I made a cool discovery this week there is an El Rancho up here in GayLord! It just reminds me of the times when Miya would hold a comb up to her nose and Say "I am El Rancho!".
this week was a pretty crazy week,
there was alot of big changes and Miracles that happened. At church
there was 42 people there! Hoooly! We got a new Branch Presidency and it
was the S's last day and it was Elder and Sister W's first
day.
One of the craziest things that happened
to me this week was we set up an appointment with a guy named E.
Originally We door knocked into E and I got us into his house because
He had a Boy scouts of America sticker on his window and i told him I
was a Eagle Scout. After we were in his house we got along super well!
He played guitar, was a locksmith, was a carpenter, played string bass,
and many other things, there was not a doubt in my mind that I was
basically prepared to teach this man. he even had a Canoe! (ha ha ha, I
joke around with my companion every day that we need to carry around a
canoe and baptize people in it, it's been a good running joke). He read
the bible 8 times through so I knew it would be difficult to have him
accept the Book of Mormon but I knew that If he would commit to reading
it half as faithfully as he did the bible he would assuredly again a
testimony of it. We never really got to teach him in that visit though,
but we set up a return appointment.
I woke up
that day and I knew I needed extra power so i went to the "Glory Rack"
of ties and picked out one of my special ties. I studied very
specifically for that appointment because I knew it wan't going to be a
easy one at all. And Man was I right!
We get there and we get on more
common grounds i swear if I wasn't the missionary for him and his wife I
don't know who else was. I went in and started teaching, He had an
amazing knowledge of the bible so I just had to point out things that
happened in the bible like apostasy. I asked him about the story of Noah
and used that to teach. For some reason Elder W would not say
anything at all, i tried to pass it to him and one time I straight up
asked him to continue and he shut me down.
So i basically had him read
scripture when ever one popped into my head. He said about 6 other words
through out the whole lesson besides the scriptures I had him read. But
man I was feeling the Dews of the spirit! and I had no problem at all
teaching him about the restoration, I felt the spirit like i did in the
MTC which hasn't happened since I got to Alpena.
The lesson was
beautiful so far and then I started to tell the story of the prophet
Joseph smith and E was completely silent, the whole lesson his mind
would travel off topic and he would throw out things but he was silent.
The spirit was there and he could feel it. I then taught about the book
of Mormon and thats when things got really tough. He started to flip a biscuit on about how the bible is the only word of God for him even
though I brought up prophesies of the book of Mormon, and prophets
coming after Christ from the bible and what not. the lesson was
starting to go south so I said a quick prayer and asked for help and a
miracle.
I then started bearing testimony of
the Book of Mormon and how it is the word of God and how there are living
prophets here on the earth. I bore testimony with ever fiber of my
soul, i used all of the power of the spirit and all of the Authority I
had to let him know that this is true! I have never bore a testimony as
powerful in my life than I had in that house at that moment.
The spirit
was so strong it was like a lion in the room, it was undeniable and he
could feel it! There was a Lion in the room and he refused to look at
it. I could not get him to accept the book of Mormon in my hands, I
tried and bore testimony and tried but he would not take it. I was
prompted before I left the apartment to put our phone number on a
restoration pamphlet and the address and time for church. I gave him
that pamphlet and tried to get him to commit to pray about the things we
spoke about and ask if they were true but he kept beating around the
bush. It got to the point where I didn't want to keep (as my companion
said it) "beating a dead horse" and I closed with a prayer and we left.
We
had a long walk to the car, in silence. I wasn't
angry at my companion for not doing anything at all, I wasn't mad that
he wouldn't take the Book of Mormon. But it tore at my soul to think of
his rejection of the word of God. It kinda reminds me of 2 NE 33:1-3, my
eyes did water my pillow that night just as nephi's did.
When
we got to the car after the long walk of silence, and i jumped into the
drivers seat, for the first time in like a half hour my Companion spoke
up. "Elder Crockett I know why we were sent there! I am sorry for not
speaking up, but I felt restrained, I'm glad I did though because I saw
you teach with more power than I have seen many experienced elders teach
with, You are a Great missionary and will only get better!" That is the
first complement that I actually felt he was sincere about, and I have
been blessed with the miracle I prayed for, he now has respect for me
and there has been many miracles just because of that! Ugh the story's
not over and i'm out of time!!!!
Bye I love you! be good, don't get shot!
Love,
-Elder Truman Rex Crockett
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