people in Africa and that Michael (who we told him was Adam... like the archangel Michael Adam and he was like what and ignored that) but he said that Michael lives in Vermont. Ha, I thought about telling him out of kicks that Michael Adam (Michael Adam Gifford) was my brother, hahahaha, but I didn't. He just kept going on and on about all this crazy stuff. I said you like to read about signs of the times and of the second coming, why don't you read this book. I then handed him a Book of Mormon and told him that it had many signs of the second coming strewn throughout it. Oh and he also wouldn't tell us what religion he was, he just said it was a confusing one... haha, obviously! So my week has been pretty long but eventful with meeting many different people and talking to them.

To answer mom's question if we see less actives, yes we see tons of them. We have a bigger pool of less actives than investigators right now but we are working to fix that ;).

Saturday afternoon, we street contacted for 3 hours straight and every single person rejected us, but we still keep going and planting seeds. We probably walked a total of 20 miles that day from street contacting people, so I'm definitely getting my workout out here from walking, haha. The weather is fickle, one day it will be 45-50 the next it would be 25-30 so it has been very off and on. The wind is what makes it the coldest though, that is what chills the bones but we layer up so it's not too bad. Well, we are certainly working very hard to find people to teach, I appreciate all the prayers to find people we definitely need them. I know that as we keep working that Heavenly Father gives us tender mercies! I hope everyone gets a good start to the new year!

-Sister Gifford