Happy Birthday today to the best dad ever!

 

Aww Yeah! It rained pretty much all week; cloudy skies and everything, including some thunder and lightning. But today we got sunshine in the soul!!! Elder Pounds and I played with the Frisbee for an hour and we also played volleyball with the Sun Prairie Elders and Sisters. It was such a fun and relaxing day in DeForest. And for lunch we cooked brats on our grill, and had some Mexican style sodas and some pasta on the side. Doesn't it just sound like a great day!

Squirrel outside our apartment.
It's so wet here the trees have moss on them.

Our week in-review: On Monday we got yelled at by a less-active. He told us to stop calling him (which I find really funny because we don't have his number) and then he slammed the door in our face faster than I could get a word of hello out of my mouth. On Tuesday, Elder Pounds and I had a really great experience tracting. We decided to change up our approach and instead of jumping into the religion stuff, we thought we should try and just start a conversation based upon what we see in the front yard. We did this, and on the first door the guy comes out and we talk with him for half an hour. As the conversation developed we learned a lot about his spirituality and began to teach parts of the Restoration. He was extremely receptive and agreed to reading the Book or Mormon and to an appointment for this new week. Also on Tuesday we had a really good dinner with the first councilor in the Bishopric and his family.

Wednesday had its ups and downs. As it continued to rain we went out knocking doors on a few old potential investigators (people the missionaries had tracted into many months ago but had never progressed towards investigator status) In one scenario, we knock on the door and have a really great conversation with a woman who is in here mid 40's, we teach the Restoration and she agreed to a return appointment. Not even two minutes later, we get a call from the woman's mother (the person that we had talked to, her mom called us) and said in explicit language "OH NO, I won't have any of this Friday stuff, if you come back here I'm gonna call the Cops" Elder Pounds and I were shocked at what she had said, but also at how fast it happened. It was slightly funny; the worlds fastest dropped investigator (to our knowledge). Late in the day we had a really great lesson with our recent convert M, he's still a goofy kid but he makes the lesson fun.

Thursday and Friday were good days; both were successful and stuff :)

Saturday: We spent all day Saturday visiting active members and in-active members in the far regions of our area, small towns such a Rio, Poynette, and Pardeeville, and all the little house clusters in between. We actually started the day off by visiting an investigator family and helping them move into their house. We spent three hours moving boxes and furniture up 19 steps of stairs (which were also slanted and don't look like they would pass inspection). It was so fun to be with the family though. They are a peculiar pair that would fit in with da Yoopers! Beer bellies, tattoos, a dog that drinks cold coffee, and story after story about moonshine and doing redneck stuff. It may seem hard to believe after this description, but they are actually very serious about the gospel and they are seriously praying about the Church and the Restored Gospel. They are reading the Book of Mormon and they do understand what they read :) As for the rest of Saturday, we spent hours driving and visiting and talking to and finding people, and obtaining information about people that the Bishop didn't have. This has been a big project for Elder Pounds and me. We have spent two weeks preparing this trip with the Bishop and on Sunday night we spent a solid 1 1/2 hours talking with the Bishop about what information we got, who needs home teachers and visiting teachers. Who has asked for help? Whose number is outdated, and what people have moved? The funny thing is, we spent all Saturday doing this, and we aren't even done yet. There are still a group of members (all in-active) that we didn't have time to visit yet. The journey continues...

Sunday was great! We were blessed to have found a new family to start teaching. Elder Pounds and I were going to contact a referral that was given to us by the Madison Hmong Elders. When we got to the house, there was no Bob who lived there. After attempting to strike up a good conversation with the resident we left. We then knocked on a door that Elder Ferney and I had tracted into back in early February. We met with the family after settling the discussion of: are you Cops, FBI, or CIA? We were invited into the home and had an excellent lesson with them. We talked about soccer for a short while (FIFA!!!) then set up a return appointment.

Elder Pounds and I really enjoyed this week. The Lord has blessed us beyond our imagination and comprehension. Things clicked really well and we were able to accomplish all that we had set out to do. Since Sunday was fast Sunday, I went up and shared my testimony about the Mission of Jesus Christ. I read 3 Nephi 27:14 to the congregation and shared my thoughts and feelings about the first part: Christ coming here to do the Father's will and be raised on the cross and the second part: AFTER, to draw all men unto me. I shared my Testimony on missionary work and how missionary work is Christ's mission, and His mission continues as we serve a long side him and share the gospel with all of God's children.

Land of the Prairie Dogs

Scripture for the week: 1 Nephi 1:19-20

19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.

 20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there. The world would not be the same without you. Thank you for your love, sacrifice, service, and devotion. J

Elder Luymes

Beautiful bird nest we found out tracting one day.