What's in your backpack??? This is what Elder Carroll carries around in his...
This week was sick.
Pday was a nothing pday. Nothing better. We got a call that kind of woke us up a bit. So this whole transfer our whole zone has only baptized 6 people, and naturally the President wasn't pleased. Elder Vargas(zone leader) got a call from Elder Howard(assistant) saying that the president isn't pleased and if something doesn't change soon he's going to change the whole zone. Take people out, move people in, the whole switcharoo. It kind of made me a little bit antsy. Vargas was antsy and we had to create a training that would motivate the zone more.
Tuesday we had district meeting and we were ready to motivate. Vargas gave all the sisters the low down and said we need to improve. His training was on efficient planning, which apparently we were needing. We talked about how we had to set goals and actually work to get those goals. Not just set them to say we set them. Vargas is really a great zone leader... knows how to train people and motivate them at the same time. Everybody accepted the challenge of upping our goal numbers and actually sticking to it every day. We set the goal of 30 lessons for the week. ¨lessons a day to beat that goal. So the minimum per day would be 5. We would also have to have 20 new investigators. So we got to work . We did some mad contacts this week, and asked for references from all the people we were teaching. We have like 27 in our teaching group. At the beginning of the week we repented and set goals with the Lord. "If we get these goals, we want a baptism." We taught 5 lessons per day.
Pday was a nothing pday. Nothing better. We got a call that kind of woke us up a bit. So this whole transfer our whole zone has only baptized 6 people, and naturally the President wasn't pleased. Elder Vargas(zone leader) got a call from Elder Howard(assistant) saying that the president isn't pleased and if something doesn't change soon he's going to change the whole zone. Take people out, move people in, the whole switcharoo. It kind of made me a little bit antsy. Vargas was antsy and we had to create a training that would motivate the zone more.
Tuesday we had district meeting and we were ready to motivate. Vargas gave all the sisters the low down and said we need to improve. His training was on efficient planning, which apparently we were needing. We talked about how we had to set goals and actually work to get those goals. Not just set them to say we set them. Vargas is really a great zone leader... knows how to train people and motivate them at the same time. Everybody accepted the challenge of upping our goal numbers and actually sticking to it every day. We set the goal of 30 lessons for the week. ¨lessons a day to beat that goal. So the minimum per day would be 5. We would also have to have 20 new investigators. So we got to work . We did some mad contacts this week, and asked for references from all the people we were teaching. We have like 27 in our teaching group. At the beginning of the week we repented and set goals with the Lord. "If we get these goals, we want a baptism." We taught 5 lessons per day.
We met a prophet this week,,,or apostle, or whatever he wants to call himself. I had already met this guy in the street with Elder Doyel but Elder Bochi had never seen him. We just happened to find his house and knock on his door. I knew from the minute I saw his face through the window on his door that there would be some bible bashage. I gave Bochi the wagging finger like "no we're not going in this house", but he didn't see it and entered. Darn. So we went in, sat on this dude's steps and he began to "teach" us. This guy looks like the preacher from the Other Side of Heaven (a movie) Almost exactly the same. Every time he talked about God he would say "Eshwa" instead of God. Bochi asked him if he was Jewish. He said mais ou menos. Dude. You either are, or you're not. There's no in between. He began to tell us what he thought we believed in, and that we don't have the authority to do what we do. That our message is bs and that we are infants talking to an old man. He said he preaches to the people apostolically and that he's read the bible a lot of times. The bible doesn't give people authority, buddy. We came back at him and told him we were called to serve by a prophet of God and that we received our authority directly from him. He raised his voice and we raised ours. He pointed at me and said he knew me. I covered my name tag and said, "You don't know me! What's my name?!" He said, "I know your church. You're American..."...I said, "Have you been in our church?? How can you say you know it??" It was getting pretty bad and I was getting pretty fired up. I said some things I probably shouldn't have said, we called him to repentance and bounced. Crazy old kook... haha. He thinks he's an apostle.
Another day we were talking with Kaio in the street (the only teacher in the ward) and he had a friend there with him, Nenê. I asked Kaio if he's been taught by the missionaries yet, and he said no. Already then! We took Nenê to Kaio's house and taught him. Kecio and Emanuel (an inactive deacon) were there too. We began to teach and Kecio was being obnoxious. I was getting really impatient. I just was saying things that don't need to be said during the first visit/lesson. Nevertheless.. Nenê felt the spirit and wanted to get baptized. The spirit does great things and is more powerful than you know. Even when the teachers are impatient and angry, the students can still feel it.
Friday the president came to do his rounds and interviews with the zone. Everyone was on their best behavior because we were already in probation. Our numbers were low and we were ready to get burned. President talked about how we need to renew everything. Our excitement, our commitment our techniques. It was true. We got flat. But we had already renewed all these things because of Vargas' training My interview was interesting with President. He said we need to work more with the members in the ward because of the talks in conference. That we have to be more direct with them and get TONS of references. I told him we were going to do an activity with the ward. He said that doesn't do anything. Idea burned. He said things need to change with these areas, and what we're doing is not enough. I agreed and said that I wasn't satisfied. It's not because we're not working. We're working hard. We just need to change things, because the things we're doing aren't working.
We left the meeting hyped and ready to find new people. We worked with Nenê
to get him baptized this Sunday. Usually we can't baptize the first Sunday that our investigators go but we got permission from President because he already has friends at church and has a testimony too. We talked with his mom and she's super legit. I think we found an elect family. It's about time. The only problem with her is that she smokes, but when we taught the first vision she got chills and told us she knows it really happened. What a great thing. We baptized Nenê Sunday night. It was sweet. His friends were there and there were people there supporting from the ward. We ended the week week with big numbers, but few people at church/marked for baptism. Gotta work on that. Transfers are coming up next week and I hope I stay here. I like my companion and were finally getting a hold of things. Bishop Janderson is even calling a new ward mission leader for us! Big things are happening. Well, I guess that's about it. Love you all. Love Jesus Christ, and know he lives and is accelerating his work. Don't forget about the references for the missionaries! They need them! Till next week...
Love Elder Dallin Stephen Carroll
to get him baptized this Sunday. Usually we can't baptize the first Sunday that our investigators go but we got permission from President because he already has friends at church and has a testimony too. We talked with his mom and she's super legit. I think we found an elect family. It's about time. The only problem with her is that she smokes, but when we taught the first vision she got chills and told us she knows it really happened. What a great thing. We baptized Nenê Sunday night. It was sweet. His friends were there and there were people there supporting from the ward. We ended the week week with big numbers, but few people at church/marked for baptism. Gotta work on that. Transfers are coming up next week and I hope I stay here. I like my companion and were finally getting a hold of things. Bishop Janderson is even calling a new ward mission leader for us! Big things are happening. Well, I guess that's about it. Love you all. Love Jesus Christ, and know he lives and is accelerating his work. Don't forget about the references for the missionaries! They need them! Till next week...
Love Elder Dallin Stephen Carroll
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