On the downward slump :(
Can you believe that I hit my half way mark already?! This is just crazy to me, things are going by way to fast for me. Things have started to move along in our area, we just got a new ward mission leader this last Sunday because our other one got called up to be the Elders Quorum President. Sister Hatch and I are really trying to build up the ward in numbers and strengthen the members. Lots of contacting and reaching out during the week to less actives. This week the Wilson's( part member family that is less active that we have been working with) came to church again! Two weeks in a row, we are hoping that it isn't because it was Easter, but that it is because they are trying to get back into the habit of things. We are seeing them tonight and are going to focus on repentance and baptism with them. We are hoping to extend a baptismal date for the Dad and their daughter who is 8. I think the previous sisters had gotten into a routine of just going over and "visiting" with them. One thing that has stuck out to me with working with less actives is that as missionaries we don't want to be seen as visiting teachers or home teachers. We are hear to call them to repentance and to bring them back to church. I feel like sometimes the missionaries, including myself are trying to build up the relationship too much with them, that is the members responsibility. Yes we should make a connection with them but I see that sometimes the less actives just expect from missionaries visits as just visits and not trying to help them to progress in the gospel. I really have been continually working on being bold with everyone. Kind of an inspiring story from this week, we had dinner with a family the other night and both of them are active members. They told us how they were both inactive for 18 and 34 years. I asked them what got them to come back to church and they said how for 3 years their home teachers and visiting teachers would come by every single month. They always shared a message and invited them to church every time. One day the wife woke up and starting getting ready when her husband saw this he asked where she was going and she told him church and asked if he wanted to go and he went. Since then they have gone to church every single week. The spirit really touched my heart about not giving up with people. Sometimes it gets frustrating when we don't see people progress or we feel that our work has gone to waste. But that is not the truth at all. I love the story of Abinadi, where he calls the people to repentance and gives up his life for the Lord and he probably thought that he had done no good. But Alma was one among them that went on to convert hundreds of people. It just showed me not to give up on everyone, and I guess that applies to everyone back home to not give up on those less actives that you visit and home teach. You are planting seeds and you never know where it is going to go.
Sadly we weren't able to see our Bosnian family due to sickness in their family and her crazy work schedule. We taught a lot more lessons this week which was nice, we are keeping pretty busy but we can always be busy as all missionaries would say. We had a Leadership training meeting this week where we talked about planning more effectively at night. It was so good and I felt like it was needed, I feel like the Lord is really whipping me into shape and when I think that I have gotten good at something he shows me where I need to improve. I was the lucky one who Sister Winder choose to go out with for the night, a little stressful but we had a successful night. I actually had a meeting already set up with the bishop that night to go over the ward directory, so she got to sit in on that and really see how we as missionaries work with the bishop. We then went to go see a less active family that the bishop had mentioned, and had a really good visit with them. The spirit was so strong and I shared a message on Easter of course and committed them to come to church and they agreed. Sadly they didn't keep their commitment, but there was quite a few less actives that we did get out to church. It might of been due to the fact that it was Easter but we are really going to stay on them to make sure that we can keep them coming. I love sitting there in sacrament meeting a see the congregation grow, even if there are just one of two people that come in. Slowly it is getting bigger, but there is still a lot more people that are out there in Boise that need to be sitting in those pews.
This week we also went on exchanges with some sisters that we were over, I was sister Pratt, she is so awesome I love her. We had a great time, she is an awesome missionary. There always seems to be some event that happens to us when we are on exchanges together. Last time is when we got roped into cleaning out that small fish pond. This time we were driving to one of our appointments and all of a sudden we saw this little boy running around on the street with no clothes on. We just started busting up laughing, she turned to me and just said you really do cover the lower class people in Boise. I seriously love the area I cover, there is never a dull moment here.
Yesterday Easter was really good, we had dinner with a family in the ward whose husband is less active. They invited over a couple of their friends as well, there was a lot of good food and we also go to dye Easter eggs with their two little kids. We were able to make some visits to some less actives that night as well. It was a little tougher day during the afternoon because a lot of people were either not home or they had family over. Overall it was good and I was so grateful to be out their sharing the message of the Savior on Easter.
Nothing really too exciting from this week, the work is continually moving along and I am continually learning and growing and being shaped into the person that the Lord needs me to become. I love you and miss you all and I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter.
Love
Sister Metcalf
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