July 14, 2014

Hey Everyone!

I will try this time to give you all a little more information about this past week. It has just been super hard because of how much time these library computers give us, but I will continue to improve haha. We had a great week, which included watching the Nederland game, finding new people to teach, playing soccer kids with Muslim kids, and setting two new baptismal dates with investigators that we have been working a while with. The Lord is blessing us, and the garden of Genk is still being harvested. Our first baptismal date that we set was with an investigator named Burt. He is a 67 year old Belgian, who is hilarious! He went to Oxford University, and lived in England for a while, so he is really smart, but loves the gospel. I guess when they first found him, he was a really depressed, quite guy, but Elder Holt and I have done a good job getting him out of his shell. We went into the lesson last time, and he was wearing a white shirt and black pants, probably coming home from a smart person convention or something, so I told him all that was missing was a name tag. I put mine on him, and we sat down. I then told him it was Role Play time, and asked him to teach me like a missionary. It was super cool, because he bore testimony about the Book of Mormon, and how it supports, and clarifies the Bible. It was very led by the spirit, and that was necessary, because after, we switched places again, and I was the missionary, and we taught baptism. After 1 hour, he usually kicks us out, so we were expecting that at any time. He finally said, Ok guys, I think it is time. So we asked to say a closing prayer, but then he stopped us and said, no, I mean it is time. I need to make more progress, and develop the skills and love that Heavenly Father blessed me with. He then told us he has these weird desired to help others with their problems and just be a disciple of Christ. I pulled open Mosiah 18, and showed him the Baptismal Covenant, and that was exactly what he was defining to us. We extended the invitation to make the Covenant on the 6th of September, because he has some things to fix before he can get Baptized, but he totally will. Such a spiritual lesson. I have learned while teaching that the most effective way to teach baptism, is to teach the Covenant, and when you invite people to baptism, say it and invite them to make the covenant, then explain that we do that through Baptism. That is something that President Robinson really inspired me about, and it is working. The other was with an investigator named Marcello. He is really interesting, but is progressing. He learns from the Jehovah Witnesses as well, and he gets really confused by them, which is a bummer, but it is OK. We had a good lesson, and helped with questions, and invited to Covenant.

We had a really good week with random acts of service as well. Elder Holt has taught me the importance of that, and I'm grateful for that. We took flowers to an old lady investigator who is sick, and that was special. We made brownies for a family in the Branch, and they loved that too! The Branch loves Elder Holt and I together, and that has been a treat. He is the best missionary I have seen at interacting with the members, but I think most of that comes with the fact that they think he is hilarious because he can't speak Dutch as well because he is pretty new, but at least he is taking advantage of a weakness. Great example to me.

On Saturday, we went to an activity with the Branch. We went to this place here in a forest in Belgium called, Bote Voeten Pad, or Bare Feet Path. You hike 3 miles on a trail of mud, obstacles, and water features, and that was super, super fun! It has been raining all week as well, so it was super muddy. This Branch is incredible too. We had a bunch of investigators there, and 20 branch members of the 25 active. Super amazing! Also, we watched the Nederland game. It is too bad they lost, they controlled Argentina!

I'm really enjoying my time here. I like Belgium, and my love for it grows everday. Limburg is the only province like this in Belgium, really foresty, and outdoorsy. We are probably going fishing one of these pdays! My love for spreading the gospel grows everyday, as I continue to learn about the Atonement, more specifically, the Enabling Power of the Atonement. I urge you all to study that, and think about how you can apply it more into your lives, because if I learned anything with Elder M, it was to rely on the Enabling Power of the Atonement, because Christ died for our weaknesses and adversity as well.

I love you all so much, and hope that you have a great week. Keep those letters coming!

Veel Lief,

Elder Elkins